Orukayak has done it. The innovative company and designer Anton Willis just solved a huge issue for open water swimmers who wish to swim with an escort in far-away places…or even waters near their home.

Willis created the Oru Kayak, a watertight 12-foot long kayak that folds in a carrying case.

The Oru Kayak website explains their products best, “Stash it in a trunk. Check it on a plane. Stow it on a sailboat. Hike it in to remote waters. No garage, SUV or roof racks necessary. The Oru Kayak makes boating simple, easy, and accessible— so you can spend more time on the water.”

Willis grew up in northern California, but he was forced to store his kayak in storage when he moved into a small San Francisco apartment.

Inspired by origami, the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, he sketched a few ideas for a folding kayak. His sketches turned into countless paper models and, tirelessly, over 20 full-scale prototypes that were tested in bays, lakes, rivers and oceans.

After obtaining start-up money through crowd funding via Kickstarter, Willis and co-founder Ardy Sobhani raised US$440,000 in 35 days and pre-sold almost 500 boats to launch Oru Kayak.

And now they are off…and so are many others in the open water.

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