COOLANGATTA, Queensland/Australia
(Thursday, February 28, 2013) – Association
of Surfing Professionals International (ASP) is excited to announce the appointments of Paul Speaker as
ASP CEO and Kieren Perrow as Interim Commissioner. The announcements are
made as ZoSea Media finalizes its acquisition of the world’s premier surfing
organization.
The new announcements come as the
2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) season gets underway in Australia.
Speaker and Perrow will both be on site at the activities including tonight’s
ASP World Surfing Awards.
Paul Speaker joins ASP with a
well-respected background in sports and entertainment. His executive management
tenure includes serving as Director
of Marketing and Ideas at the National Football League, President of Time Inc.
Studios, and President of RKO Studios where he has been responsible for
the organizations’ creative development, advertising and organization-wide
integration of marketing strategies. Speaker also recently stepped down as Lead Independent Director for
Quiksilver as part of the organization’s board of directors. Speaker’s
focus during the current season is establishing an infrastructure to continue
to build the ASP as a global sports league.
“The surfers, the events and the
current ASP staff have all been, and will continue to be, instrumental in
elevating the sport during this transitional year,” Paul Speaker, ASP CEO,
said. “Our focus this season is protecting the interests of professional
surfers, preserving the integrity of competition, refreshing the ASP brand and
establishing a new commercial model for the sport. The ASP will be more
fan-centric – the structure of tours, the production of broadcasts and
everything in between will be geared towards enhancing the fans’ experience.
Good luck to all our competitors and events in 2013 and we look forward to
taking this next step with you.”
Kieren Perrow, ASP Top 34 surfer and
long-serving ASP Board Member, has been appointed ASP Interim Commissioner in
2013 by his fellow surfers and the ASP. As Perrow is still competing on the ASP WCT this season,
he will utilize his years of experience at the elite level of competition to
ensure a recognized surfing skill set remains influential in direction of
professional surfing. The
Office of the Commissioner will exist as the authority on all technical aspects
of the sport including judging, venues, scheduling and rankings, among other
components of professional surfing. As the new Interim Commissioner, Perrow’s primary responsibility
will be to maintain and preserve the integrity of competition.
“It’s a huge honor to be appointed
to this position at such an important and pivotal point in the sport’s
history,” Perrow, ASP Interim Commissioner, said. “We have a lot of work ahead
of us, but the cooperation and collective focus coming from all elements of the
tour, from surfers to events to staff to new management, is hugely motivating
and a major driving force as we evolve the sport.”
All ASP stakeholders, surfers,
events and ASP staff are supportive of the transition and enthusiastic about
the road ahead.
“The performance of the ASP
stakeholders, the surfers, events, Board members and ASP staff has been most
admirable throughout this transition,” Richard Grellman, outgoing ASP Executive
Chairman, said. “Paul Speaker and his team bring with them an impressive
collective of knowledge and experience and it’s clear to me that their priority
is the betterment of the sport of surfing. This has been, and will continue to
be, the chief directive of those who govern the ASP. It’s a very exciting time
for the sport and this season will set the tone for the next evolution of the
organization.”
The first stop on the 2013 ASP World
Championship Tour will be the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast from
Queensland, Australia. The 2013 season will continue as planned as the new ASP
executive leadership prepares for the 2014 season.
ASP announces new partnership deal
At a meeting Friday in
Hossegor, France, a few hours after Kelly Slater won the Quiksilver Pro France, the Association of Surfing
Professionals announced that it had joined forces with ZoSea Media, a group led
by Slater's manager, Terry Hardy, and Paul Speaker, a former president at Time
Inc. and board of directors member at Quiksilver.
The two groups had been
in behind-the-scenes negotiations for the past year. The decision to go with
ZoSea will create new
organizational structure for the ASP modeled after leading sports organizations
such as the NFL and the NBA.
"We've known this
is the right model for a long time," said Quiksilver event director Rod
Brooks, who also sits on the ASP board. "But we hadn't found the right
partner until ZoSea came to the table with their proposal."
An ASP news release was sent out immediately after the initial agreement was
put in place, but the specifics of the relationship between ZoSea and the ASP
won't be finalized until Dec. 17, when the long-form agreement will be signed.
ASP International media
director Dave Prodan said all parties are excited about the new direction.
"The ASP Board of Directors, surfers, events and staff are all extremely
supportive of the next evolution of professional surfing," Prodan said.
