March 20, 2021  |  News

Swiss wave pool Alaïa Bay fires up the machine

News

During the last few months several of the world’s best surfers have tested a new Wavegarden facility in Alaïa Bay, located in the Swiss Alps. Ahead of the official opening in May, Hawaii’s Zeke Lau, Basque Country’s Aritz Aranburu and Maud Le Car from France surfed the Wavegarden’s 20-wave menu under the snow-capped mountains, 500 metres above sea level.  “I've surfed

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March 19, 2021  |  News

Wanna be a wave pool photographer? Here’s a peek inside the life

News

Mark Dadswell was approached by Urbnsurf to run the wave pool’s photography services a few years ago. When he accepted the position he brought with him more than a decade of photojournalism experience that includes a 15-year stint at Getty Images. Mark told us last year that the best part of his gig is the interaction he gets with the

Mark Dadswell was approached by Urbnsurf to run the wave pool’s photography services a few years ago. When he accepted ...Continue ›

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March 18, 2021  |  Latest, News

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

Latest, News

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

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March 17, 2021  |  News

The Wave in Virginia Beach moves closer to Cove-land

News

Costs for The Wave, Pharrell Williams' pet project in his hometown of Virginia Beach, faced increased price estimates this week. VB city documents showed that fallout from the pandemic has increased the overall price tag of the development. Fortunately, the city council approved on Tuesday an additional $9 million for the design and construction. The $325 million Atlantic Park development

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March 17, 2021  |  Latest, News

Guest Blog: Pneumatic wave pool technology crash course

Latest, News

When it comes to man-made waves, not all surf pool technologies are created equal. Sure, the end goal is ultimately the same, creating an epic surf-able wave that brings the stoke of surfing to inland areas devoid of wave-producing coastlines. There are many ways to achieve this goal, however, and that comes down to the wave-making technology that is pursued.

When it comes to man-made waves, not all surf pool technologies are created equal. Sure, the end goal is ultimately ...Continue ›

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March 16, 2021  |  Latest, News

National grom event runs at Urbnsurf Melbourne for the first time ever

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Ellie Harrison and Lennix Smith have been crowned 16 & Under Rip Curl GromSearch National Champions today at Urbnsurf Melbourne in the 20th Year of the prestigious grom event. 2021 is the first time the Rip Curl GromSearch National Final has been run at Urbnsurf and showcased an innovative format testing competitors in turn and barrel waves to crown the

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March 12, 2021  |  News, Podcasts

Podcast: Life at The Wave in Bristol with Nick Hounsfield

News, Podcasts

Nick Hounsfield had a background in healthcare and is the chairman of Surfing England, having long been involved in the governing body. His dream to build a wave pool in a field outside Bristol has captured the attention of thousands, if not millions of people around the UK and the world. He chats with us about the highs and the

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March 12, 2021  |  News

Alaia Bay takes the wind-tunnel training model to the surf

News

Alaia Bay CEO Vincent Van Laethem about the similarities between a wind tunnel and a wave pool.  One element comes up in every conversation with wave pools, and that is the element of progression. That is radical, rapid progression. It stands to reason that consistent surfing a wave pool will result in rapid progression because the waves are always the same

Alaia Bay CEO Vincent Van Laethem about the similarities between a wind tunnel and a wave pool.  One element comes up ...Continue ›

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March 11, 2021  |  Latest, News

Art Study: The 101 Perfect Waves project from Hilton Alves

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Drawing a bead on Hilton Alves's art influences is difficult. At first glance, his work lies somewhere between the celestial boomer vibe of Wyland and the vintage kitsch of a tiki bar. But with a heavy stoke factor. Self-trained, Hilton is on a quest to paint 101 big-ass wave murals. He’s well way with number six of the series decorating

Drawing a bead on Hilton Alves's art influences is difficult. At first glance, his work lies somewhere between the celestial ...Continue ›

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March 10, 2021  |  Latest, News

Pools primed as Rapid Surf League kicks off 2021 season

Latest, News

Rapid Surf League's Quirin Rohleder brings us up to speed on this innovative tour, the first event of which will run on a Citywave for the RSL Pro at Jochen Schweizer Arena in July 2021 River surfer, stationary wave riders, floating wave riders - the best of them will finally be back under Rapid Surf League’s roof in 2021. United

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March 9, 2021  |  Latest, News

New project aims to bring Endless Surf to Gold Coast in two years

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Australian media outlets reported a new development sighting on a golf-and-boat heavy section of Queensland. The project will be just five kilometers inland of the Gold Coast’s famous turquoise water and just 20 minutes down the road from the famed rights of Burleigh heads. The Club at Parkwood Village is a well-established leisure destination already and serves the local community

Australian media outlets reported a new development sighting on a golf-and-boat heavy section of Queensland. The project will be just ...Continue ›

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March 8, 2021  |  Latest, News

The Camp at The Wave Launches in Bristol

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As the surf world anticipates a hyped-up summer of more travel, new can now stay meters from the most consistent surf break in the UK. The Wave - the inland surfing destination in Bristol - has this week launched bookings for its new accommodation, The Camp at The Wave. The UK's first Wavegarden Cove surf park has just recently completed the 25 furnished tents, located near the shore of the surfing lake. The Wave says the tents pay

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March 3, 2021  |  News, Podcasts

