Author Archive

Surftown MUC construction

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Bavarian surfing and how Surftown MUC will change everything

News

I spent several days in Munich surrounding the groundbreaking of the new Endless Surf powered facility dubbed Surftown MUC. What I saw around town was truly eye-opening: bikes kitted out with board racks, wetsuits hanging from balconies, the odd surf shop and surfers cycling (traffic is gnarly here) to the Eisbach River wave. One afternoon sitting at a Biergarten I

I spent several days in Munich surrounding the groundbreaking of the new Endless Surf powered facility dubbed Surftown MUC. What ...Continue ›

typhoon lagoon by barr+wray

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Chlorine Dream: The oft-overlooked wave pools including one that charges just $8 per hour

News

Here are the Top 10 wave pools you don't think of when you plan a surf session... What do you do if you’re on a layover in Orlando or Edmonton? You can go surfing. True, it won’t be the perfection of The Surf Ranch. But surfing, strange beast that it is, seems to be fun no matter what. After Stab’s

Here are the Top 10 wave pools you don't think of when you plan a surf session... What do you ...Continue ›

wave pool architecture dreams

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How to design and plan for “elevated human experiences” around a wave pool

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Surf parks must be designed to appeal to diverse groups of surfers. From core salts to freshly scrubbed newbies, everyone has a different expectation of what the optimal surf day is like. It’s a tough gig. Sometimes designing the optimal elevated human experience for these different groups means a layout that minimizes their contact with each other. Complicated, yes. Architecture

Surf parks must be designed to appeal to diverse groups of surfers. From core salts to freshly scrubbed newbies, everyone ...Continue ›

price guide for wave pools

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The Big List 2022: prices, times & notes for all the world’s wave pools

News

How many surf-able wave pools are there in the world? As of today, there are 19 wave pools in the world open and semi-open to the public with dedicated surfing hours - Hint: to find a wave pool opening near you soon, check the WavePoolMag Surf Planner. In this guide, we list hours, prices and features of the world's surfable

How many surf-able wave pools are there in the world? As of today, there are 19 wave pools in the ...Continue ›

James Miles of Urbnsurf

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Employee of the Month: James Miles of Urbnsurf

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James Miles is excitable. It might even be his superpower. He’s one of those individuals who bring enthusiasm wherever they go. And it’s not the cheerleading type of froth so pervasive across Tik Tok and Youtube makeup tutorials. James isn’t phoning it in. I don't think he ever does. Which could explain why he’s had such an illustrious career in

James Miles is excitable. It might even be his superpower. He’s one of those individuals who bring enthusiasm wherever they ...Continue ›

craft beer wave pool in yakima valley

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Craft beer-themed wave pool gets greenlight

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Last week elected officials in Yakima County Washington heard residents speak out on the proposed Barreled Surf Park. Some pro, some con. In the end, local officials will allow Joey Lawrence and Mike Roy to develop land near East Norman and St. Hilaire roads in Moxie. The result will be Barreled, a $30 million surf park with lodging units, a

Last week elected officials in Yakima County Washington heard residents speak out on the proposed Barreled Surf Park. Some pro, ...Continue ›

Gigi Lucas of SurfearNegra

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Can wave pools help diversify the lineup?

Latest, News

There’s always been a barrier to surfing for persons of color. When beaches ban a specific group of people - until about 1960 in SoCal and 1968 in the Gulf - the result is kids who don’t grow up swimming, going to the beach, or, ultimately, surfing. Most dedicated surfers today learned at a young age, ushered into the fold

There’s always been a barrier to surfing for persons of color. When beaches ban a specific group of people - ...Continue ›

adaptive surfing wave pool

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How core are you? Fabrizio Passetti made his own artificial leg so he could surf

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With so much emphasis on adaptive surfing and wave pools, it's easy to get the impression that any surfing amputee can do it. But, there are so many things that enter the equation beyond sheer drive and determination. You have to find the right equipment for one, which means being equal parts athlete and inventor. Many prosthetics are simply designed

With so much emphasis on adaptive surfing and wave pools, it's easy to get the impression that any surfing amputee ...Continue ›

bsr changes name to waco surf in 2022

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Find out why BSR changed its name to Waco Surf

