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Search Results for ‘basics’

wave pool boardshorts

 |  News, User Guide

Basics: Here’s what makes a good pair of boardshorts

Smack dab in the heat of the northern hemi summer, wave pool wear has officially shifted from wettie to boardie. And just as there’s more to wetsuits than simply rubber and zippers, there’s way more to boardshorts (and bikinis, but we’ll cover that in another post) than simple cloth, cut and stitch. As many wave pool learners find themselves purchasing a pair of boardshorts, it’s important to understand what works, what doesn’t and if that $100 price tag is worth it.  Compare the heavy, thick-seamed, slow-dry high-cut boardshorts of the 1970s and 1980s with today’s high-tech offerings. Top-shelf trunks mirror state-of-the-art wetsuit designs with each detail meticulously mapped out for comfort and movement. Each and every pair of board shorts is comprised of the same basic performance parts: material, seams, fly, waistband and length. It’s the details of each piece and personal preference that, when added together, will make […]

Basic information about surf leashes

 |  News, User Guide

Basics: Beginner’s guide to understanding surf leashes

Surf leashes are essential accessories that help prevent the loss of the surfboard. They are designed to be highly durable and easily attach to the surfer’s leg. Many surf leashes feature lightweight, non-slip cuffs and quick release tabs for safety. There are different types of surf leashes designed for each different type of surfing, from competition-level surfing to big wave surfing. Surf leashes come in various thicknesses and lengths to meet the needs of different surfers and choices in board length and shape.   The little known history of surf leashes: Controversy, function and tips “Those against using the leash claim it isn’t pure and that it destroys the aesthetics of surfing.” Surf legend/pioneer Corky Carroll penned these words in a 1972 op-ed in Surfer Magazine. While he ultimately came to the conclusion that he would accept the novel invention of the surf leash (legrope for Australians), it was far […]

guide to surfboard fins

 |  News, User Guide

Basics: Beginner’s guide to understanding surfboard fins

Choosing the right surfboard fins can be complicated. The average novice surfer probably doesn’t care much, or notice, what fins they’re rocking. However, as a surfer progresses and starts to use the board more dynamically, they might start to get a little curious about how the fins are affecting the board’s performance. Some fins provide more speed. Some provide maneuverability. Some provide control. And conditions matter too; The fin you use in a barreling wave pool may not be the fin you want surfing your local beach break. Here’s an introduction to the basic anatomy of a fin. In this latest edition of WavePoolMag Basics, we explore surfboard fins. Why do we need fins? Before we get too ahead of ourselves, why do surfboards need fins anyway? Just like a sailboat with a keel to hold its heading, surfboards use fins to control the direction and movements of the board. […]

Artist design with surfboard outline

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Design Basics: Separating standing wave and moving wave surfboards

What is the difference between a surfboard designed for standing waves and one made for moving waves? At a glance, the standing wave variety looks like hobbit-sized sticks, squished-down versions of high-performance shortboards. We know that shapers build finely-tuned boards suited to the different wave pools of the world like Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch or BSR in Waco. There are also several designs made for standing-wave pools like Citywave and UNIT. WavePoolMag spoke with three shapers to paint out the differences in broad strokes between static and soliton (moving) wave needs. Below we’ve trimmed the top key takeaways in design differences so readers can choose a suitable stick should they jump from a Wavegarden Cove session in Bristol, to a Citywave session at the Jochen Schweizer Arena in Munich. German surfing royalty Quirin Rohleder is a fixture at the Eisbach river wave. He also spearheaded the Rapid Surf League tour […]

 |  News

Wave pools and CFD push fin design forward

Riccardo Rossi, or simply “Ricky” to his American colleagues, is leading the integration of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations into surfboard and fin design. And he’s tapping wave pools to do it. Previously, wave-riding tech relied on team riders to validate designs through a variety of ocean conditions. However, the repetition of human-made waves allow CFD experts like Ricky to put their findings to a somewhat controlled testing environment. How it works The field of Computational Fluid Dynamics develops numerical models and digital twins of products and processes. These numerical models and digital twins allow a visual and computational mapping of fluid flows and related transport phenomena which is then used in a broad spectrum of applications. This includes everything from vehicle aerodynamics to soccer balls. The process is even used in therapeutic aerosols and their delivery of medication into the human lungs. Ricky said the process in a surf-focused […]

