May 18, 2020  |  News

Swiss Update: Three countries eye two wave pools three hours apart

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Alaïa and WaveUp, the two frontrunners in the Swiss wave pool race, are making headway and expecting to draw surfers from nearby Germany and France. One has confirmed that Wavegarden Cove technology will power their surf and the other is very close to making the same announcement. As we’ve seen with The Wave Bristol and Urbnsurf Melbourne, how each surf

Alaïa and WaveUp, the two frontrunners in the Swiss wave pool race, are making headway and expecting to draw surfers ...Continue ›

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May 15, 2020  |  Latest, News

How do wave pools work? 7 ways machines make waves

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Engineering is a monster. And personally, it scares me. Why? Because stacking cinderblocks and building things in only one shape (square!) is pretty much the peak of my engineering accomplishments. But I love to surf, especially in wave pools. So thankfully the world has Wavegardens, PerfectSwells, SurfLochs, Surf Lakes, and a few others. And these companies love to engineer waves.

Engineering is a monster. And personally, it scares me. Why? Because stacking cinderblocks and building things in only one shape ...Continue ›

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May 15, 2020  |  Latest, News

Sao Paulo wave pool construction begins

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The Praia da Drama wave pool project just received their Wavegarden machinery this week. In a social media post, Wavegarden celebrated the arrival of the components necessary to build a surf park. “Today, the trucks pulled up Praia da Grama just outside of Sau Paulo, Brazil and commenced unloading the 52 modules, water treatment system, e-houses and some other equipment

The Praia da Drama wave pool project just received their Wavegarden machinery this week. In a social media post, Wavegarden ...Continue ›

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May 14, 2020  |  Latest, News

Surf Lakes refines system, plans for live webcasts and virtual tours

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Wave pool makers Surf Lakes reports they are busy working on a new liner at their Yeppoon research and development site among other things. The company said that testing has been carried out recently on several surface options with one standing tall, and being seemingly unbreakable under weight-loading and stress testing. The new solution is reported to be stronger and

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May 14, 2020  |  News

Urbnsurf extends closure through May to meet COVID-19 guidelines

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In line with new measures announced by the Australian and Victorian governments to ease coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions, Urbnsurf Melbourne will remain closed in May 2020.  While ocean surfing has been permitted, this is consistent with advice issued by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) this week that all public swimming pools, outdoor pools, and ocean baths remain

In line with new measures announced by the Australian and Victorian governments to ease coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions, Urbnsurf Melbourne will ...Continue ›

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May 13, 2020  |  Latest, News

American Surf Parks hits final planning stages

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Hot on the release of new wave pool renderings, the Myrtle Beach Wavegarden Cove facility by American Surf Parks is ready to break ground. The facility will be a maximum-sized Cove covering five acres, or about six football fields within a 12-acre development. “We just went through City Council again this morning and received overwhelming unanimous support for the project,”

Hot on the release of new wave pool renderings, the Myrtle Beach Wavegarden Cove facility by American Surf Parks is ...Continue ›

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May 11, 2020  |  News

China’s first wave pool competition finally goes public

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China and the free flow of information make a horrible pairing, like mint ice cream and anchovies or a slow polka fused with death metal vocals. In short, we never really know what's happening there. Run in the Summer of 2019 but not made public until March 2020, the country completed its first pool event. Wanning, in Hainan China hosts

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May 11, 2020  |  News, Television

Urbnsurf holds court for Ferrari and JS Industries

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Shaper to the stars Jason Stevenson, the monogram behind JS Industries (the board label with a tractor on it) has one of the most loyal teams in surfing. He’s shaped boards for four World Champions and a host of top 32 pros. Recently tractor logo met horse logo as Mr. JS mixed it up with Ferrari's new F8 Spyder in

Shaper to the stars Jason Stevenson, the monogram behind JS Industries (the board label with a tractor on it) has ...Continue ›

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May 11, 2020  |  News

BSR Surf Resort first wave pool to open after lockdown

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When will wave pools open back up? It’s a complicated question. And the answers are as varied as the patchwork of safety measures enacted locally and globally to curb the spread of COVID-19. Facemasks are required for all customers at Costco but for those picking up a 12 pack of LaCroix at Target, you can do so mask free. In

