Author Archive

image of abandoned waterslide

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America’s waterpark wasteland could fuel a huge boom in wave pools

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Take a look at America’s cultural waste bin and you’ll find alongside those neon Gotcha thigh-high shorts the bleached-out fiberglass waterslides born in the Regan era. But all things old become new again. Don’t they? Sometimes they even make sense. And while something like a retro fixed-gear bike doesn’t really make sense, a dilapidated waterpark transformed into a next-generation wave

Take a look at America’s cultural waste bin and you’ll find alongside those neon Gotcha thigh-high shorts the bleached-out fiberglass ...Continue ›


BSR Surf Resort season opener

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BSR kicks off 2021 season with changes on tap

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While Urbnsurf Melbourne has the curated chic of the Three Blue Ducks restaurant, BSR has BYO barbecue pits. Yes, Waco’s favorite wave is notoriously low on amenities when compared to other surf parks around the world. But that’s changing. As the home of the Freak Peak wakes from its January/February hibernation to fire up the 2021 season, we spoke with

While Urbnsurf Melbourne has the curated chic of the Three Blue Ducks restaurant, BSR has BYO barbecue pits. Yes, Waco’s ...Continue ›


Story 2 Kaana Wave Co

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Backstory: The how-and-the-why of the Ka’ana Wave Co

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It’s the backstory of bringing new technology to see the light of day that makes the wave pool space so interesting. Throwing rocks in a pond inspired Aaron Trevis to build the giant plunger in Yeppoon while Greg Webber’s fire was lit by watching boat wakes reel down a riverbank. In a follow-up to our initial conversation with bathymetry agnostic

It’s the backstory of bringing new technology to see the light of day that makes the wave pool space so ...Continue ›


Disney fantasy wave

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Coming up Disney: Designing the pump and dump at Typhoon Lagoon

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The great thing about wave pools is that with such a short history - just 15 years, well, 30 and 50 respectively if you count Typhoon Lagoon and Big Surf - you’d think there’d be very few mysteries stashed away on microfilm in some exotic city. But thankfully life is full of surprises. We received an email informing us that

The great thing about wave pools is that with such a short history - just 15 years, well, 30 and ...Continue ›


Ka'ana wave system rendering

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New Technology: Where stationary and traveling waves meet

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 Yes, we certainly live in crazy times. From Kelly’s human-made wave debut at the close of 2015 to a plunger in the Australian scrub kicking out a utopian (or dystopian depending on who you talk to) surf-future, we all share an amazing time where creativity is melding with engineering guts. To add to the craziness, we recently discovered a portable,

 Yes, we certainly live in crazy times. From Kelly’s human-made wave debut at the close of 2015 to a plunger ...Continue ›


Andrew Ross of Aventuur

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”Top 5 things to know before you build a wave pool.”

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Meet Andrew Ross (Top Image). He’s on the elite A-Team of wavemakers, having brought Melbourne to life and launching his new company Aventuur which specializes in wave pool development projects. We’ve compiled a Top 5 list of ingredients for a successful project. They include Market Analysis, Feasibility Reviews, Water & Power Access, Light & Noise Limits and Wave Pool Design.

Meet Andrew Ross (Top Image). He’s on the elite A-Team of wavemakers, having brought Melbourne to life and launching his ...Continue ›


Damon Tudor of Urbnsurf

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Master Class: Running a surf park with Urbnsurf CEO Damon Tudor

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Urbnsurf Melbourne has been open for a little more than one year. In that time the gates have been shut more often than open. By not pumping out waves to a happy public on the daily, their learning curve for building a thriving, profitable surf park has been incredibly steep. Hot on the heels of 2020, and with just six-months

Urbnsurf Melbourne has been open for a little more than one year. In that time the gates have been shut ...Continue ›


wavegarden HQ

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Unfiltered: What I learned on my visit to Wavegarden headquarters

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The unlikely location for the next chapter in surfing is near the town of Zaurutz in the Basque Country of Spain. The medieval beach town is home to a thriving surf scene complete with surfboard factory, luxury surf boutiques and an annual WSL event. Game of Thrones fans can thank the area for Gaztelugatxe, the isthmus setting for Queen Daenerys Targaryen’s

The unlikely location for the next chapter in surfing is near the town of Zaurutz in the Basque Country of ...Continue ›


world map of wave pools

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Surf Planner Update: The world’s latest wave pools – Is your town on the list?