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Surf Parks and Sustainability: Why on-site food production is the next big thing

As more wave pools pop up around the globe we are seeing a wide range of business models, all tied in some form to sustainability. While some parks have fashioned a tighter knot than others, the goal here at WavePoolMag is not to greenshame, but to open the discussion of what is possible in the wave park space as we move into the future. This Op-Ed by Crystal Hilsley from two years ago explores on-site food production and the many ways it can help a surf park uphold the surf ethos. Sustainable On-Site Food Production There are multiple ways to incorporate sustainable practices into your surf park facility and surrounding property – things such as repurposed concrete, solar panels, recyclable or compostable F&B supplies and many others are all fabulous examples. But also consider on-site food production. This can be seen and created in a variety of ways and is […]

02 surftown wave settings are LIVE

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The best wave settings in Munich are listed right here in this sample platter of stoke

There’s a reason David Bowie and Iggy Pop chose dour Berlin and not Munich when they went on a creative bender – grey cityscaps tend to shout art and angst much more than the Oktoberfest sport aesthetic of Bavaria’s capital Munich. So while Berlin earns the artier-than-thou cousin award for German cities, Munich could be considered the sporty fun-loving uncle who can never not do a cannonball into the family swimming pool. So it’s fitting that Germany’s first wave pool is here, smack dab in the center of Germany’s sport and fun zone. When the city opened its wave pool in the summer of 2024, the world felt a seismic shift for the country’s surfing population. For the first time ever Deutschland’s stoked set do not have to drive or fly to Europe’s wave-rich shorelines for a session. Now, it’s your turn to take a drive or book a flight […]

wave pool bikini guide

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Guide Time: What makes the best women’s wave pool surfwear?

With a wide range of swimsuit choices for pool and ocean pursuits, it’s easy to take lightweight, quick-drying, and comfy swimwear for granted. Sure, modern suits inherently collide with the male gaze and carry considerable cultural baggage around expectations of women’s bodies, sexuality, and athletic ability.  But in terms of function, fashion, and purpose-made pieces? Swimwear has come a long way to maximize comfort, performance, and yes, style. There are so many options that it’s now possible to pick the perfect swimwear not only for surfing but for surfing in wave pools: a niche within a niche within, yes, another niche. From the type of material to the width of the straps, it’s possible to optimize comfort and fit down to the feel, fit, and look.  BB (Before Bikinis) Before your guide to women’s wave pool-wear, consider where women’s swimwear has been. From the 18th century to the early 20th, […]

Michael Irvine at Waco Surf

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Quick chat with Michael Irvine, Surf Operator at Waco Surf

We’re standing in the boardroom at Waco Surf and all my equipment quirks are laid bare in front of surf operator Michael Irvine. He listens patiently as I explain how I’d like to use a twin+trailer for my backhand waves and a straight up twin for my front-hand waves. Waco divides their sessions as half lefts and half rights and my backhand needs all the help it can get. In the middle of my rabbit hole of fin choices, I’m struck by Michael’s patience. He’s even showing some stoke at the trailer options. As this aging surfer’s equipment OCD kicks in, Michael is mellow, smiling, supportive – everything you’d want to find with the person working the board rental room. And what does the Surf Operator do?You instruct people in the water, put them in the right direction, help people catch waves, help beginners, teach them the basics, operate the […]

surf ranch longboard wave pool contest

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Here’s how longboarders can enhance their surfing outside of the pool

