American Wave Machines announced that commissioning will commence at the new Surf Stadium in Shizunami Japan with an eye on providing training for Olympic athletes.

“Surfing is in the Olympics for the first time only once. This is a watershed moment for the sport,” said Bruce McFarland, AWM Founder. “Starting July 12, PerfectSwell Shizunami will provide a consistent platform for athlete training, exhibitions, and events leading up to the Olympic Games.”

Evan Geiselman, pro surfer and winner of the 2016 Ichinomiya Chiba Open, will be part of a dedicated commissioning team put together by PerfectSwell before the Games arrive. 

New for the AWM design in Japan are software platform innovations like ‘Temporal Distortion’, a wave design parameter that will bring additional levels of control. 

“Temporal Distortion will lead to an entirely new selection of waves for both high-performance and learning applications,” said William McFarland, AWM Surf Programmer. “It will add shifting elements to the surf creating a more dynamic wave overall.” 

Other new features include upgrades to the system’s power response. 

“Start-up test results confirm that the enhanced performance response has been achieved,” said Lead Engineer Miquel Lazaro.

The new wave pool is an example of smaller footprint setups that still pump out powerful surf.

Surf Stadium advised they cannot take reservations at this time. But once they do open, visitors will be able to fill out a client profile online and book e-tickets to the surf park.

“Membership registration is required to purchase tickets. If there is a vacancy on the day of the session, e-tickets will be sold to those who come directly to the facility. Please check that the status up to 23:59 the day before will be reflected online as the availability status on the day.”

Shizunami is a thriving surf town about four hours by car southeast of Tokyo. The bullet train from Tokyo central takes a little over two hours to nearby Shizuoka station. Surf Stadium Japan is also one of the world’s first surf parks close to an existing natural surfing location. The wave tub itself sits on a 2.4-acre site a stone’s throw from the Pacific ocean.