You can’t have a nickname much cooler than “Dooma,” it’s a little bit threatening, but kinda goofy at the same time. Sugar and salt and simply brilliant. Damien Fahrenfort is the lanky South African with vintage WSL CT skills, sage surf industry insight, and unicorn-level creativity, all of which make him perfect for our big picture question, “Does Surf Brand Exposure in Wave Pools Help or Hurt an Athlete?”
Dooma is currently active in steering Stab US and managing the careers of some of the surfing world’s top personalities. He operates at the intersection of branding, athlete management, and modern surf media with responsibilities that extend beyond contracts into content production and long-term image strategy.
Within this framework, wave pools can present both opportunity and exposure risk – too much of it and you’re perceived as a novelty act, not enough, and you’re way behind the social media curve.
WavePoolMag wanted to know what this thought leader saw in the artificial wave space, particularly as it relates to the trouble the industry has in promoting surfing’s “cool” when it’s done in a tank. Does association with a wave pool help or hurt an athlete’s image and marketability?
We were lucky enough to run into him at the Stab EAST event at the Palm Springs Surf Club and had the opportunity to share a drink and get a glimpse into why and where marketers place their top surfers.
Brand Exposure in the Age of Wave Pools
Dooma, what is it that you do for work?
I have a creative agency called Free Radicals. We’re a branding studio, and we do everything from the new HBO logo to Jeep commercials and a little bit in between. For the last eight years, I’ve been managing Jordy Smith and then Mikey February. I work with a few athletes on the side here and there, but mostly one-off stuff. Really, Mikey and Jordy are the two surfers that I manage and produce a lot of their content. So it’s a little bit more than management. That’s my background — I love content and creating stuff.
In the context of managing your athletes and their core image, where do wave pools fit in?
There are obviously monetary opportunities with wave pools. Mikey was paid a decent fee to go surf the one in Germany and help launch it — the one in Munich. So there’s the monetary side, and then there’s the exposure side that comes with launching a new pool if you’re one of the first guys to go there, and it “breaks the internet” if it’s a good section.
With Mikey, what’s cool is there’s a juxtaposition with his style. He comes across as a purist, so you wouldn’t expect him to go surf wave pools. But he has this excitement to surf them because it’s something new and unique. It’s a different approach when he surfs them.
Image Risk for Established Pros
Why do you think there is that fascination with wave pools?
We spend our lives in an unpredictable ocean. You could be the best surfer in the world, and on the day the waves don’t cooperate, and you lose. Wave pools are that one chance for surfers to get consistency and have an even playing field.
They haven’t quite gotten the competition formula right outside of Stab High and that format. The repetition and consistency can be a curse — knowing exactly what you’ve got. But I think it will evolve as the pools evolve and get better.
Do you have any ideas for the CT event, a way to match the excitement of something like Stab High?
I think Stab High is doing it better. The better pools with improved air sections — like the one in Brazil with two air sections — they’ve got something there. The challenge is that it’s a small wave at Surf Ranch and Abu Dhabi and it gets smaller as the day goes on, the energy dissipates. Guys like Italo have an advantage there. But Jordy has an advantage at J-Bay. So in that sense, it’s fair.
The WSL could be looser with the format. I don’t think barrels should score the same because an average surfer can get barreled on that section — it’s designed for that. You should be encouraged to do something different, like a fin blow or something unique.
There needs to be more differentiation. Maybe a shorter window. Watching it for eight hours as a spectator just blends into one. Maybe they only show the last day. I don’t know. The question is: how do you keep the consumer excited?
Performance Transparency in Artificial Waves
Did you see the Swatch Nines at Waco? What’s your take?
I feel like they took a bunch of ideas that had already been done with Stab and in the ocean and just put them all into one place. The dock, the rail slide — those had been done before. Transworld Surf did crazy rail slides back in the day. The wall ride was cool. I struggle with mixing skating and surfing. In theory, we want it to work, but it doesn’t. It feels forced.
Bravo to them for putting it on and giving guys a platform. But no one makes money out of that. There was probably a million dollars spent building ramps and features, and there’s minimal prize money. Right now, surfers and skaters need prize money more than anything. It’s never been a worse time in the industry. I’d rather see that money go directly to athletes.
Many wave pools get first-timers who check surfing off their bucket list. How important is it to get them to come back and actually become surfers?
That’s a great question. Quiksilver’s store in Switzerland sold more wetsuits than any other store. So there’s definitely a transferable monetary side. But going from pool to ocean is intimidating. I live in Topanga. It’s intimidating — grumpy locals, rocks. People go out, have a bad experience, and don’t come back.
We need the opposite. If wave pools help people learn to paddle in and stand up, that’s good. They can learn positioning later.
There’s also a coaching gap in surfing. You have beginner coaching and elite coaching, but nothing in between. People feel self-conscious having a coach in the ocean. Wave pools create a safe space to improve and work on things.
Managing Jordy Smith and Mikey February
Do wave pools help or hurt your athletes’ image?
It depends. If Jordy goes to Waco and surfs at a low level compared to the kids doing crazy airs, it could hurt. If he goes out blasting big airs and doing something unique, it helps. Everything online moves so fast. Unless you do something crazy or stupid, it’s forgotten quickly. You can delete things if they don’t work. I think we overthink the social media game.
What are wave pools doing right?
Wave pools are super fun. I’m fascinated by the technologies. I saw a new group in Arizona with a really small footprint, and I think that’s interesting. This venue (Palm Springs Surf Club) is impressive. The wave itself has struggled with bounce and not having an overflow to soften it.
If pools can shrink the footprint, imagine putting one in struggling shopping malls. A few thousand square feet with an entry-level but fun section. It could revitalize mall culture and brands around it. I’m curious to see if a wave brand emerges and really understands pop culture around wave pools. I mean, every pool is different. Scotland is very different culturally from Southern California.
Wave Pool Technology at the World’s Surf Parks
What technology do you like?
It depends on what you want. I love Munich’s pneumatic Endless Surf technology — it pushes the wave back toward you and feels flowy. Some people love Wavegarden barrels. Others love Kelly’s. Kelly’s is interesting because you ride dead straight. Everything in front of the curl is dead water. In places like Waco, you ride left or right and push against drawdown and reef friction. They’re all very different.
What pools do you like?
I’ve surfed Waco and some waves in Japan. Waco was really fun. Kelly’s is insane. It’s like Soho House, you want to hate it because it’s private, but once you’re there, it’s incredible. Like Point Dume, everything you want to hate, but once you’re there, it’s amazing. It’s super fun with friends. People drive four hours for six waves. Some split sessions and pay thousands each. It’s about $500 a wave. Fernando Aguerre from ISA said surfing in a wave pool is like a handjob but that the ocean is actual sex. And that’s true. They’re totally different experiences. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. It can be both.
What about the future?
I’m curious how big they can make them. Could there be a 30-foot wave pool event one day? Surf Lakes looks insane but the footprint is huge. I think there will eventually be a massive desert project somewhere like Las Vegas. I love the idea of revitalizing dying malls with wave pools — building a culture with food, brands, wellness, and yoga.
Fernando had an idea for the Olympics in Japan: make it free, open access, focused on culture and wellness around surfing. We’re not there yet, but we’re on our way. The hardest part is getting everyone working together. People love discounting wave pools. But they’re part of the future.