At a time when the
leading surf brands, Billabong, Rip Curl and Quiksilver, are either for sale or
dealing with serious financial difficulties, the move will at the very least
save them the future cost of producing live webcasts. The issue of media rights has long been considered
the linchpin of the issue. Currently the brands pay between $250,000 and
$500,000 per event to stream the contests online, and it can run upwards of $2
million to $3 million to produce one ASP World Tour event from beginning to
end.
ASP/ZoSea will take over media rights starting in 2013. Currently the main sponsors of each event will
continue to hold those rights. The live webcasts will continue to be
produced by the major brands for the 2013 season, but starting in 2014, the websites for all world tour
contests will be standardized and ASP/ZoSea will hire a single production team
and commentary team to work all events.
Also part of the deal,
ASP/ZoSea will hire a new commissioner and CEO in 2013. They will take over the
securing of secondary
sponsorship deals for the events from the brands starting in 2014. The
new coalition also only will produce world tour webcasts. WQS and Junior
webcasts will continue to be produced by brands.
"It's an important
time for surfing," ASP surfer representative Kieren Perrow said in the
news release distributed by the ASP. "The supporters of the sport have
sacrificed a lot of time and energy into professional surfing, and it has
brought us to our current position where we're attractive to a larger market
with the ability to take surfing to a whole new level. Everyone, from the
surfers to the fans to the events to the sport, will benefit and it's an
exciting time for the ASP."
The current endeavor
between ASP and ZoSea won't have any bearing on the 2012 world tour season. The
next event will be the Rip Curl Pro in Portugal starting Wednesday.
|
Wednesday,
17 July 2013 09:10
|
The world of pro surfing is changing.
ZoSea has bought the ASP World Tour and drastic changes will be seen in the
2013/2014 season.
"ZoSea? What's that?". When asked about the new business player in the world of professional surfing, Dane Reynolds showed why he is living in his own free surfing world. The truth is that ZoSea Media Holdings, the new owner of the ASP World Tour, kept a very low-profile, in the last two years. Founded by Paul Speaker (former executive at Quiksilver) and Terry Hardy (Kelly Slater's career manager), ZoSea showed interest in changing the future of pro surfing management, with the back support of financial moguls. "Our focus this season is protecting the interests of professional surfers, preserving the integrity of competition, refreshing the ASP brand and establishing a new commercial model for the sport", Paul Speaker revealed in February 2013. "The ASP will be more fan-centric - the structure of tours, the production of broadcasts and everything in between will be geared towards enhancing the fans' experience". Pro surfing will be a more serious business. The cost of each event will drop from $3 million back to $1 million, pro surfers will see a prize money increase, a pension plan will be created. Not all surf brands enjoyed the promised revolution. Billabong and Quiksilver raised their green flags, while Vans and Rip Curl showed the red card. Surfers and fans may expect to see a mix of exotic locations and urban surf contests. Speaker and his team will try to balance the remote Teahupoo formats with cosmopolitan breaks like Rio de Janeiro and New York. The future ASP World Tour infrastructure will be designed to meet the global sports league concept and model. This also means that management, sponsorship and broadcast rights will be centralized. The Big Wave World Tour is part of the family, too. There will be an Office of the Commissioner, a position that will work as the authority on all technical aspects of the sport including judging, venues, scheduling and rankings, among other components of professional surfing. Will surf fans pay for watching their favorite surfers battling the best waves on the planet? Probably not. Better not. Who is Paul Speaker, CEO at Association of Surfing Professionals International (ASP)? Paul Speaker has built a career in sports and entertainment. His executive management experience includes serving as Director of Marketing and Ideas at the National Football League, President of Time Inc. Studios, and President of RKO Studios. Speaker worked in the organizations' creative development, advertising and organization-wide integration of marketing strategies. He stepped down as Lead Independent Director for Quiksilver as part of the organization's board of directors to serve the Association of Surfing Professionals International (ASP), as the new CEO. |
The World’s Best Big Wave Surfers Compete at Events Around
the Globe Waves a Minimum 30 ft. –
Greater Than 50 ft. Preferred
Founded by legendary big wave rider and shaper, Gary Linden,
the Big Wave World Tour (BWWT), is an international surfing phenomenon that
organizes the best big wave riders in the first-ever big wave surfing league.