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Welcome to our latest edition of the Surf Planner update. This month saw a flurry of activity globally with more wave pools planned for Europe, South America, Australasia and the USA. The WavePoolMag Surf Planner is currently up-to-date with nearly 95 projects worldwide. How do we do it? How do we track down all the developing projects in the world?

Welcome to our latest edition of the Surf Planner update. This month saw a flurry of activity globally with more ...Continue ›


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2020 in the Rearview: Here are the stories that mattered for one reason or another

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In a year ruled by a pandemic, a common theme was finding escape. With our usual social and work outlets twisted and restricted, many of us searched for a new happy place. We learned to cook. We Zoomed. We binge-watched Tiger King. Many of us simply curled up and cried in the corner while out in the world wave parks

In a year ruled by a pandemic, a common theme was finding escape. With our usual social and work outlets ...Continue ›


portrait of Valeska Schneider

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Landlocked and Lovin’ It: Valeska Schneider heralds the rise of a new kind of surfer

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“Multi-wave surfer” is an emerging term. What Kai Lenny is to “multiple-craft surfing” (SUP, kite, wind, tow) Valeska Schneider is to riding different types of waves (river, wave pool, artificial standing wave, ocean). In surf-less countries throughout Europe and beyond riders are learning to surf in standing waves and then transitioning to the ocean with some wave pool sessions thrown

“Multi-wave surfer” is an emerging term. What Kai Lenny is to “multiple-craft surfing” (SUP, kite, wind, tow) Valeska Schneider is ...Continue ›


artist rendering of wave and globe

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Solving surfing’s geography problem with wave pools

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The benefits of surfing are widely known, but for years they’ve only been accessible to those near the coast. Wave pools will change this.  The philosophic thread that “surfing makes you a better person” often misses the fact that exercise and water activity and being in the sun generally make people happy. But can it make you a happier, more

The benefits of surfing are widely known, but for years they’ve only been accessible to those near the coast. Wave ...Continue ›


Artist mashup of Joy Division and Wavegarden Cove

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Massive Manchester musical heritage will now have to shoulder up against surfing

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Manchester has given the world New Order, The Smiths, Oasis and possibly more chart-topping musical acts than any other city in the world. And now, the next major export (after songs whinging about love and death) could very well be surfing. Manchester news outlets announced this week a £60m outdoor wave pool planned for a plot of land near the

Manchester has given the world New Order, The Smiths, Oasis and possibly more chart-topping musical acts than any other city ...Continue ›


Luke hynd

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Latest Surf Lakes footage wrapped into mini surf movie

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A new mini-documentary peeks into the brief history of Surf Lakes with updates on Yeppoon’s favorite wave. Occy, Dean Morrison, Mark Mathews, Luke Hynd and others guide viewers through the tweaks, updates, and changes founder Aaron Trevis, engineer Kit Sidwell and crew have made to the pool. None of the information is stop-the-presses earth-shattering, but the whole 13-minute affair is

A new mini-documentary peeks into the brief history of Surf Lakes with updates on Yeppoon’s favorite wave. Occy, Dean Morrison, ...Continue ›


wave pool surf trip

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Your perfect COVID-era surf trip is to a wave pool

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Planning a surf trip is difficult. Do you go big and cross the equator or do you stay domestic? To find that rare sweet spot between raw adventure and a sure thing is daunting. Of course, after all that research and planning the waves can go completely flat during your visit. Compound that with a global pandemic and the search

Planning a surf trip is difficult. Do you go big and cross the equator or do you stay domestic? To ...Continue ›


wave pool charity events

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Wave pools emerge as community event & health hubs

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By now many of us are aware of the pluses of surfing to one's health and well-being. Today wave pools are providing access to these benefits for people living in areas where, only a few short years ago, surfing wasn't a feasible option. As these new, non-coastal demographics jump into the pool we are seeing surfing through a new lens

By now many of us are aware of the pluses of surfing to one's health and well-being. Today wave pools ...Continue ›


sureal art of new zealand wave pool

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New Zealand wave pool announced for Auckland environs

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Auckland is entertaining another wave pool concept to attract some of the area’s 1.6 million residents and traveling adventure seekers. The surf park is a good bet as Kiwi tourism both domestic and international accounts for nearly $41 billion annually. This latest project is spearheaded by industry heavy-hitters Aventuur, whose primary business is to develop integrated real estate developments that

