New Surf Park Safety program alliance forms
StarGuard ELITE, LLC (SGE) has formed a strategic alliance with URBNSURF to create an international Surf Park Safety program. This initiative will merge SGE’s aquatic safety training and risk prevention services with URBNSURF’s experience in operations and best practices. The collaboration aims to establish a technology-neutral safety framework applicable to surf parks worldwide, offering training standards, certifications, and operational guidelines.
The surf park sector is currently experiencing a period of rapid technological progress and global expansion. This growth encompasses the development of dynamic wave venues with large surf areas and stationary wave facilities that utilize minimal space to provide standing waves or sheet wave technologies, each offering unique surfing experiences.
In this evolving market, the Surf Park Safety program is set to deliver comprehensive training programs, operational safety standards, and best practices tailored for any surf venue. The program’s objective is to cultivate a robust safety culture that not only enhances the customer experience but also ensures consistency across the board. This consistency is vital for surf parks to provide safe and enjoyable experiences while being prepared to manage emergencies effectively. With regulatory bodies likely to establish rules for surf venues, this program will serve as a foundational model for informed regulation.
“This partnership represents a watershed moment for surf park safety,” said Wess Long, President at StarGuard ELITE. “By combining SGE’s evidence-driven safety programs with URBNSURF’s expertise as a proven operator, along with other surf park safety experts, we envision a standardized safety program that will provide Surf Parks the foundation to deliver a safe experience and elevates industry benchmarks.”
Long added that as more wave pool facilities open globally and more people embrace the sport of surfing, it is imperative that all surf venues operate safely to maintain consumer confidence and avoid overreaching or reactionary regulations.
URBNSURF’s General Manager, Shaun Hutchinson, also expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration.
“Both organisations are experts and have extensive experience in our respective areas and by joining forces we look forward to guiding the industry through this rapid expansion period. URBNSURF have successfully operated Melbourne now for nearly four years and it was a steep aquatic safety learning curve in the early days. It was a natural next step for URBNSURF to become a research and development site for StarGuard Elite. StarGuard Elite has amassed a variety of experience within the aquatic industry, and with their dynamic approach to surf park safety, it will ensure a practicable standard that every surf park can follow.”
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