Podcast: Research and experimentation – the Wave Prizm story

News, Podcasts

Mark Kosich has built a brand around making waves. It's called WavePrizm and threads some unique theories together to produce large surf. However, he is not about to compete with the major players at this stage. In this long conversation, Mark recounts how his life led up to this current experimentation with wave machines and he discusses the claim that

Mark Kosich has built a brand around making waves. It's called WavePrizm and threads some unique theories together to produce ...Continue ›

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March 2, 2021  |  News, Television

Another vintage wave pool machine from the mysterious Fred Island

News, Television

Our latest wave pool discovery from the YouTube vault features motorized mini barrels reeling out from somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere tropics. To make the waves, a strap is attached to the drive wheel of a pickup truck - much like Tom Lochtefeld’s early test systems - which powers the door to a resevoir. Water from the tank then spills

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March 2, 2021  |  Latest, News

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

Latest, News

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 ›

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February 26, 2021  |  News

Engineer Clement Ginestet details the Endless Surf system

News

Clement Ginestet is a product engineer at Endless Surf. In this feature he walks us through this new technology explaining how it works, what it can do and what surf sessions will look like. To simplify, Clement likens the system's wave-making chambers to keys on a piano able to produce both rhythm and melody at the same time, meaning the

Clement Ginestet is a product engineer at Endless Surf. In this feature he walks us through this new technology explaining ...Continue ›

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February 25, 2021  |  Latest, News

California desert updates: Wave pools still target 2022-23 launch

Latest, News

The WavePoolMag desert update focuses on developments in the evolving surf park oasis east of Los Angeles. This time we find that not a whole lot has changed since our last update, but seeing as there is so much interest in this space, we wanted to keep everyone up-to-date... The pandemic continues to slow progress on the four surf parks

The WavePoolMag desert update focuses on developments in the evolving surf park oasis east of Los Angeles. This time we ...Continue ›

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February 22, 2021  |  News

Everyday Surfers: Aaron Neighbour’s POV tubefest

News

It gets a little tiring watching pros in wave pools. Sweet digital candy that it is, there’s a big disconnect between what we as everyday surfers experience and the selected curation from the pros. Unfortunately, the other end of the scale is not much better. Many of the amateur wave pool clips feature dudes throwing out rapid-fire high-fives and tense

It gets a little tiring watching pros in wave pools. Sweet digital candy that it is, there’s a big disconnect ...Continue ›

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February 19, 2021  |  News

Sneak Peek: Surf Stadium Japan sends out first sets

News

American Wave Machines leaked images and a clip of their new facility in Shizunami Japan. With the pool only 43% full, Instagram viewers were treated to a very-Waco looking left peeling along the wave pool’s main wall. Surf Stadium Japan broke ground for their PerfectSwell wave pool just 13 months ago, making this one of the fastest builds in the

American Wave Machines leaked images and a clip of their new facility in Shizunami Japan. With the pool only 43% ...Continue ›

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February 17, 2021  |  Latest, News, Television

Bodysurfing Beast Mode – can you do it?

Latest, News, Television

According to the Google Search Engine, when it comes to wave pools the lion’s share of YouTube results go to Kelly Slater or that one time a Chinese wave pool malfunctioned and sent out a huge wave injuring people. It's not a very accurate representation of who uses pools. Beyond the bot algorithms that provide these search results so much

According to the Google Search Engine, when it comes to wave pools the lion’s share of YouTube results go to ...Continue ›

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February 12, 2021  |  Latest, News

COVID return haunts Melbourne attractions including Urbnsurf

Latest, News

Just like a villain in a horror movie at that moment when we think the hockey-mask wearing killer is gone, COVID comes back for another knife-wielding jump-scare. Urbnsurf has been running on all cylndars this summer. Until now. Victoria Australia is entering the state’s third lockdown after officials discovered 13 cases of COVID. Victoria had been case-free for 28 days

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February 10, 2021  |  Latest, News

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

Latest, News

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 ›

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February 4, 2021  |  Latest, News

Throwback to beginner-friendly concept pool in West Java

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In the wave-rich Indonesian archipelago, some inventive persons built a wave pool prototype in Sukabumi City. This 2013 clip shows how beginner-friendly the waves are. Not so beginner-friendly is the concrete wall at the end of the ride. “This wave pool is incomplete at only half of its intended length,” says the YouTube description. “This video was created to attract

In the wave-rich Indonesian archipelago, some inventive persons built a wave pool prototype in Sukabumi City. This 2013 clip shows ...Continue ›

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February 4, 2021  |  News, Television

Quick Hit: Guide to airs courtesy of Evan Geiselman and Kevin Schulz

News, Television

Can you tell a Stalefish Air Reverse from a Frontside Grab Air Reverse? Sounds complicated, but it’s simply a matter of hand placement on the rail. In this clip, Evan Geiselman and Kevin Schulz play a game of S-U-R-F. Modeled after the game of H-O-R-S-E, each surfer trades turns calling out an air and then executing it (or not). In

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February 1, 2021  |  Latest, News

Insight from Shane Beschen on new rapid wave pool sizes

Latest, News

With the unveiling of Wai Kai and Chelan Washington we thought it was time to revisit the river wave-inspired genre of stoke. In light of the term “standing wave pool” being absolutely zero percent exciting, in this piece we’ll try on the term “Rapid Wave Pool” for size and see how it goes (we’re open for suggestions, so please hit

With the unveiling of Wai Kai and Chelan Washington we thought it was time to revisit the river wave-inspired genre ...Continue ›

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