Wave pools used to be seen as amusement park attractions where kids bob up and down on pool floaties. Today, we know them as surfable, traveling waves. But another category of wave pools has been more ubiquitous for much longer: standing waves.
While the earliest generations of machine-made standing waves were not seen as “real” surfing, the latest technological innovations are almost indistinguishable from river wave surfing—the staple of landlocked wave riders. These advancements have gained standing wave pools a reputation for providing rarely seen benefits to the surf world that make them worth talking about.
The OG Standing Waves
The original standing waves—known as sheet waves, or surf simulators—were popularized in the 1990s by inventor Tom Lochtefeld, whose FlowRider technology spread to cruise ships, water parks, malls, and resorts around the world. Smaller than a swimming pool and only a few inches deep, these jet-powered waves became the foundation for the first generation of machine-made surf experiences.
Authentic Technology
Today’s newest standing waves have deeper water and can be ridden with real surfboards, unlike their predecessors. Nonetheless, they are nothing like ocean surfing. There is no wave reading or paddling. Surfers step, jump, acid drop, or finger flip onto the wave, which is a canvas for other skateboard-inspired tricks that are rarely seen on traveling waves, such as ollies, shuv-its, 180s, 360s. There are more than seven standing wave technologies around the world today:
Citywave was created by the Klimaschewski couple in Germany and inspired by the long standing Eisbach River wave.
FlowSurf is the deep water technology created by FlowRider inspired by Hawaii’s Waimea Bay river wave.
SurfStream produced by American Wave Machines has been used for several East Coast Surfing Association events.
YourWave is an inflatable standing wave that changes shape in minutes to accommodate a variety of waves and riding styles.
UNIT Wave produces an energy efficient floating pool that can aerate the body of water it is placed in.
EpicSurf, built by water park veterans Aquatic Development Group, will have its first permanent installation at Heroes Paradise in Florida.
Ka’ana Wave Co uses a bathymetry-agnostic design that can be installed in a body of water of almost any size.
The Happiest Surfers
Because the technology appears less intimidating and easier to enter than traveling waves, standing waves attract surfers of varying backgrounds, body sizes, genders, and physical abilities. This may be the reason standing wave surf parks have encouraging and welcoming communities. Surfers waiting for their turn on the wave provide tips to those in the pool, even during competition.
Look at a photo of a standing wave contest and you will see onlookers cheering poolside, up close to the action. The fast-paced, freestyle nature of standing wave surfing makes contests exciting and engaging. Meanwhile, the WSL’s competitions held at Kelly Slater’s traveling wave pools have a reputation for being boring and repetitive. It doesn’t help that the distance from the spectator to the athlete is so large that the venue needs giant screens to broadcast the action.
Today, independent leagues and tournaments for standing wave competitions have formed like the Rapid Surf League, which runs contests on various wave technologies in Germany and Lake Chelan in Washington state, which hosts the Continental Surf Cup on their citywave machine.
Keeping the Lights On
Venues featuring standing waves look like scaled-down versions of traveling wave surf parks with one major difference: they don’t require lodging. Despite being a fun, novel experience, standing waves are not attractive enough to be regarded as worth a flight. While some visitors use the wave pool to replace a pilates or cross-fit class, most are non-surfers who only visit the venue for the view, food, and other activities like hot tubs, ice baths, skate parks, pickleball, and volleyball.
With all amenities included, standing wave surf parks can cost $2 million to $5 million to build, need a large amount of electricity and water treatment supplies to run, and require regular maintenance. In the U.S., these parks may require close to $100,000 in monthly revenue—a tall order when the venue is predominantly visited on summer nights and weekends. Revenue potential is also limited by the constraint of having around 14 people surfing per hour. By contrast, the latest traveling wave technologies can regularly accommodate 36 surfers simultaneously.
Despite these challenges, standing wave development does not appear to be slowing down. Fireside Surf in Dallas, Texas is expected to reopen under a new brand after almost a year since its last Instagram post citing it was closed for maintenance. Ka’ana Wave Co has broken ground on their Surf Park and Nordic Spa, Aquatic Development Group (ADG) recently agreed to scale Citywave USA, and EpicSurf is prepping for its first installation in Florida.
What’s Next for Standing Waves?
The benefits and risks of standing waves will continue to become clearer, change, and dictate the surf communities and competitions that have formed around the technology. There is still a lot of experimentation to be had in developing the wave machines, their venues, business models, and the movements that can be performed on the waves. Venues are discovering if it is possible for brand new surfers to start on standing waves, and then use traveling waves as a controlled training ground for surfing in the ocean.
Former pro surfer Jason Shibata attests to this progression from his experience coaching at Wai Kai, a resort in Oahu with the world’s largest citywave.
“They’re learning how to turn back and forth and do cutbacks and they don’t even know how to pop up on the board yet,” said Jason. “So it’s like one 45-minute session here at Wai Kai and that’s one year of surfing in the ocean.”
In the coming years, more surf parks will have standing waves and traveling waves side by side to discover if the two together are mutually beneficial. Revel Surf in Arizona was the first venue to do this and others, including Zion Shores in Utah are following suit.
Standing waves attract a larger variety of people than traveling waves and can bring inclusiveness and accessibility to a surf park with less effort. Pairing the two may also generate more sustainable revenue and optimize costs as they share resources like water and electricity. Complementing traveling wave surf parks with the unique benefits of standing waves may carve a path for the surf park industry’s future.