The tour showcases the world’s top surfers and local standouts as they battle
extreme conditions, and each other, in a season long battle to become the next
Big Wave World Champion. Tour organizers, led by Linden, closely monitor
weather patterns for ideal conditions and surfers are given just 72 hours
notice to arrive at sanctioned big wave competition sites around the world.
WHO: Big
wave stars: Jamie Sterling –Hawaii (2010/2011 Champion), Carlos Burle –Brazil
(2009/2010 Champion), Peter Mel –California (2011/2012 Champion), Greg
Long –California (2012/2013 Champion), Marcos Monteiro- Brazil (2011
Quiksilver Ceremonial Punta de Lobos Winner), Mark Healey- Hawaii, Kohl
Christensen- Hawaii (Nelscott Reef Big Wave Event 2010/11 Champion), Grant
“Twiggy” Baker- South Africa (Mavericks 2005/06 Champion), Keala Kennely
–Hawaii (Nelscott Reef Only -2010/2011 women’s standout), and more.
WHEN: The
season follows the optimum big wave surfing conditions in the northern and
southern hemisphere from April 1st through March 31st.
ADDITIONAL FACTS:
·
All events are paddle-in only
·
Wave height is a minimum 30
ft.-Greater than 50 ft. Preferred
·
The top 12 international ranked
surfers are invited to all the events.
·
Only a surfer’s two best waves are
tallied in each heat.
·
As a further initiative, the top
scoring ride of each competitor is doubled: risk equals reward.
·
Water safety is crucial. Water
safety specialists using personal watercraft closely monitor all competitors.
POINT
SYSTEM
|
EVENT
RANKING
|
EVENT
POINTS
|
|
1st
place
|
1000
|
|
2nd
|
810
|
|
3rd
|
630
|
|
4th
|
540
|
|
5th
|
450
|
|
6th
|
360
|
|
7th
|
250
|
|
9th
|
200
|
|
11th
|
150
|
|
|
|
WAVE COEFFICIENT
|
WAVE
RANGE
|
POINT
COEFFICIENT
|
|
24
to 30 feet
|
85%
|
|
30
t0 36 feet
|
100%
|
|
36
to 40 feet
|
115%
|
|
40
to 45 feet
|
130%
|
|
45
to 50 feet
|
135%
|
|
50+
feet
|
140%
|
|
|
|
Ranking Points are adjusted by the “Wave Coefficient” into
the Total Event Points.
Total Event Points = Ranking Points x Wave coefficient
Example
A 3rd place: 36 to 42 feet= 724.5 points
(115% of 630 point – 630 x 1.15)
A 3rd place: 24 to 30 feet = 535.5 points
(85% of 630 point – 630 x 0.85)
Total Event Points are added into a Final Tour Ranking to
determine the Xpreshon Big Wave World Champion.
'Surfer Girls' Ride Wave of Popularity
More women are hitting the beach,
transforming the once male dominated sport.
When Rochelle Ballard takes off on a wave on Oahu's North Shore, everyone stops to watch - photographers, the media, sponsors, and even the men who have until recently monopolized the spotlight in this traditionally macho sport. As the second-ranked female professional surfer in the world, she is part of a gung-ho group of "surfer girls" who are bringing glamour, prestige, and popularity to what has long been a male domain.
No longer content to sit on the beach and watch their boyfriends surf as their mothers did, young women are increasingly taking up their own boards. Fueling the boom is a wave of media attention and a new set of role models that have made surfing cool for both sexes.
These women wave-riders say they are helping to tone down aggressive attitudes among male surfers. "Women bring a good feel to surfing out in the lineup," says Ms. Ballard, a Kauai native. "We're out here to have fun. For the most part, guys are stoked we are out in the water."
But the women are a far cry from Gidget. "Surfing is a hard sport, and you have to be strong," Ballard says. "It's much different from the past, when a typical girl ... would starve herself and not have any muscles."
While endorsements and fees for women surfers still lag behind the men's, "they are catching up pretty quickly," says Jodi Young, international media manager of the Association of Surfing Professionals. According to the ASP, the average annual winnings for a surfer on the women's world championship tour was $30,000 in 1997, compared with about $31,000 for the tour's male surfers. A few top female surfers earn six figures.
Industry attitudes toward women dramatically improved in the early 1990s, when a lithe, blond surf queen, