"Designed by water" - visit to the Tribord brand headquarters - part I

At the beginning of October, together with colleagues from other media dealing with diving and water sports, we had the opportunity to travel to France, to the beautifully situated town of Hendayeaby, to visit the Tribord brand headquarters. During our stay, we had the opportunity to get acquainted with the novelties that the French producer has prepared for the upcoming season, and which have already been available on our market for a short time.

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It all started when Sebastian Szcześniak from Decathlon made contact. It is in this chain that, among others, Tribord products are sold. During the conversation, Sebastian informed about a serious step that the brand has made, entering the diving products market with new and definitely more advanced products, such as semi-dry suit, jacket or automatic.

As this was a huge event for the whole company, it was decided to invite journalists from all over Europe (including 4 people and the largest group from Poland – Blue Life, Free Frog Tv, a representative from Decathlon Poland and us – D24) to Tribord’s headquarters in Hendaye, so that during a few days stay over the Atlantic they could get to know all the details concerning the equipment being introduced.

We took an early morning flight from Warsaw to Paris, where we boarded another plane to the well-known seaside resort of Biarritz. Here a car was already waiting for us to deliver us to our hotel in Hendaye. Despite the long and tiring journey (we were on the road for about 12 hours), we still had enough energy to go for a walk by the ocean during which we shared our first impressions over a glass of rum.

The next day, after a quick breakfast, we met outside the hotel with Tribord representatives and journalists from other countries. There were representatives from Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and even Turkey! In a word, all the countries where Decathlon and Tribord have a strong position and constantly growing sales. After getting to know everyone, we went for a short walk to the nearby Tribord headquarters.

From the outside, the building didn’t particularly impress us, but in keeping with the saying not to judge a book by its cover, the best was waiting for us inside. First, we were given headsets and introduced to our interpreter – Teresa. All the presentations were in French and translated simultaneously into many languages. I must admit that the professionalism of the people organising our arrival made a big impression from the very beginning.

The first item on the agenda was, of course, a tour of the entire complex, where equipment bearing the Tribord logo is created from concept to the final product that hits shop shelves. A huge space with a full cross-section of what goes on sale exposed. With all the models, colours and versions, it was hard to focus at first, and it took a few moments to grasp the sheer volume of equipment for every single water sport you can imagine.

However, it was not the finished products, which can also be seen in Decathlon shops throughout Europe, that impressed us most. As usual, the most interesting things were hidden behind the scenes. The designers’ studios with their magnificent views of the harbour and the picturesque Spanish coastline on the other side of it were the envy of everyone who had more than a few dozen metres to go to the ocean from behind their desks. In such conditions there is certainly no shortage of inspiration to create new models and work on new products

In the subsequent rooms we were able to observe how the individual objects take real shape and exchange words with the people who create them on a daily basis.

The story of the creation of a futuristic-looking snoorkel mask – Easybreath – made a great impression on everyone. As it turns out, from making the first moves to launching it on the market passed… 10 years! All because of the philosophy that accompanies every product created. In short: it has to be functional, good quality and also fit into a certain price range. It was an amazing feeling to see the result of 10 years of work, several prototypes, and to hear the full story of the equipment, whose popularity surprised everyone.

When we had finished exploring the building, Stefano, our guardian, introduced us to the plan for the day. A long day. A very long and intensive day. Let it be summed up by the fact that we didn’t get back to the hotel, which we left after breakfast, until after midnight!

The first presentation was about a new mouthpiece, which was created from scratch after much research and analysis. We were guided through all the stages of its creation and I have to say that I did not see any point in committing such resources to a component that is available on the market in so many variants and sizes.

My mistake. As it turned out the same day, the Tribord mouthpiece is a real marvel. At first glance, it doesn’t stand out, but when after 20 minutes of diving I realised that I had an automatic in my mouth, I knew that this was going to be my new mouthpiece, and I wouldn’t change it for anything. To be honest, every single mouthpiece I’ve dived with so far pales in comparison. What’s more, every single one of them looks like a bite correction device, not a comfortable tip for the regulator which is supposed to ensure trouble-free and comfortable gas supply.

Summing up the whole trip for myself, it was this small element that I considered to be the biggest hit and I recommend it to anyone who feels even the slightest discomfort in this regard.

The next elements that were presented to us were the SUBEA 500 vending machines. At the outset, I would like to point out that the machines released to the market at the moment are only available in the INT version and will not be produced in the near future in the DIN version, which is the standard in our country.

The automatics themselves are very simple in their design and, as their makers assured us, these are the first and most basic versions, intended to open the door for Tribord to shelve slightly more elaborate and more expensive models. During the dive they performed correctly, although at first the breathing resistance seemed to be a bit too high. However, this may be due to being used to higher-end equipment and there is no point in making comparisons.

With a price of 599.99 PLN (1° and 2°), the SUBEA 500 is the cheapest automaton available on the market and every recreational diver is sure to be satisfied with it.

As for the Jacket, as a declared supporter and user of the wing, I have to say that it is one of the most comfortable models I have ever dived in. Again, a surprise, because always if I had something more than a harness strap on the front, it was usually my first and last dive in such a BCD (and in this one I did two! and I would gladly do a third, but the weather did not allow).

Jackets from the SUBEA 500 line are sparingly detailed, modest but solid and comfortable. Just look at the contoured harness. A small detail, but in terms of underwater comfort it really makes a difference. The materials used look solid already at first glance. Metal d-rings are also a plus. Everything is nicely finished, well thought-out and makes a good impression. Especially if we compare it with the price of 649.99!

Before the next presentations it was time for lunch. The (staff) canteen was located above the room where we got acquainted with Tribord’s equipment and activities, and let the photo be the best description and commentary…

C.D.N.