Earlier this year Wavegarden experimented with a new air section at their R&D facility in the Basque Country. At the time citizen-of-the-world but currently residing in Portugal CT surfer Kanoa Igarashi tested, tweaked, and gave feedback on the new prototype.

The system looks like a submerged obstacle that creates different sections depending on the wave setting. The R&D development process initially involved Kanoa and Wavegarden founder Josema Odriozola firing back comments between waves to get the desired effect.

Fast forward to the Instagram wave pool of the moment, Wavepark in South Korea, and we see the air section looking a little more refined.

“The section can be modified to suit the level of the surfer, “ said Wavegarden. “So while air specialist Jacob Szekely was keen on hitting the steepest, heaviest section possible, Kai and Hans Odriozola, inspired by Jacob, practiced on the slightly softer version.”

Kanoa Igarashi: Air Wave Test (part 1) from wavegarden on Vimeo.