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Speculation Nation: Is Oceanside getting a SurfLoch wave pool?

One of the most exhausting things about the current climate of wave pool anticipation (yes, it’s like one, long, endless Christmas Eve) is pinpointing launch dates and the technology that will be used for upcoming projects.

Combined with the secretive nature of wave pool makers, it makes confirming the type of surf a community will be getting very difficult. Add to that the fact many times developers aren’t even sure themselves and you have a climate ripe for speculation. So here we go…

In June we reported that the Oceanside Swap Meet would become a mixed-use development that would include a new wave pool. None of the plans named a specific technology, but our inbox and Instagram messages lit up with rumors and educated guesses.

One thing for certain is that Oceanside has a plan on the table for a new development that will include a wave pool.

The Kamp development plans next to a satellite image of the Oceanside swapmeet

The proposed location, called Kamp, spans 90 acres and recently launched a website with artist renderings.

Kamp has not identified a wave pool technology for the project, and many have suggested Wavegarden Cove tech will be used. This could be in part because there are several Cove projects about to open globally. But Wavegarden, located in the Basque Country of Spain, has not named Oceanside on its list of projects.

Other possibilities are the American Wave Machines tech, like at Waco, which is smaller than the wave pool proposed for the Oceanside location. However, AWM can scale up or down easily. The company’s headquarters is just a short drive away from the proposed surf park, so it would be safe to assume there has been dialogue and on-site visits. But San Diego County is a hotbed of wave pool headquarters with KSWCo nearby as well.

So who does that leave? One of the earliest pioneers of the wave pool movement, SurfLoch. Tom Lochtefeld’s company (also in SD County) has been dotting the proposed-pool landscape with artist renderings for quite some time without ever breaking ground.

SurfLoch’s wave pool design has a distinct rectangular shape with waves traveling down the length of the pool

Could Oceanside finally be the dawn of SurfLoch? And why have we ventured to guess that Surf Loch will be the tech behind the pool? We noticed the artist renderings for Kamp show a rectangular wave pool. Wavegarden and Surf Lakes are diamond-shaped AWM and Kelly’s are also rectangular, but their waves break perpendicular to the length of the rectangle. The Kamp artist renderings show a distinct type of wave that matches the Surf Loch technology.

The Surf Loch tech can be as small as a half-acre or as large as five acres. The tech produces waves 4-to-10-feet and pinpoints 4-to-6-feet as the optimal size. Their wave-machine pumps out air from inside concrete chambers to produce a variety of waves all programmed with sophisticated software.

As for the Kamp development itself, it’s an odd mix of gated suburban luxury and hipster shared economy steeze. The website lists on-premise e-bikes and rideshare hubs to nearby public transit as one of the perks to buying in.

SurfLoch tech, like most wave pool techs today has advanced and beginner areas

“Living at Kamp brings all new meaning to obtaining ‘local status,’” the company says on their website. “Always plugged in to the energy, residents take full advantage of a balanced mix of retail, resort and active lifestyle amenities.

The site adds that the residential component will be “uniquely designed upscale homes” while simultaneously as honoring the Oceanside swap meet location’s importance as a community hub.

“We seek to further enrich this city in which we dwell, fostering active lifestyles and human connectivity, all while enhancing the immediate neighborhood and Oceanside as a whole.”

More on this story as soon as we get confirmation from the wave pool maker…

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