Holly Wawn is a new type of pro surfer, moving mostly through Vans and Stab-generated content and social platforms to serve her sponsors and earn a paycheck. Despite having a sick repertoire of hacks and a preternatural tube sense, Holly never hit her stride in any pro events. The WSL website lists her best year finishing at #90 with an average heat score of 2.86 – Her heat win record is listed as zero.
But surf stardom is all about personality, and Holly’s performances on Stab Highway, a solid win at the 2024 Mai Tai Masters (contestants had to drink Mai Tais pre-surf), plus sizzling social media reels, mean she’s one of the few earning her keep without donning a heat jersey.
WavePoolMag spoke with Holly at the recent Stab EAST (Electric Acid Surfboard Test) event at the Palm Springs Surf Club, and discovered she has some pretty fresh wave pool insights that apply to the average punter. Dig into the interview below and get her fresh insight on wave pool techs.
What wave pools have you surfed?
I’ve been to Palm Springs twice in the last three months. I went to Kelly Slater’s wave pool a few years ago. And I’ve been to the Melbourne wave pool, URBNSURF, a couple of times. But I haven’t been to the one in Sydney, and I’m from Sydney.
Let’s compare Palm Springs Surf Club to Kelly Slater’s wave pool, tell us how are they different?
I guess they’re the opposite. One’s a pulley system with essentially a boat traveling through it, and you catch the wave. These ones are jet-powered—they push the water at you. It’s a pretty different feeling when your surfing. I really like this one here (pneumatic system) a lot more because you get a lot more movement under the surfboard. There’s more water moving under your board. Whereas at Slater’s, you’ve got dead water under your board. There’s nothing for the surfboard to work with, so it doesn’t really feel right. This feels a lot more lively for sure. There’s more turbulence under the surfboard, which is always good.
And the Wavegarden in Melbourne—how was that experience?
That’s good. Every time I’ve been there, I’ve been on a party trip, so it’s fun. It just gets a little boring. Melbourne is not as big as this one. I feel like Palm Springs is bigger and a bit heavier. But it’s nice how you can session it. You paddle back out and there are like eight or nine waves in a set. When you’re with a group of ten friends, it’s pretty nice to watch everyone get a wave. I really want to go to Waco Surf. I think that may be the best one. That’s the general consensus. Everyone loves it.
Where do you see wave pools fitting into ocean surfing?
There’s that little girl, Patty Zhou from China. She’d never surfed in the ocean for the first three years, and she’s so good. Then she went in the ocean and just rips. So maybe it’s the ticket. It could be a good way to go. Also, take a couple people and put them in the wave pools instead of the ocean. That helps with crowding. It’s also really nice for everyday workers to go get their fix—catch ten waves for eighty bucks. In Melbourne and Sydney, it’s only eighty bucks for an hour. I think you can even get memberships—like joining a gym.
I noticed that about Melbourne. In the afternoon, all the tradies were in the parking lot.
Yeah. Like a beach parking lot. They have a beer in the lot after a surf in the pond. It’s so cool.
Culturally, as more wave pools open every year, do you see it changing surfing? Do you see surfing evolving?
I really like it for the amphitheater vibe and guaranteed conditions. For events and money-wise, it’s probably really good for the sport. You can have exhibition days and guarantee waves, an environment, drinks, a good time, and a solid viewing experience.
What do you think about wave pools opening surfing to communities and people who wouldn’t ordinarily be exposed to it?
You’d never forecast it. If you were a kid in the seventies, you’d never think, “Oh hell yeah, they’re going to crank out perfect barrels in a pool.” It’s pretty cool.
Do you think this could make surfing a city sport? For example, putting one in Kansas or next to Ayers Rock?
Yeah, it’d be great if there was one in every major city. I’d love to live in the city. I know Nicky Van Dijk lives in Melbourne. She lives in the city—Port Melbourne. She was renting a spot with friends there for years. She’s from Phillip Island, which is an hour away. The pool was twenty minutes from her house, so she’d just hit the pool three times a week. That was her surf for the week, plus yoga. That’s great. If my girlfriend said she wanted to move to the city, and that was available, I’d be down.
You’d get your surf fix that way?
Yeah. As life goes on, it’s hard to get time to chase waves. As you get more responsibilities, it’s a pretty nice thing to have.