Auckland is entertaining another wave pool concept to attract some of the area’s 1.6 million residents and traveling adventure seekers. ...Continue ›


Quito art

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Mile-and-a-half-high wave pool on the equator? Yes it’s happening

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Olas, an Ecuador-based company announced this week they have funded the last phase of their full-size flume test and will begin construction on a full-scale wave pool. The project joins a handful of other wave pools from different technologies planned for South America. But several factors set Olas apart from other global ventures at the moment. For one, it will

Olas, an Ecuador-based company announced this week they have funded the last phase of their full-size flume test and will ...Continue ›


alaia bay wave pool artist rendering

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Project Update: Swiss pool could be filled before end of 2020

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This is where things get weird. The Swiss surf team, like the Swiss Navy, exists, employs people, has cool uniforms and more despite the country not having an ocean or a sea. At the 2019 ISA World Surfing Games in Japan the Swiss team finished 23rd out of 54 nations. The result placed them just behind The Netherlands and ahead

This is where things get weird. The Swiss surf team, like the Swiss Navy, exists, employs people, has cool uniforms ...Continue ›


Andrew Ross of Aventuur

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How to build a wave pool: Urbnsurf creator Andrew Ross’ new venture can help

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Andrew Ross is a bit strange. Not making-art-out-of-tin-foil-scraps strange but merger-of-very-different-worlds strange. He’s the gravitational force where banking, investment, law, and surfing meet. Andrew can crunch numbers like Rainman in Vegas, divine intent from reams and reams of legal docs, and forecast investment performances like Wall Street’s best wolf. But he’s also a guy who puts surfing first, especially when

Andrew Ross is a bit strange. Not making-art-out-of-tin-foil-scraps strange but merger-of-very-different-worlds strange. He’s the gravitational force where banking, investment, law, ...Continue ›


SurfWrld planned wave pool

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Germany eyes world’s largest wave pool project

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Germany! Oktoberfest! Kraftwerk! That creepy Netflix series about time travel (Dark)! And now it looks like this land of infinite complexities will add the world’s largest wave pool to its list of cultural achievements. Surfwrld is on-trend for what wave pools are doing as of late 2020: Bigger, better, faster and multi-use. On an abandoned coal mine three-hours from the

Germany! Oktoberfest! Kraftwerk! That creepy Netflix series about time travel (Dark)! And now it looks like this land of infinite ...Continue ›


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A naked look at surfing through the art of DrewToonz

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Surf art is a weird beast. Like a minotaur, half-bull and half-human, it’s often two very separate things that don’t really belong together. The genre of surf art is dominated by two different animals. One is the airbrush flowy Wyland daydream species seen in tropical vacation galleries across the Pacific. And the other is the cartoonish splendor of Andy Davis,

Surf art is a weird beast. Like a minotaur, half-bull and half-human, it’s often two very separate things that don’t ...Continue ›


wave pool construction

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Why wave pool construction is a difficult, moody beast

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In the creation of dream waves it's the engineers who get all the glory. These creative minds tethering their stardust visions via slide rules and math are the rock stars of the wave pool movement. But Aaron Trevis, Josema Ordriozola, Bruce McFarland, Clément Ginestet, Adam Fincham and others need a solid backing band to bring these dreams to life. This

In the creation of dream waves it's the engineers who get all the glory. These creative minds tethering their stardust ...Continue ›


Surf Lakes wave

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Feature: The many layers to Surf Lakes’ stone-in-a-pond concept

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The test pool in Yeppoon is known by a lot of names: The Mad Max Wave, The Plunger Wave, Apocalypse Wave, That Giant Donut Thing …Surf Lakes makes a huge visceral impression. Arguably more than any wave technology out there at the moment. While concrete and software-synced air-powered swimming pools become the Dave Mathews Band of the surf park landscape,

The test pool in Yeppoon is known by a lot of names: The Mad Max Wave, The Plunger Wave, Apocalypse ...Continue ›


artist image of tom lochtefeld

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Tom Lochtefeld – The Godfather of modern surf parks

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Tom Lochtefeld is the OG wave pool geek and a core surfer. For the past 30 plus years, he’s found ways to have fun and surf outside of the ocean. He fixed a cable to the rear-wheel-drive system of a Dodge truck to make a foil wave (a concept that began in 1987!) For this and many other reasons we

Tom Lochtefeld is the OG wave pool geek and a core surfer. For the past 30 plus years, he’s found ...Continue ›