Surf park projects across the globe are doing everything they can to ensure a great customer journey. One major component of a satisfied user experience is water color and clarity. Gleaning from decades of work with Olympic facilities and water parks, Myrtha Pools has taken its swimming pool knowledge and applied it to making the wave pool surf experience more appealing.
You can see their handiwork at the Adrena facility in the Red Sea and soon in several upcoming projects, including The Point in Florida and in Búzios near Rio de Janeiro. But it was the opening of SURFTOWN in Munich that put Myrtha Pools on the surf park map for its clear, blue water.
“While Myrtha has an extensive portfolio of wave pools, two years ago Surftown MUC marked our debut in the surf lagoon sector,” said Roberto Colletto, CEO of Myrtha Pools. “This project demonstrated that our technology is uniquely suited to the surf industry, providing the structural integrity and durability required to withstand the massive energy of high-frequency surf waves.”
How Does a Myrtha Pools System Work?
The system uses prefabricated modular components that are manufactured off-site and assembled on-site to control costs and reduce installation time. The modular stainless-steel structure allows components to be installed in sequence, with alignment accuracy defined by pre-engineered connections.
The system adapts to project requirements by combining modular structural elements with customizable layouts and materials. Structural stress is managed through flexible modular stainless-steel panels that distribute loads and avoid rigid concrete failure modes, which is a challenge for all surf park developments.
“The Surftown MUC development represented a notable engineering challenge as the first-ever Endless Surf–Myrtha pool,” said Cinzia Perghem, Sales Engineer for Surf Lagoon Projects. “During the design phase, we drew on technical solutions developed and refined across Myrtha installations worldwide.”
How the System Works with Endless Surf Technology
Design customization is applied per project, with Myrtha managing installation and system commissioning to ensure operational integration. The lagoon layout uses pneumatic wave chambers to generate waves, with water recirculated through a return channel that guides flow back to the generation area. Water levels and depths are controlled through fixed structural elevations and basin geometry. A mechanical room houses the systems required to operate the wave generation and circulation.
“From competition pools, we adopted high-performance components such as our wall inlets to improve water circulation, along with stringent construction standards and tight tolerance management,” added Perghem. “From lagoon environments, we transferred our expertise in waterproofing large surface areas regardless of the underlying substrate: our Myrtha Skin system can be installed directly onto engineered soil (a blend of native ground and cement), enabling substantial cost efficiencies on slabs.”
Myrtha Skin, when combined with the Myrtha freestanding structure — as in Munich — ensures a faster, easier, and more precise installation.
The Myrtha Waterproofing System
The lining of the basin consists of stainless steel laminated with PVC, formed into coils that are installed across surfaces. This system is called Myrtha Skin. The material’s flexibility allows it to conform to flat, vertical, and curved surfaces. The walk-in access to the basin can feature an anti-slip surface.
As the soil beneath each wave pool project differs, these layers are engineered based on geotechnical analysis to ensure load-bearing capacity and drainage. The Myrtha waterproofing system remains consistent in each soil condition.
The structure and waterproofing are designed to withstand cyclic loads, pressure changes, and fatigue through engineering calculations based on standard norms.
For the Munich project, a full-scale mock-up wave generator was built and filled with water to test dynamic loads, pressure behavior, fatigue performance, and system components before the full wave pool was constructed. This testing gave Myrtha the expertise to propose a hybrid wave chamber where part can be concrete, and part can be a steel structure, allowing for a faster and more controlled installation.
Water Flow and Lighting
Water flow is modeled using computational fluid dynamics by dividing the pool into small cells and calculating velocity, pressure, and temperature. Simulation results are used to optimize inlet placement and ensure uniform circulation and water quality. Water enters and exits the system through engineered inlets, drains, and skimmers that regulate flow distribution throughout the basin. A continuous grating system covers the return channel to allow pedestrian access while supporting loads through anchored structural elements.
Lighting is distributed across zones and connected to control systems for coordinated operation. The lights are installed within structural walls using sealed housings connected to electrical systems.
Installation: How It Happens
Myrtha Skin is delivered in coils, unrolled, and cut to shape on-site, then fixed to surfaces using mechanical or adhesive methods, depending on the project. Waterproofing integrity is ensured by connecting every section of the coil to the next.
All engineering details aside, what most people notice about O₂ SURFTOWN MUC is the giant logo on the surf lagoon floor visible to commercial aircraft landing at Munich International Airport. The smooth, bright surface of the Myrtha Skin allows the logo to be fully visible, and the fact that it is made from compatible materials ensures a long-lasting finish through chemical bonding. The use of the Myrtha Skin system opens up many branding opportunities for surf parks.
“Building on the success of Surftown MUC, we are now bringing that same proven technology to some of the world’s most ambitious surf destinations. Projects like ADRENA Red Sea and The Point in Florida,” said Roberto Colletto, CEO of Myrtha Pools, “will redefine what a surf lagoon can be, combining our engineering excellence with breathtaking locations to create experiences that are truly without equal.”
