Surf parks (aka wave pools): the future of surfing
Thoughts on what I saw at Surf Park Summit in San Diego in October 2022.
When I decided to attend the summit to learn more about the industry, make connections and present our product Pactto, my expectations were set around seeing 2 or 3 different technologies. But to my surprise, I saw more than 12 companies exploring very different ways to “create stoke” by delivering artificial waves. I was blown away!
Here are my picks for top 10 technologies:
1. Surf Lakes, 200+ surfers in the water at the same time
Surf Lakes is probably the wave I'm most curious about, given all the people I met sharing it's the closest one to real ocean waves.
"An authentic ocean experience." — Surf Lakes
2. Wave Garden, high tech all over the world, arriving in Houston, Texas
WaveGarden is the most advanced wave in terms of technology and energy usage.
3. Surf Loch, arriving in Palm Springs and (maybe) OceanKamp in Oceanside, California
As an Oceanside local, I'm really excited to see this wave at OceanKamp, now under construction.
Besides OceanKamp, Surf Loch powers The Palm Springs Surf Club.
4. Endless Surf, maximizing stoke in smaller areas
Endless Surf focuses on maximizing the available space with configurations available for all sides and sizes.
5. Wave Lagoon (Swell Manufacturing), creating smiles in Arizona
Tests are underway in Arizona, for a new wave called Revel Surf in Mesa, Arizona. See the tech in action.
6. Olas Surfing Technologies, science and waves in Equator
After acquiring solid patents, the Olas team got to work in Equator to produce this great new wave. I was really impressed with the fact that their pool can create non-stop sets that don’t produce “noise” or “reverberance”, keeping every wave always clean.
7. Unit Surf Pool, zero water waste and consumption
My last experience on a stationary wave was at the WaveHouse in San Diego, facing some of the worst wipeouts of my life 😅 And it was incredibly hard to control the board due to the lack of fins. It was not deep enough for fins.
All of that changes with these new stationary waves: there is a lot of water, making it deep enough for fins.
What I loved about the Unit Surf Pool tech was the fact that it can be placed in any lake, and there is no water waste.
Unit Surf Pool is very portable, very smart!
It can be a great place to work on form and strength.
And beginners have a controlled environment to progress more quickly and safely.
To my surprise, many stationary waves are already open to the public, such as CityWave. And more are being built as we speak, such as Wai Kai in Hawaii, opening in February of 2023.
8. Epic Surf, making affordable waves
More built for mainstream, Epic Surf reminds me of WaveHouse in San Diego. This tech is more affordable and easier to build than other parks that need more real state.
9. Ka'Ana Wave Co, a boat "wave", stationary
Wakesurfing is performed in lakes behind boats, but running a boat can be very expensive.
What if that behind-the-boat experience could take place in a pool? That is the promise behind Ka'Ana Wave Co, creating stationary wakesurfing waves in different shapes and forms.
10. Your Wave, mad science driven by passion
YourWave tech was also a great surprise. The project is led by Ross McCarthy, driven mainly through passion and dedication, operating as a true scientist. Ross and team continue to run experiments and iterations to evolve the wave. Kudos for the energy and inspiration!
Two very solid technologies were not formally presenting at the Summit:
- Surf Rach by Kelly Slater Wave Co.
- American Wave Machine Perfect Swell, the tech that powers WacoSurf. But WacoSurf’s Mike and Amy were there for meetings and panels on park experience topics. And the experience that they offer in Waco is extraordinary.
And chances are you saw the amazing wave Perfect Swell delivered in Sao Paulo recently:
The future of surfing feedback on wave pools and surf camps
Given that almost all of these fantastic technologies are already real, there is one solution that can help surf parks and surf camps transform their spaces into modern training facilities with state-of-the-art technology: pactto.com/onsite
You only need a computer, a TV or monitor, and Pactto.
And it's available today. Give it a try, for free.
With Pactto, coaches can create and share branded video analyses with precision, and get paid globally. And learners can work with top global coaches to accelerate progress via personalized feedback.
For more news on surf parks and wave technologies, please follow WavePool Mag.
Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you in a surf park soon. 🤙
