New swim fin company launches in Newport Beach

Ted Li lives steps from the sands of Newport Beach.

And with a combined 22 years worked at Oakley and Quiksilver (now Boardriders), he’s certainly familiar with the beach lifestyle.

“I’ve raised three boys in Newport, we live at the beach, they’ve all been Junior Guards,” Li said. “We all love the water. Is there something that we can do in that space?”

Li’s answer launched Friday when his new bodysurfing fin company, the Single Co., went live. He is partnered with former Corona del Mar High football quarterback Cayman Carter, who still lives in Newport Beach, on the product, which also has an Instagram.

Single fins, which cost $95 for a pair, are now available.

“I think we checked all the boxes, from a comfort level, from the design, aesthetics,” Li said. “I think we’re pretty happy with where we’re at.

“When you talk to someone who uses a bodysurfing fin, they always complain about it. ‘I get blisters on my pinky toe, I get cut on the top of my foot.’ The fins today basically cut up your feet. There’s a lack of emphasis on comfort and performance.”

An example of the new bodysurfing swim fins by the Single Co.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Li said the team has crafted Single fins more like a running shoe, providing a snug and secure fit. Made of silicon, they are also built to resist wear and cracking.

He said the partnership with Carter came partly due to a friendship with Carter’s father, Berry.

“This is not about, we want to be a $20-million business,” Li said. “We want to make amazing products, and we want to deliver an amazing experience to our customers. We just want to have fun.”

Cayman Carter, the 2012 Newport-Mesa Dream Team Football Player of the Year, is also happy with the product. He played football at Southern Methodist University for a couple of years, before graduating and getting right into business.

He also keeps busy with his wife and 1-year-old daughter Charlotte, with a baby boy due in March.

“As soon as football was over, I needed something to push and stimulate me, and that was business,” Carter said. “I found that same kind of competitiveness that I had in football in business.”

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