A group of Aquinas College students believe they have changed the face of surf preparations after successfully devising a waterproof and sandproof casing for surfboard wax.

EZ Surf Culture took out first equal with an Otumoetai College team at the recent Bay of Plenty Dragons' Den final for the Young Enterprise Scheme.

Aquinas College students and EZ Surf Culture founders Lucas Piceno, Sean O'Neill, George Wood, Daniel Dennehy and Fergus Begley. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

The nationwide competition sees teams of Year 12 and 13 pupils set up a company to create and sell a product, including the finance and operations side of the business.

EZ Wax is wind up surf wax in a protective casing, allowing surfers to easily apply the wax without getting wax on their hands or have the hassle of sand and debris sticking to the wax. This is opposed to the traditional cardboard packaging.

The joint win came as a surprise to the Year 12 group, team members Lucas Piceno, Sean O'Neill, George Wood, Daniel Dennehy and Fergus Begley, after forming just last term.

'We weren't originally all together with Daniel and me in a separate group, but halfway through the first term we decided to leave our groups and go together,” says EZ Surf Culture finance director Lucas Piceno.

'Our teachers weren't too happy at the time, but now we remind them of our achievements.”

Lucas says surfing was one of the things they all have in common and he put the concept forward after hatching the idea during a summer on the waves.

Ordering some containers and wax from abroad, the boys turned their attention to melting the wax and fine tuning its make-up so it would slide out of the casing with no fuss. They hit the nail on the head with their second prototype.

'It's a new, innovative product that has never been done before, especially not in New Zealand,” says Lucas.

'We thought there is such a big market, especially here in Mount Maunganui, as there are so many surfers. It's the perfect opportunity.”

Plans are now in place to increase their stock from 60 to more than 1000 before taking the product to the surfing industry. However, interest is already building, says Lucas.

'We were really stoked to win and it's a real confidence boost for the rest of the year.”

Buoyed by their success, EZ Surf Culture's next plan is to make it to the Young Enterprise Scheme national awards in Wellington this December.