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Surf Park and Wave Pool Articles & News

October 2012

September 2012

August 2012

July 2012

  • July 31, 2012: Webber Wave Pools Debut Surf Park in 2013 – “Greg Webber of Webber Wave Pools is a man on a mission. He wants to deliver the best artificial wave in the world…Webber Wave Pools is now working with the iconic Rabbit Bartholomew and they promise to get their first artificial wave in action, very soon…The first Webber Wave Pool will be installed in New South Wales and will be 150 metres long, partly circular. The artificial wave system is capable of delivering 1.5-metre waves.The total investment for the first surf park is of $500,000. The debut is scheduled to Spring 2013.” – Read the full article on SurferToday.com
  • July 23, 2012: Making Waves – Pool Maker Says His Artificial Swells Can Turn Any Town Into Surf City – “Surf’s up soon in places like Kansas. At least two companies are developing new continuous wave pools that could push the pastime far beyond its coastal constraints and vastly expand the $7 billion surfing industry. In about two months, Greg Webber, owner of Australia-based Webber Surfboards, expects to break ground on a donut-shaped wave pool designed to give longer rides on artificial swells far from the sea. Meanwhile, 11-time world champion surfer Kelly Slater is working on a similar concept in the U.S.” – Read the full article by Emily Canal on The Daily.
  • July 12, 2012: Never Ending Surf – Culture Evolving Wave Pools Closer Than You Think – “The concept of wave pools is nothing new and we have seen a number of wave pools pop up around the world. From a surfer’s point of view, aside from the Miyazaki Ocean Dome in Japan (it closed down unable to afford the running costs) we are still waiting for that perfect manmade “surfer’s playground” – the mother of all wave pools. Perhaps the wait is almost over, and the wave pool of dreams is closer than we think…” – Read the full article by Angie Takanami at Yahoo!7 Totaltravel

June 2012

  • June 27, 2012: Surf, Sand and Chlorine: Surfing the Emirates Wavepark – “The Arabian Desert is more known for camels and car bombs than beaches and barrels, so you probably haven’t considered it for this winter’s surf trip. But one thing they do have in Arabia is money – and what can you do with money? Well… Just about anything. Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is a one of the fastest growing cities in the world, and thanks to their uber-abundance of oil, the Sheikh-daddies keep spending. They did the super-highways, mega-skyscrapers, artificial islands and indoor snow parks in the 2000’s, but now someone’s got the surfing bug.” – Read the full article by Marty Mulcahy at Australia’s Surfing Life