We’ve all seen surfers practicing their pop-ups on the shoreline, most of us were one of them at one time or another. But regardless of how they may look, the truth is that the benefits of on-land-surf prep cannot be understated.  Whether it’s utilizing specific equipment at the gym to build your physical strength and or focusing on improving your mental strength and fortitude, there are many ways to get some practice in when you aren’t able to get in the ocean.  Here are my top strategies for building your surf skills land side. Land Drills – Your Balance Foundation and Builders It’s hard not to be in complete awe when watching women like Kelia Moniz effortlessly dancing on her board. But behind every great surfer is countless hours of training and preparation. While it can be hard to duplicate the intensity of a proper session, balance workouts are the […]

Turtle and rick kane painted by derek west

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Pain points on becoming a salted surfer. What issues do the Rick Kanes of the world face in the brine?

Sticking points in the pool-to-ocean transition include a lack of skill and knowledge when it comes to duck diving, paddling out, some etiquette, and even surfboard choice. Painting by Derek West What was once blasphemy is now a growing avenue to get into surfing. Thanks to wave pools, new surfers can get up on a board, bottom turn and carve with ease. In many ways, they’re advancing quicker than most beginners, but at the same time, they’ve never caught an ocean wave.  However, these rudimental skills are a right of passage to becoming a competent surfer. Should wave pool surfers and operators focus on these techniques and etiquette to prepare surfers for ocean waves? “You get the Waco guys, and they can put it on rail. They’re surfing pretty darn good,” said Rob Case, a professional paddling coach who’s worked with surfers worldwide and at Surf Ranch, Waco Surf, and […]

This article covers surfboard wax, its history, types of wax and application.

 |  News

Decode the mysteries of surf wax

WavePoolMag Basics is an ongoing series providing essential surf gear information to those new to the wave pool, and surfing. This article covers surfboard wax, its history, types of wax and application. From temperatures, brands, scents and base coats to waxing a foamy – everything you need to know about surf wax. Surf wax is almost as crucial to surfing as the surfboard itself. It’s the only thing keeping your toes stuck to the board whether you are standing up on your first wave or flying out of a tube.  But with so many types of wax, selecting the right one can be a daunting task. Between competing brands, scents, textures, formulas, and softness, selecting a bar of wax takes a bit more thought than it did decades ago when the technology was in its infancy. This article will decode the mysteries of surf wax and help you become an […]

marty hammersley of The Wave

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OG UK surfer finds perfect position at The Wave, Bristol

Matty Hammersley began venturing into the surf on the Cornish coast nearly four decades ago. It’s hard to imagine the surfers of that era, decked in rigid 80s flouro, envisioning a working, operating wave pool nearby. Fast forward thousands of surf sessions later and now Matty has made his future, having shaped his passion into a role as acting senior surf coach at The Wave in Bristol. It was not that much of a stretch for Matty. He caught the coaching bug in the nineties and soon began aiding competitors. From there he further honed his advisory skills by helping climbers and kayakers throughout the region. We caught up with him between sessions coaching the nation’s expanding surf population. Matty has been an integral member of The Wave team from day one, and he lives and breathes our purpose, culture and values. Not only is he a brilliant surf coach, […]

everything to know about surfboards

 |  News, User Guide

How to Choose Your First Surfboard When You Graduate from a Foamie

You’ve mastered the pop-up and that foam rental – now it’s time for your first surfboard. A mini-mal is a great idea as is a mid-length. Both range in size between 7’0″ and 8’10” – perfect as you’ll need enough floatation to paddle but not so much that it’s hard to turn the board. WavePoolMag Basics is an ongoing series providing essential surf gear information to those new to the wave pool, and surfing. This article covers surfboard design, materials, models and purchasing options. Let’s read on! So, you’ve been having fun playing around on your soft board and you are feeling pretty confident with your pop-up. You can control the board well enough to surf in a crowd and you want to try intermediate sessions in the pool. You’ve decided, “hey, this whole surfing thing might be for me.” It’s time to take your surfing to the next level […]

sarah beardmore surf lakes

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New coaching software targets the wave pool set