News

Today, after two years of transition, BSR Surf Resort is now officially Waco Surf and open for the 2022 season. Guiding the transition from a wave tank with minimal amenities to a more sophisticated user experience has been Mike Schwaab, (not to be confused with Michael Schwab of Kelly's technology and Coral Mountain.) Mike's an energetic character who addresses us

Today, after two years of transition, BSR Surf Resort is now officially Waco Surf and open for the 2022 season. ...Continue ›

giovanni piro alaia bay

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Employee of the Month: Giovanni Piro of Alaia Bay

News

Giovanni Piro is a tall affable man with an air of seriousness that is totally out of place at a wave pool. It isn’t until I watch him work, traversing the grounds at Alaia Bay and ping-ponging between employees delivering instructions that I realize it's the job that requires seriousness. I mean, on one hand, it’s just surfing. Fun, wet,

Giovanni Piro is a tall affable man with an air of seriousness that is totally out of place at a ...Continue ›

wave pool projects that will succeed

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Celebrating the latest round of wave pool project superstars

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Our Surf Planner is Dead Wrong. Sorry. We have created the most comprehensive wave pool map on the planet with more than 100 projects listed. But it’s not accurate. Some listings are a decade old and spawned by nothing more than a $100 spend on renderings from a Fiverr art student then paired with empty investment return promises. It’s a

Our Surf Planner is Dead Wrong. Sorry. We have created the most comprehensive wave pool map on the planet with ...Continue ›

who built typhoon lagoon

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The often complicated, terribly fascinating answer to the question, “who built Typhoon Lagoon”

News

When Typhoon Lagoon opened it became one of the Surfing Wonders of the World. Despite its performance shortcomings when compared to today's marvels like Kelly's, at the time it made us stop and pontificate "what if it was shallower right over there" or "what if we set the dial to 11?" In short, this Orlando wave tank fired our collective

When Typhoon Lagoon opened it became one of the Surfing Wonders of the World. Despite its performance shortcomings when compared ...Continue ›

wave pool in Belgium

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Destination Earth: WPM exclusive on new wave-making system from Belgium

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Construction on a new R&D test facility is nearing completion and the company expects to pump out its first full-size waves this Spring. Once proven, the same company will construct a surf park for the public a few miles down the road near the beach at Knokke-Heist. The tech uses a system of submerged textile that moves to push out

Construction on a new R&D test facility is nearing completion and the company expects to pump out its first full-size ...Continue ›

wave pool for tampa bay

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Florida enters race to build a Surf Lakes wave pool

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A new proposal was announced this week for a Tampa Bay surf tank. Peak Surf Park would cover 30 acres and include a wave pool along with a handful of other amenities like a cafe, restaurant, and shops. The company website says they will also include skate, bike and climbing facilities as well as lessons, coaching and competitions. Surf Lakes

A new proposal was announced this week for a Tampa Bay surf tank. Peak Surf Park would cover 30 acres ...Continue ›

door shaped surfboard

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Surfing gets a new kind of kick with door & coffin-shaped boards

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Our favorite on-again-off-again Instagram chat of late has been with an entity known as Perfect Designs. We’re not really sure what it is they do beyond their band Bad Pelican’s sleeper hit “Too Cool For The Wave Pool” but we totally dig that they are floating something new and creative and have chosen to tether it to surfing - however

Our favorite on-again-off-again Instagram chat of late has been with an entity known as Perfect Designs. We’re not really sure ...Continue ›

wave pool surf art

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Top 10 wave pool stories of 2021

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What happened in 2021? Well, COVID stuck around, Squid Games entered our TV sets and #FreeBritney became a movement. Not a whole lot can surprise us anymore, not even Flysoulja's "Island Boy" going viral. By comparison wave pools, once regarded with the same awe as unicorns and Pokemon, have become part of the "new normal." We wanted to take a

What happened in 2021? Well, COVID stuck around, Squid Games entered our TV sets and #FreeBritney became a movement. Not ...Continue ›

surf park architecture

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The long, long list of details that go into creating a surf destination

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How do you design a surf park? Well, the short answer is that the pool goes in the middle, and everything else just gets plopped around it. Easy. Done. The rest is simply a smattering of details. But, in reality, these ‘details’ must accommodate a very complex, layered user group. And that’s where the whole process gets tricky. When architects