May 2012

  • May 24, 2012: Artificial Surfing In the Desert | Why Not Put an Artificial Wave Anywhere we Want? – “Perfect wave every time, no lineup, turn on and off the swell. YES PLEASE. Maybe this is what the future of surfing will resemble…I guess if all surf spots are bound to be overridden by cocky assholes who won’t let you on a wave, then artificial waves will soon be in high demand. Either way, surfing is apparently here to stay whether it be in the ocean or somewhere in a landlocked desert.”
  • May 23, 2012: Is Surfing Ready to Leave the Ocean? “We could be on the cusp of a established wave pool on the tour becoming reality. The technology has now overtook the dream, with engineers forming stone and metal to bring water to life, pitching over head perfect barrels, all day, every day, take a deep breath! Wave Garden have already started construction of it’s public facility which is scheduled to open in mid 2012. 11x World Champion Kelly Slater and avant-garde Australian shaper Greg Webber both have utopian ancestry, Webber searching what’s possible with a board, Slater what’s possible on a board, both have been occupied re-imagining what surfing might become should their individual ideas come to practice, so why you’d want to when you’ve got perfectly good oceans delivering waves for all eternity?” – Read the full article on Surf News
  • May 21, 2012: American Wave Surf Machine of the Future “Body Glove president Robbie Meistrell approached the Redondo City Council three years ago with a proposal to convert the city’s troubled Seaside Lagoon into an aquatics center. The saltwater pool in King Harbor was loosing $200,000 a year and facing mounting fines for pollution. A wave machine was to be the main attraction. With a wave machine, Redondo could host professional and high school surf contests, offer surf lessons and burnish Redondo’s legacy as the city where Hawaiian George Freeth taught Californians to surf in the early 1900s…” Read the full article by Kevin Cody on EasyReader.com
  • May 21, 2012: Magnusson Surfs Pool in Peru “I had never taken a surf trip to a pool before. Usually I am going to some remote island where you’re lucky to have a shower to rinse off in. I’m also used to people yelling at me to “get that surfboard outta the pool, no horseplay.” That was not the when my buddy Anthony Walsh and I went to a pool in Peru.” Read the full article by Cheyne Magnusson at EasyReader.com
  • May 17, 2012: World Tour on the Black Sea? – “An American wave-pool company, imaginatively named American Wave Machines, has just won the contract to build a 35,000 square foot wave pool at Sheksna Resort in Sochi, Russia. If you thought Sochi sounded familiar, that’s because it’s hosting the 2014 Winter Olympic Games but it’s more well known as Russia’s version of the Gold Coast along the balmy shores of the Black Sea.” – Read the full article by Sean Radich at Australia’s Surfing Life
  • May 8, 2012: American Wave Machines Awarded the Contract for Surf Pool in Sochi, Russia. American Wave Machines – a world leader in the artificial wave technology for the emerging surf parks market, announces their selection as supplier of a 35,000 square foot PerfectSwell™ Model 1672 wave pool for the Sheksna Resort, nominated as Russia’s Leading Spa Resort by World Travel Awards.
  • May 8, 2012: Al Ain Wadi Adventure Surf Park Opens to the Public. Al Ain Wadi Adventures – the Middle East’s first man-made facility offering white water rafting, kayaking and surfing — officially opened to water sports enthusiasts on Sunday. The adventure park features a surf pool that generates three-metre-high waves every 90 seconds.

March 2012

  • March 18, 2012: Wave Loch is Validated by USPTO in American Wave Machines Patent Suit – “Wave Loch and the Law Offices of Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear LLP announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has confirmed the patentability of the claims in U.S. Patent No. 5,564,859, which Wave Loch Inc. asserted in its patent infringement claim against American Wave Machines, Inc. (AWM).” – View the full article at WaveLoch.com
  • March 6, 2012: Interview with Bruce McFarland, President & Founder of American Wave Machines – “Bruce McFarland : I have been in the amusement industry since about 1990 and at that time, the idea of surfing was popular. There were some surf pools but it wasn’t really a business yet. There was also a surf simulator on the market which was marketed as surfing but the experience was different because of the execution of the technology. The product was successful – and I helped to develop it – but it was pretty clear that it was still not as fun as surfing. Moreover, the business didn’t have the shine of the surfing industry which in itself is almost as big as the amusement industry with its own brands, gear and celebrities…” View the full article at NewsParcs.com
February 2012
  • February 15, 2012: Mr. Pipeline Thinks Olympic Surfing is Swell Idea – “The idea of surfing for an Olympic medal has long divided the world’s estimated 20 million surfers…One of the issues for surfing as a potential Olympic sport is the problem of finding a venue in the host country which would provide the conditions necessary for the world’s best surfers to strut their stuff. Lopez, however, pointed to the growth in popularity of mechanical wave pools that could someday manufacture massive swells to rival those that pound his native Oahu.” Read the full interview with Gerry Lopez at Reuters.com
  • February 6, 2012: Wave Pools and Artificial Reefs to Fight Gold Coast Surf Rage – “The Gold Coast could soon be home to world-class artificial reefs and wave pools to combat the rising tide of surf rage.The surfing industry generates $3.3 billion a year for the Gold Coast economy, but it is also in danger of being loved to death, with local beach breaks under increasing pressure from huge crowds. A new surfing taskforce has been formed with the mission of moving the industry forward, and taskforce chairman John Nielsen said that means bringing wave pools and artificial reefs to the Tourist Strip. Wave pools will be operational on the Gold Coast within two years. We are already talking with operators who want to bring them here,” he said. “Can you imagine having wave pools with perfect waves, operating 24-7, and what that will do for the industry?” – View the full article at HeraldSun.com.au