A new surf coaching program launched recently to capitalize on the repetitive surfing available in wave pools, The Pactto app is the brainchild of Demian Borba, a product manager from Brazil, who saw a need for an ease-of-use coaching app in the surf park space. “We have surfers from beginner to advanced using Pactto to accelerate their progress, even remotely,” said Demian. “I’m personally coaching a ton of people that practice at Waco Surf in Texas, and I’m based in Oceanside, California.” The coaching platform is focused on enabling surf parks, surf camps, training facilities, and coaches to help surfers seeking to improve their technique. He sees rapid expansion in the market place with surf parks soon offering precise video reviews onsite and online. Demian says Pactto allows surf park coaches to load videos directly from memory cards or hard drives, then brand the experience with their own logos, record […]

guide to wetsuits

 |  User Guide

The definitive guide to choosing your first wetsuit

WavePoolMag Basics is an ongoing series providing essential surf gear information for those surfers new to the pool. Whether you’re learning in a wave pool or in the ocean or (hopefully) both, if you are a novice surfer who is committing to the sport, you’ve realized that it’s time to invest in a wetsuit. Those ragged rental suits just aren’t cutting it anymore. Making sure your body is adequately warm is crucial for a surf session. Being too cold will not only cut your sessions short, but it will make surfing cause more suffering than pleasure. But there are so many options: Styles, thickness, zipper placement, and price range. How do you choose? Let’s dive into it step by step to make sure you are keeping warm in the ocean and/or wave pool. STYLE Wetsuits come in various styles depending on the temperature of where they are used. Some wetsuits […]

surf coach luca loubet

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Employee of the Month: Luca Loubet of Alaïa Bay

Luca Loubet studied water sports management at the University of Montpellier. The fickle swell patterns and six-month-long flat spells of the Mediterranean stoked his interest in wave pools. Luca wrote his final thesis on Wavegarden, eying an exit to a career as a surf coach. A combination of drive and luck landed him a job at Adventure Parc Snowdonia as a surf instructor and Lifeguard. He’s parlayed that into a gig at Alaïa Bay and now has enviable (or unenviable depending on how you look at it) task of coaching levels from absolute beginner to average bro testing out Beast Mode. It’s the challenge of this incredibly diverse range of abilities that keeps coaching challenging. What’s a typical day like at Alaïa Bay? As a surf coach, we coach and host all surf levels. We also lifeguard, run the surf school, launch waves, rent equipment and take care of customers. […]

wave pool engineer how to

 |  User Guide

Want to become a wave pool designer or engineer? Here’s how

If you want to be happy, do what you love. An old trick used the world over by school guidance councilors is to ask you, “If you had a million dollars, what would you do all day?” And whatever your response – aside from “nothing” – be it working on old cars, computers, beekeeping, or sketching skyscrapers, is what they recommend you pursue.  That’s all good and well for career paths in established industries, but what if your passion, such as creating manmade waves, has few avenues to follow? Simple, you forge your own.  This is what 23-year-old Axel Terradillos has done. His fascination with wave pools has led him on a journey from dreaming to studying, getting an internship, being a trainee, and finally becoming an engineer for wave makers Endless Surf. I had a chat with Alex to find out what he does and how he landed his […]

Baptiste Caulonque

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Industry: Baptiste Caulonque’s shred moxie and Endless Surf

Baptiste Caulonque is a core surfer who slipped into the surf industry during the heyday of the Big Three. He helped anchor Rip Curl in Europe and navigate the trappings inherent in European business. Where in America the industry can be as simple as wholesale profit margins, the Euro game is like an extended chess match. Baptiste knows how to play the long game. In each of my conversations with him either related his work with the Paris wave pool or some general surf park development, I’ve found him open and unafraid to point out faults in both technologies or fly-by-night developers. In short, he’s the go-to person when you want an undressed, honest opinion about various goings-on in the space. Baptiste has a unique insight into the wave pool space, having been on the development side and now the technology side. We sat down for a proper exploration of […]

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5 Reasons to Head to the Nearest Wave Pool by Olivia Jameson

