The wave pool thing is getting pretty out of hand at the moment, with so many different versions of pools coming out, and so much talk about what’s to come. This, coupled with the fact that the WSL own the best in the business right now, the tech behind Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch, and we’re in a place where anything could happen in the surf park game.
Firstly, it must be said, that I’m a fan of the wave park, even though I have only ever surfed one in my life, and that’s the Wadi Adventure Park in Dubai.
My experience here was underwhelming to say the least. The reason I am a fan is because it means that there are more waves for people to ride. It’s as simple as that. If waves are being created for surfers to ride, then what’s not to love, and who are we to judge?
We are no longer recognized as Gerry Lopez and Peter McCabe wandering through paddy fields looking for secret left-hand reefs to a jangling soundtrack of honky-tonk porn music. We are no longer all about living with nature and talking to the whales, although people still do that.
Nowadays we are all high tech, plugged in, living The Matrix Life at a minimum 100mbps and watching people get barreled at Snapper live on our WSL app. We’re living in the future, and much like when Simon brought the thruster into the picture, we need to embrace the future. Those of us who resist are going to be fossilized along the way, yearning for the ways of their youth, and pining for the old days. We all know that those days are not coming back.
The Surf Ranch is insane, however you look at it. The thrill of getting barreled on a moving wave (as opposed to a standing wave) is always going to be the force that guides you though life, and who actually cares if it is made from the force of an actual moving train. It is running off green energy, so there’s always that.
Kelly and some glass –
There is a swirl of rumours around at the moment, of wave pools popping up all over Australia, the next version of the Wave Garden, the reality of the Wave Ranch technology and the WSL taking it to the next level in terms of builds, licensees and professional events. Greg Webber is still in the mix, as we wait patiently for his much-vaunted entry into the game, as well as this cool little late entry into the fray as a plug-and-play low cost wave machine thingie that has entered from stage left (Germany).
It’ll be a great thing to have waves at various locations around the world that are landlocked, to have opportunities to go for a quick wave when traveling on business in London or Johannesburg or in transit in Changi Airport (rumoured) or wherever waves don't exist. You can paddle out with your kids and have a mind-blowing experience like Shane Dorian did with his kid Jackson here
On the downside however, it could be a bit oppressive if you end up with an overzealous coach on a jet ski who really, really wants you to ‘go low’ and get barreled, like Raimana here…
