Wavegarden announced new wave menu items this week after what it called an “intensive and intriguing design process.” The Cove presently boasts over 20 different waves and will now offer five new ones including four airs and one barrel. To create the new waves the company enlisted the help of a global team of aerialists.

Yago Dora, Leo Fioravanti, Luke Swanson, Reef Heazlewood, Dion Agius and Victor Bernardo all worked with Wavegarden ́s founder and CEO, Josema Odriozola, and his fluid dynamics team to design the new menu offerings.

In recent months Odriozola and his engineering experts traveled to Wave Park in South Korea and URBNSURF Melbourne to customize the new waves using the surfer’s feedback, prior to exporting them to other Wavegarden facilities in Switzerland and Brazil.

The company said that a newly devised, vastly superior control software – capable of moving the wave-generating machinery with a greater level of flexibility and precision than previous versions – was used to perfect the new air waves that vary in their degree of difficulty, as well as a long, hollow barrel.

The state-of-the-art program proved highly successful in producing air waves every 50-60 seconds without using an underwater obstacle, as in former versions.

Wavegarden said that the surfer’s feedback was instrumental in the wave design process. Their input allowed Wavegarden ́s engineers to modify the software’s code in real-time, altering the steepness and peeling speed of the in-run, the angle of the oncoming section, the thickness and amount of pop in the lip, and the volume of foam in the landing area.

During the month-long process, Odriozola and his fluid dynamics experts were able to customize the air sections to match particular tricks – straight airs, air reverses, ally oops, and even backflips. For professionals like Dora, Fioravanti, Swanson, Bernardo and Heazlewood, the advances in the technology has far-reaching implications for training purposes and the future development of their careers.

“These new air waves will undoubtedly help raise the bar of what is achievable on a wave,” said Luke Swanson, following a 5-day trip to Wave Park. “I never really considered it possible to attempt 540 ́s and 720 ́s, but these maneuvers are now on my radar.”

While the new waves were designed onsite at facilities in South Korea and Australia, Wavegarden ́s fluid dynamics team calibrated the software remotely from their headquarters in Spain for the Wave Menu at Alaïa Bay in Switzerland and Praia da Grama in Brazil.

Italian professional Leo Fioravanti eagerly agreed to be the test pilot at Alaïa Bay. Odriozola ́s team knew exactly what Fioravanti, a WSL world tour surfer, would want and wasted no time in programming a handful of sections for him to test, while receiving his input via a live video installed at the facility.

“If I can come back and keep practicing my airs, I know I can maybe pull off a back flip, which I was really close to making,” said an elated Fioravanti, immediately after his session.

At Praia da Grama, Brazil ́s rising star Yago Dora shared his feedback with staff onsite, who relayed the specifications to Wavegarden ́s team in Spain. Following several hours of wave testing and adjusting codes, a range of new air sections were perfected.