Although it’s early in the process, it appears that the small coastal town of Varberg, Sweden will be home to one of the next few full-scale Wavegardens on the planet. Fun Surf Town, as it’s being called, will feature water park installations, cottages, a restaurant, locker rooms, and other amenities in addition to the 300-meter … Read More >
Over the weekend we had a chance to chat with Greg Webber of Webber Wave Pools about his first contracted surf park. For those looking for the quick skinny, here are the main details we were able to gather: Funding/Scope of the Project: The funding for the entire project (not just the wave pool) is … Read More >
Happy Valentine’s Day, folks! For all of you out there sitting at home alone with no sweet baby to eat chocolate and candy hearts with, sobbing in your PJs and dreaming about clean waves, it’s time to cheer up… especially those of you in Eastern Australia… we’ve got some great news. Greg Webber of Webber … Read More >
Steve Davies, Managing Director of Conwy Adventure Leisure, confirmed in a recent statement that a 7-figure first stage payment has been made to Wavegarden for the buildout of what is likely to be the company’s first commercial surf park. Davies said, “We have worked alongside the team at Wavegarden for some time now and are … Read More >
The Inertia recently released their latest “Headspace” interview with Kelly Slater and thankfully asked the question on the top of all of our minds: “What’s going on with Kelly Slater Wave Company?” While Kelly doesn’t necessarily describe the brightest future (monetarily) for the KSWC, he does address how surf parks will change the landscape of … Read More >
“The pool’s engineer pulled out an iPad, opened an app, and proceeded to create a perfect three-foot standing wave. The kids’ faces lit up. They sprung to life, pulling on wetsuits and waxing boards. As far as they were concerned it was eight-foot and offshore. With the swipe of a finger their surf lives had … Read More >
In this week’s Summit video release, Jamie Meiselman discusses what it’ll take to make a commercially viable surf park a reality. Having been involved in the Ron Jon Surfpark project in Orlando, Jamie brings an experienced and grounded perspective to the subject at hand, and includes figures and lessons from Ron Jon that should prove … Read More >
In the latest issue of Eastern Surf Magazine, writer Cash Lambert explores the implications that surf parks may have on the future of surfing and the modern East coast surfer. A well-rounded piece, Lambert’s editorial dances from past to present and then onto the future of surf parks, while also taking some time to wax … Read More >
World Champion Peter “PT” Townend discusses the history and evolution of surf parks over the past 5 decades in this week’s Summit video release. As a teenager in Australia in 1968, PT was first introduced to the world of surf parks via a Surfing Magazine spread of Big Surf in Tempe, Arizona. Years later, after … Read More >
Tom Lochtefeld’s involvement in the artificial wave space spans multiple decades and has included numerous inventions and technology patents. His background makes the Wave Loch founder an ideal candidate to speak about the importance of prescribing a set of standards and definitions for this young industry, which is exactly what he does in this week’s … Read More >
Photo: Spohn Ranch In spite of being one of the most nature-dependent sports in the world, surfing seems to be growing at an exponential rate. As surf park technology also grows, it’s only matter of time before current and future surf enthusiasts will gain access to perfect waves without going to the beach or waiting … Read More >
What happens when the newest indoor surfing facility in the US opens their doors to a few pro surfers and a videographer? Surf’s Up New Hampshire and American Wave Machines decided to find out by inviting a few friends to try their SurfStream installation in Nashua, NH prior to its’ official opening this December. While … Read More >
Last week the SPC team traveled to Orlando, Florida for the 2013 International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Expo. The packed expo floor hosted over 522,000 square feet of exhibit space, more than 1,100 exhibiting companies and an incredible number of flashing lights… far from underwhelming. Not surprising this year was the number … Read More >
In this week’s Summit video release, Doug Palladini – VP of Americas at Vans, President of SIMA – discusses the potential that surf parks hold for the surfing industry. In a Q&A with moderator Jess Ponting, Palladini offers parallels from the skate industry, insight on independent retail opportunities, and a case for how to organically … Read More >
In a practical sense, ocean engineering and surf park (or artificial reef) engineering are essentially the same subject matter. The techniques developed and used in conventional ocean engineering are directly applicable to surf park and artificial reef design by providing accurate, quantitative estimations for important surfability characteristics, predicted wave forces, and energy requirements. Quantitative Analysis … Read More >
