Surf Wave Pools

Surfer Geeks Build a Better Wave Pool

For serious surfers, wave pools tend to suck. That’s because most use the same crude technique for producing swells—dumping vast amounts of water into the pool quickly, resulting in crumblers that lose energy as they ripple toward shore. Even at 5-foot heights, the waves are closer to the surfing equivalent of a bunny slope than a double black diamond. But now a team of surfer-engineers in Spain is dumping that approach. Their company, Wavegarden, has developed a mechanical rig that works beneath the water’s surface to produce waves that power across the whole pool. A submerged, winglike sled is dragged from one end of the lake to the other, creating a wake that builds in height and energy as the speed increases. Swellinfo.com surf forecaster Micah Sklut likes the results: “Wavegarden has created a wave with more energy behind it. The prototype showed small but hollow, heavier waves—with tubes.” Wavegarden technical director José Manuel Odriozola and his crew are now working on a bigger, 200-meter-long prototype. Keep your boards waxed—they’re in talks with buyers worldwide. Hang ten, Omaha.

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DailyHouse.com » DO WANT!! Wavegarden Sells Surfing Wave ...

, Waves like you find in the ocean. But here is the amazing thing:  They can be built anywhere as long as you meet the minimum area requirements of about 160ft x 490ft, which is a little less than two acres.  According to the company, the wave that is formed will hold its shape for as long a pool as you want – the only limit to length is your property size and budget.  So if you have a flat piece of land you can have your very own wavepool built.  Time to start your that surfing club you’ve always wanted.

According to the company, the depth of the Wavegarden wave pool averages about 3.3 ft but can be as huge as you like.  The waves are variable and can be set according to user experience/desire, but the company recommends a wave height of about 5 1/2 feet.  Unlike traditional wave pools that just fill up a huge tank full of water and dump it over a hump, the Wavegarden uses a specialized sled that slides across the rear of the pool producing a smooth and perfectly formed wave that breaks in a tube.

Wavegarden has patented the process and says that it is in negotiations all over the world to build the pools.  Man, I want so badly to be a distributor for these guys.  The pools are perfect for spectating so you could put bleachers up along the sides.  They’d be a blast in the summer and your wouldn’t have to live in the handfull of places where there are actual swells large enough to surf.  Best part for me:  built it somewhere warm and no wetsuits.

So, Wavegarden execs, if you read this – call me – we can start a surf (or kayak, or boogie board, or whatever) competition series and DailyHouse will cover it.  It’s about time the next surfing star came from the midwest.

Check out this video from Wired.

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