Editor’s note: This post is part of a guest series of articles from the global surf community. If you’re looking to scratch your itch and go on an adventure, why not try your hand at the fun water activities at your nearest wave pool? Artificial waves date back to late 19th century Bavaria — when King Ludwig II ingeniously electrified one of his private lakes to create man-made waves. Today, wave pools vary from gentle family wave pools that simulate a nice day at the beach, to surf-wave pools that feature bigger waves. In this post, we’re going to provide you five easy reasons why you should visit your local wave pool and have a fun-filled day. They’re a safe and budget-friendly tourist destination As the global health crisis continues, you may want to skip international getaways and choose domestic vacations instead for the time being. It’s not worth endangering […]

learning to surf at wave park in south korea

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First Person: Follow a child’s surf lesson at Wave Park

Let’s step back from the all-glory-all-action momentum of wave pool performance and dial it back to the basics. We found this cool clip narrated by a kid who recently learned to surf at Wave Park. The unnamed narrator in this quick video walks us through the whole process of learning to surf in the world’s largest and newest public wave pool. The first-person story shows us where check-in and where to change into your rental wetsuit. Then it’s time to head to the Surf Academy to run through the safety protocols with branded animated characters explaining water safety. Next up is learning the fundamentals of paddling and standing up before entering The Bay surfing areas of Wave Park. “The water is shallow and kids can always touch the bottom, helping them feel comfortable as their confidence grows,” says Wavegarden. “And, as you’ll see, in their very first lesson they’ll be […]

Snowdonia instructor Delyth Darlington

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Learn to surf: Top 5 beginner tips from wave pool pro Delyth Darlington

Learning to surf in a wave pool is different from leaning to surf in the ocean. But the basics that fast-track surfers from kook to capable are constant. A bigger board, practicing your pop-up and finding that paddle sweet-spot help in waves regardless of whether they are salted or fresh. Most importantly, to tie all these pieces of information together you need a good teacher. For surf instructor Delyth Darlington the experience of leaning to surf is fresh enough in her mind to clearly recall her first lesson in Costa Rica. “It was a defining moment. I remember thinking ‘this is incredible I have to do this again.’” She went on to learn the basics, improved during global surf trips and then got her ISA certification as a surf instructor. The most amazing thing about Delyth’s surf path is her quantum leap in improvement through the wave pool at Adventure […]

tandem surfing at urbnsurf

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Everything you need to know about surfing Melbourne’s wave pool

Surfing Melbourne’s star wave in 2020! The long wait is over, as Melbourne’s newest surf spot busts open its doors for the public today. The full-sized Wavegarden Cove facility at Urbnsurf is the first of its kind in Australia and only the second one in the world open to the public. Originally scheduled to open last Easter, the big debut was postponed as the surf park met with construction delays due to heavy rain and also smoothing out a few other issues. But now Urbnsurf is fully open for business offering beginner, intermediate and advanced sessions along with beginner, individual and group lessons. Here’s everything you need to know to surf Urbnsurf … Times Urbnsurf books hour-long sessions from 6 am to 9 pm seven days a week. Not all settings are available at all times, for example, you can’t do a 6 am beginner session. Wave setting choices include […]

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WavePoolMag’s Top Stories for 2019

Online, certain tricks work better than others to attract pageviews and clickthroughs. Screaming works. Distressing content works. Sexy stuff works. Sometimes all three work, ie “Oh My God Best Bikini Fails Ever!” Because most internet content is framed to please Google, which in turn leads to audience acquisition and conversion, most of what you read in the digital surf sphere is written for web crawlers, not humans. The machines just measure how much traffic goes through, not the quality of the end destination. So, platforms create content designed for search engines, not for readers. But you know this because you, dear WavePoolMag reader, are smart. You will not be swayed by prompts such as “This kitten found a knife! You won’t believe what happens next.” No. You are not a mere cog in the machine to higher web traffic. You come to WavePoolMag to get the latest wave pool info. […]

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