Surf Lakes wave pool CEO Aaron Trevis dishes details on future projects

2018 has been a great year for wave pools. Wavegarden’s Cove technology went viral, BSR Surf Resort threw out fun wedges in the deep end, Kelly’s Wave saw a CT event and the latest from Surf Lakes has warmed the world to plunger technology.

After millions of social media views, our attention spans are shot as each news cycle seems to spit out a new Surf Lakes edit.

Subsequent media statements from Surf Lakes have been par for the course for emerging pools, enticing, interesting, yet incredibly vague. We are curious. There have to be more details than what we see in each new edit. Right?

So we fired over some questions to Mr. Aaron Trevis, Surf Lakes CEO, to find out more about how it felt to see his life’s work debut publicly and what will happen next.

If you don’t want to read the full interview, here’s a brief “5 facts about the Surf Lakes wave pool”

5 facts about the Surf Lakes wave pool

You can buy shares for $100K
If you have $20million you can buy a pool
The first commercial park should open in 2019
They’ve signed agreements for pools in the U.S.A.
They are eyeing pools for the UK, Europe, Middle East, Australia, the Pacific Islands and Asia

Congratulations. It looks beautiful. It must feel great to finally launch. Share with us your first thoughts when you saw the waves roll through – what did you learn?
We were elated! After many years of effort, to see perfect waves rolling out was just stunning. Such a great feeling of relief and victory…and more to come!

Does the compressed air make a lot of noise?
The air release can be silenced to almost any level required. It can be practically silent in the commercial applications.

Can you explain why you chose to chlorinate the water?
We purchased potable water from the mains supply, so it was wise to dose it before the testing to ensure the safety of all involved. Very low risk, but smart to do it anyway. In a commercial site, the water may be from the ocean or a fresh water source so the water treatment regime will vary from site to site.

You’ve worked so hard to get to this point. We know you spent many a cold morning out in the mud testing early models. Share with us the most unglamorous side of creating something like Surf Lakes.
There was a lot of hands-on work in the early prototyping, working through the night many times to meet a deadline or investor visit etc. Hosing and cleaning the core during the prototypes was the worst, especially in Victoria, in winter, in the dark. Those “valley” experiences made the waves even more beautiful when they arrived!

OK, I found heaps of old Apple stock in the pocket of some acid wash jeans purchased at the charity shop. Cashing it in, how much will I need to license my own Surf Lake? How much will Surf Lakes shares sell for?
We are raising a bit more capital now for the global expansion so if you are a “sophisticated investor” with a minimum investment of $100k, we are happy to consider your application for shares. A commercial 5 Waves Surf Lake starts at US$20M.

Which of the 5-waves is your personal favourite?
I think Occy’s Peak is my favourite because it is accessible at the half to two-thirds size and gets more hollow as the swell grows. Just a beautiful looking wave and is facing the local trade winds so will be “offshore” 80% of the time. I will only tackle The Island slab on a bodyboard at this stage until my skills improve.

OK, tease us with any “Surf Lakes coming soon to..” or “Surf Lakes open to the public in….” tidbits or news bites. Please…
We have agreements signed off already in the USA, and deals being packaged in UK, Europe, Middle East, Australia, Pacific Islands and Asia…..and elsewhere. Ideally, we will have the first commercial park opened in 2019 calendar year, but we will update when we can. They are big projects and it takes time, but with our motto of Everyone Gets a Break, we are determined to make waves wherever we can.