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May 6, 2020  |  Latest, Television

This clip makes us bite our nails even harder waiting for the lockdown to lift

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Will the COVID-19 lockdown become just a blip in our collective memory of things-we-did-at-one-time like hours on MySpace, programming our VCRs or digging out a nuclear bomb shelter? We hope so. In the pursuit of putting COVID-19 behind us, Urbnsurf and FCS launched a “life before the lockdown” wave pool clip featuring star players. Sally Fitz, Julian Wilson, Isabella Nichols

Will the COVID-19 lockdown become just a blip in our collective memory of things-we-did-at-one-time like hours on MySpace, programming our ...Continue ›

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May 5, 2020  |  Latest, News

Sorcery: Florida wave pool curse fact or fiction?

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Sometimes America’s can-do spirit and moxie just don’t work out. Trending FloridaMan feats like tossing alligators through drive-thru windows or trying to shoot down hurricanes captivate us because FloridaMan tries and fails brilliantly. "A" for effort means a lot in The States even if it is a stupid idea in the first place.When the World Surf League sunk $6million into

Sometimes America’s can-do spirit and moxie just don’t work out. Trending FloridaMan feats like tossing alligators through drive-thru windows or ...Continue ›

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May 1, 2020  |  Latest

When can we surf Berlin? Surf Era project digs in

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With pulled back blond curls and the beginnings of a feral beard, Eirik Randow looks a bit like a younger, decidedly Germanic Mark Occhilupo. Despite English as a second language, he’s more well-spoken than Occy (sorry Occ!) As the Founder and CEO of Surf Era, both a B2B and B2C wave pool company, he reached out to us on LinkedIn

With pulled back blond curls and the beginnings of a feral beard, Eirik Randow looks a bit like a younger, ...Continue ›

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April 29, 2020  |  News

Virginia wave pool waits out COVID-19 before breaking ground

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An American Wave Machines PerfectSwell wave pool slated for Richmond Virginia was inches away from breaking ground when COVID-19 hit. The development called the Lake is proposed to be twice the size fo BSR Surf Resort in Waco and has won approval from the Chesterfield Virginia Board of Supervisors and was all set to go. “We will wait for more

An American Wave Machines PerfectSwell wave pool slated for Richmond Virginia was inches away from breaking ground when COVID-19 hit. ...Continue ›

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April 28, 2020  |  Latest

WSL announces new “surf-off format” to decide world champ

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The WSL said today that due to the continued evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are postponing or canceling all events, at all levels of competition, through the end of June and will continue to monitor the situation and make the next call in early June.  The WSL has also announced an evolved Tours and Competitions format for 2021 covering

The WSL said today that due to the continued evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are postponing or canceling all ...Continue ›

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April 23, 2020  |  Latest, News

Are wave pools out of line with COVID-19 refund policies?

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People around the world are losing jobs and businesses are shutting their doors despite loans and injections of cash from government agencies. During this Black Swan event, economists are predicting a downturn deeper than the Great Recession of 2008 and on par with the Great Depression of the 1930s. In our little corner of the world, a few surf media

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April 21, 2020  |  Latest, News

How many wave pools are there in the world?

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We did our best research this week to answer the one question we get asked all the time: "How many wave pools are there in the world?" Well, we have to qualify that by firing back – do you mean “open,” “planned,” “under construction” or “sketched-on-a-school-folder?" The results are mixed. And a brief takeaway would look something like the below:

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April 16, 2020  |  News

Creatures of Leisure moves into the wave pool game

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Aussie accessory brand Creatures of Leisure announced a partnership with Australia’s first public wave pool today. Creatures will provide pads and leashes for the surf park’s rental fleet. “We're thrilled to have Creatures of Leisure as our official hardware partner,” said Andrew Ross of Urbnsurf. “All of our hire boards are fitted with premium Creatures traction and leashes, which are

Aussie accessory brand Creatures of Leisure announced a partnership with Australia’s first public wave pool today. Creatures will provide pads ...Continue ›

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April 14, 2020  |  Latest, Television

Are things getting weird at your house during the lockdown?