December 2011

  • December 7, 2011: A Surf Park High in the Pyrenees – The latest in artificial wave technology. “High in a misty valley in the Basque Pyrenees, miles from the ocean and surrounded by verdant sheep pastures, lies a prime surf spot. Its swells break with no wind or reef, and you can turn them on and off whenever you want. While a surf spot might form over hundreds of thousands of years, a team of Spanish engineers took the Wavegarden from concept to reality in just ten.” – Article by Tetsuhiko Endo on PopSci.com

November 2011

  • November 26, 2011: The Wave Pool Race – “The race to come up with the world’s first working, circular wave pool has taken a new twist, with Kelly Slater’s Wave Company well on the way to being granted a US Patent for their contentious design.” – Article Written by Tim Baker on The Inertia and Coastalwatch
  • November 24, 2011: Kelly Slater Clarifies Patent Issues with his Wave Company – Recently an article was published on SwellNet that called into question the inspiration and development of our Wave Company, and I thought I’d share my perspective on things.” – Article Written by Kelly Slater on The Inertia
  • November 23, 2011: A Statement from the Kelly Slater Wave Company at The Inertia – An interesting article in the surf park realm by Noah Grimmett – Vice President of the Kelly Slater Wave Company. “The article discusses the technological developments of Kelly Slater and Kelly Slater Wave Company (KSWC), and that of Gregory Webber and Liquid Time Pools…”
  • November 17, 2011: Kelly Slater Almost Sunk In Wave Pool Wrangle –  Stu Nettle’s article focuses upon the ‘patent battle’ between Greg Webber and Kelly Slater’s respective artificial wave technology companies.

October 2011

  • October 23, 2011: All Hail King Kelly Slater – “In the past two decades Kelly Slater has won the world champion surfing title ten times and now he is finding a way to build the perfect wave inside a full size surfing park he’s designing. Tracy Smith reports.” – CBSNews.com

September 2011

  • September 3, 2011: PopSci – Kelly Slater Wave Company to offer up ocean rivaling artificial waves year round. “Waves form at the outer edge of the five-million gallon circular tank and break as they run up the pool floor, which mimics the seabed as it approaches shore. The pools may appear in such locations as resorts and theme parks, and can be scaled up or down to cater to available space.”

April 2011

  • April 25, 2011: Olympic Hopeful: Can Surfing Become an Olympic Sport? – Fernando Aguerre seems to be a strong believer in the correlation between wave pools and surfing in the Olympic Games. “There are plenty decent-quality and -size wave machines out there. I’m not talking about Flowrider-type static waves. There are wave-machine companies out there that have it pretty much dialed. At least four companies are developing Olympic-worthy, man-made waves. A good wave machine would cost from $5 million up to $25 million. These are reasonable amounts when you think about the builders being governments, water parks, big hotels, or housing developments.” – Check out the full interview with Fernando Aguerre at Transworld Business

March 2011

  • March 29,2011: The Best Surf Parks, Surf Pools, and Artificial Waves: The artificial wave surfing era is coming. Progress is being made almost every month and the wave rides are getting almost perfect. In the next years, there will be a button for classic overhead barreling right-handers and another one for a beginner’s three-foot wave lesson.

