A sun-pinked face stares down the barrel of a surfboard-mounted camera. Mountain biker Sam Pilgrim is gently floating in crystal-clear water against a backdrop of cotton-wool clouds and bright blue sky. This idyllic setting could describe any number of surf videos shot with GoPro's rugged action camera, but this one is different. The protagonist is a pro athlete, but surfing's not his sport. The moment is genuine, but the circumstances that make it possible are planned. Pilgrim gazes up from his board, then impulsively, inexplicably bails into the ocean. Almost in the same moment, an outrigger canoe bursts over the camera into shot -- right where our surfer would have been had his reactions been a millisecond slower, undoubtedly resulting in serious injury. This close shave took place at GoPro's recent Athlete Summit in Hawaii, and it's videos exactly like this that the company is hoping will transform it from camera maker to media outlet, as it files for its IPO.
Smart Voip: James Potter