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Life is strange right now. Some of us are using the lockdown time to better ourselves with YouTube cooking classes, podcasts on home organization and online yoga. All good corners of self-improvement. But many of us are discovering it’s really hard to stay the course after four weeks (depending on your corner of the world) indoors. Beyond bettering yourself what

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April 13, 2020  |  Latest, News

Number of waves surfed at Urbnsurf this year into the millions…

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While the world economy shuts down and health care systems globally strain under the new demands of COVID-19, it’s a fair time to seek out distractions. First priority during this pandemic is health and safety which, depending on where you live, can either be as simple as staying inside or as difficult as locating complicated medical equipment. Let’s hope for

While the world economy shuts down and health care systems globally strain under the new demands of COVID-19, it’s a ...Continue ›

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April 8, 2020  |  Latest, Television

Time Warp: ASP mullet wave pool party in Japan

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Tim Bonython’s known for the "Big Wave Project," a jaw-dropping annually updated cinematic adrenaline fest that tours Australia each year like the surf films of yesterday. At the height of mullet-era pro surfing, Mr. Bonython hit the Marui Wave Pool Pro to record Damian Hardman, (the Tour's most tactical world champ pre-Kelly) take the win in really crap waves. Along

Tim Bonython’s known for the "Big Wave Project," a jaw-dropping annually updated cinematic adrenaline fest that tours Australia each year ...Continue ›

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April 8, 2020  |  Latest, News

Global report on how Covid-19 is affecting wave pools and surf parks

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Wave pool operations have shut down at Urbnsurf, The Wave and BSR Surf Resort, with the cartoon reality of New Jersey’s Far Far A Bay dimmed along with the rest of the world’s shopping malls. But the impact of the lockdown across the burgeoning wave-pool sphere extends far beyond these temporary gate closures. WavePoolMag interviewed the world’s wavemakers to see

Wave pool operations have shut down at Urbnsurf, The Wave and BSR Surf Resort, with the cartoon reality of New ...Continue ›

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April 7, 2020  |  News

Drunken bachelorettes threaten Scottish wave pool, well, sort of

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While Wavegarden Scotland hasn’t had to post a “no blow-up dolls in the wave pool” policy, the stigma attached to pre-marital parties lit up the Edinburgh press this week. A neighbor fearing Wavegarden Scotland will be overrun with wild stag and hen parties (or bachelor and bachelorette parties for our American readers) has caused a minor sensation in Scotland. The

While Wavegarden Scotland hasn’t had to post a “no blow-up dolls in the wave pool” policy, the stigma attached to ...Continue ›

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April 5, 2020  |  Latest, News, Television

Things to watch during lockdown that aren’t Tiger King

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This deep into the lockdown many of us have exhausted our favorite watch lists. And unfortunately, the low-hanging fruit on our playlists have expired. In the interest of keeping the community sane during the pandemic, here is a list of some must-see, might’ve-missed-it, and how-do-I-pass-the-time-until-I-fall-asleep? programming. Enjoy. Watch John John at Kelly’s One of the world’s favorite surfers enjoying 11-time

This deep into the lockdown many of us have exhausted our favorite watch lists. And unfortunately, the low-hanging fruit on ...Continue ›

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April 2, 2020  |  News

Pondering our place and pools during the lockdown

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I don’t like to talk about heavy stuff. Extraterrestrial, time-space-continuum stuff, yes, but we’re-all-going-to-die-in-a-pandemic stuff, well, no. And neither does 90% of the world. With the Coronavirus, people are dying. People are out of work. Each news cycle peels back more layers to reveal a medical system and world leaders not adequately prepared to deal with this crisis. Or, to

I don’t like to talk about heavy stuff. Extraterrestrial, time-space-continuum stuff, yes, but we’re-all-going-to-die-in-a-pandemic stuff, well, no. And neither does ...Continue ›

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March 31, 2020  |  News, Television

Stroke into the wave of a lifetime. Get tubed. Fall. Yell at John John.

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“Fall! Fall!” is the silent mantra at the Kelly Slater Surf Ranch. Each session is lined with paying surfers dishing ill wishes of sudden clumsiness on their best friends. Poaching a wave at Kelly’s from the fallen can lead to the best wave of your life. Consequently, it’s a karmic battlefield out there. Join Nathan Florence for 20 minutes of

“Fall! Fall!” is the silent mantra at the Kelly Slater Surf Ranch. Each session is lined with paying surfers dishing ...Continue ›

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