February 2011

  • February 21, 2011: Wavegarden Exclusive Interview with Technical Director and Co-Founder Josema Odriozola. “Surfers have been trying for years to take the ocean’s inconsistency out of surfing. No more watching the charts, waiting eagerly for one of those big red blobs to march its way toward their coast. No more hoping for the wind to die down. It looks like there’s hope on the man-made horizon; waves are stacking up, and the forecast is promising.” – Article Written by Alexander Haro at The Inertia
  • February 05, 2011: Stab Magazine Wavegarden Profile – “Somewhere in the Basque Country, there’s a revolution a’happening. We’re currently embargoed on the finer details, but can reveal it involves any still body of water, a new mobile technology that ain’t expensive to run, and that Jordy Smith and Bobby Martinez have already tested it.” – Read more at Stab Mag

November 2012

  • November 2, 2010: Best Wavepool Session Surfing Videos Faceoff – The guys over at Transworld Surf put together this quick post and featured what they thought were the best wavepool surf sessions to date. We think they’re missing one…(Check it out this Seagaia Ocean Dome session with Julian Wilson and Owen Wright to see what we’re talking about.)

June 2009

  • June 30, 2009: Will Surf Parks Ever Become a Reality? – “So is the concept of a rippable, barreling wave in a pool a pipe dream? Or—I should say—is the concept of a rippable, barreling wave pool that can be monetized and profitable enough to sustain itself a pipe dream?For years conjecture about live televised surf competitions, surfing finally breaking into Middle America, and the possibility of surfing becoming an Olympic sport has hinged on the possibility of a water park capable of making the perfect wave.” Read the full article by Josh Hunter at Transworld Business
  • June 30, 2009: Plagued by Technology Flaws, Surf Parks are Struggling to Live up to Their Hype – “Surfers are always in search of the perfect wave. The problem is those moving mountains of water are rare in Florida, so much that dedicated surfers scour the state and beyond to find the right conditions. Surf parks were supposed to be the solution. They were designed to offer real thrills in an underwater world of concrete and chlorine, delivering a steady supply of man-made waves that would eliminate the waiting for perfect surf…” – Article written by Bob Putnam at Tampa Bay Times

December 2008

  • December 19, 2008: The Death of a Surf Park – “For the last two years, we lived in hot anticipation of the world’s greatest wavepool. It was to be housed in Florida, and it was to include a changeable bottom that could, at the twist of a dial, switch from a fun beachbreak into a dramatic ledge. Now? It ain’t gonna happen, buddy.” – Article written by Jimmy Wilson at Stab Mag
  • January 9, 2008: Death of the World’s Best Surf Pool – “Imagine your wildest fantasy coming to life right before your eyes. No, not the one where you, Giselle, and Cameron Diaz are having a threesome, that’s already passé. How about Jessica Alba and Jessica Biel-yup, that works, but not that dream either. No, this one has waves of crystal-blue perfection, spitting right- and left-handers every two minutes, Jimi Hendrix blasting through the airwaves, and shooting stars overhead. You’d think this is a fantasy that could only happen in the ocean, but you’re wrong. It happened in the Ocean Dome wave pool in Miyazaki, Japan.” – Read the full article at Transworld Surf 

December 2007

  • December 2007: Surfing in Circles – “In long, hot summer days when the northerly is blowing and the ocean is as flat as a tack, surfers itch for a wave to help pass their day. The search for perfect wave drives most surfers to remote beaches along the coastline or treacherous offshore outer reefs, but when there is no swell on the horizon, only dreams of surfing eventuate. Greg Webber has turned his flat spell dreams into invention, coming up with a unique concept for a circular wave-pool to provide surf on demand.” Read the full feature article by Steven Schmied in Engineering World Magazine.
  • December 2007: Floating Wave Generators, Inland Surfing, and the Surfer’s Roundabout – Read the full article by Steven Schmied & Matthias Meier in Engine Magazine.

2006

  • 2006: Mechanical Perfection – “Waves Magazine investigates what may very well be the biggest thing to happen to surfing since the surfboard: 4-foot Superbank-style waves in a circular pool.” Read the full feature article by Kirk Owens at Waves

September 2005

  • September 2005: Ron Jon Surfpark Plan Unveiled to the Public – “So it’s finally coming. The three dimensional model of the park looks fabulous, the idea seems virtually perfect, and the plans and engineering are nearing completion for groundbreaking next month and opening to the public next fall. Ed Moriarty, president of Ron Jon Surf Shop, said, “The face of surfing as we know it is about to change forever.”