How do you design a surf park? Well, the short answer is that the pool goes in the middle, and ...Continue ›

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Why your surfing matters: WPM airs #SurfersLikeUs campaign

News

There’s a myth perpetuated in digital surf media. It is the illusion that every wave that is surfed, is ripped and shredded by its rider. That's all we see on Instagram. However, 95% of surf sessions are a wonderful symphony of bogged rails, blown turns and lip clips buoyed by fleeting moments of personal best. It’s these floating highs that

There’s a myth perpetuated in digital surf media. It is the illusion that every wave that is surfed, is ripped ...Continue ›

wave pool photography

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Employee of the Month: Blaise Booth of The Surf Ranch

News

One Instagram feed, in particular, captured our attention early last year. The BlaiseyShootz feed kept up our interest with fresh perspectives and action of Kelly’s Wave in Lemoore. Not an easy task. Images of Kelly’s Dream in Lemoore have become as perfunctory and comfortable as living room furniture. And digital pixels of a Felipe alley-pop during the CT comp is

One Instagram feed, in particular, captured our attention early last year. The BlaiseyShootz feed kept up our interest with fresh ...Continue ›

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Surf Park Summit panel explores surfing’s evolution

Latest

Sean Penn recently mentioned running into his inspiration for the salted and fried Jeff Spicoli character he brought to life in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Penn’s work in the film simultaneously hit the nail on the head - we all know a dude like that - while also helping cement the surfer stereotype. But does that portrayal, almost 40

Sean Penn recently mentioned running into his inspiration for the salted and fried Jeff Spicoli character he brought to life ...Continue ›

wave pool surf brand

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Volcom’s wave-pool obsessed designer kicks off their own brand

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So, wave pool-themed T-Shirts is a thing now. Brands include Lemoore Surf Club, the Palm Springs Surf Club and the highly visible Country Club Surf Club. All three brands are running hot on social channels and in select retail outlets fuelled by the unique juxtaposition of the shaggy surf aesthetic with private club exclusivity. It’s a brave new world out

So, wave pool-themed T-Shirts is a thing now. Brands include Lemoore Surf Club, the Palm Springs Surf Club and the ...Continue ›

Andrew Ross at Urbnsurf 2019

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Cove Wars: Bristol vs. Melbourne – who was first?

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Competition in the wave pool space. At first, it wasn’t really a thing. The first wave pool opened to the public was Big Surf in Tempe Arizona in 1969. The next wave pool of the new surf-focused generation didn't start pumping until 46 years later when Adventure Parc Snowdonia in Northern Wales opened on August 1, 2015. Then in 2016,

Competition in the wave pool space. At first, it wasn’t really a thing. The first wave pool opened to the ...Continue ›

best wave pool surfboard

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Surfboards for wave pools: What works and what doesn’t

News

The best surfboard for a wave pool will be made with lighter, stronger materials and tend to be shorter in length with more rocker, as well as curve in the template. A touch more foam for all that paddling is a good option as well. Below are guidelines from some of the best shapers in the world. The best surfboards

The best surfboard for a wave pool will be made with lighter, stronger materials and tend to be shorter in ...Continue ›

surf art wave pools

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Alex Kilauano: When surf culture collides with art

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Alex Kilauano kept deflecting our attempts to call him an artist. “I wouldn’t say I’m an artist” he told us more than once. But we kept pushing - probably due to all those years spent at Uni and our obsession with wanting to be cool and edgy. But from where we're sitting, art is a big deal. It makes tangible

Alex Kilauano kept deflecting our attempts to call him an artist. “I wouldn’t say I’m an artist” he told us ...Continue ›

Guide to Swiss wave pool Alaïa Bay

 |  User Guide

Alaïa Bay Guide: Travel, Tips, Prices and Settings

User Guide

In this guide to surfing Switzerland's best wave pool, we provide helpful hints including prices, wave settings, best travel options, where to stay and more. Between sets at Switzerland's favorite wave pool Alaïa Bay One of the most unique surfing destinations on planet earth. Nestled in the heart of the Alps, Alaïa Bay offers surfers a bucket-list experience in a

In this guide to surfing Switzerland's best wave pool, we provide helpful hints including prices, wave settings, best travel options, ...Continue ›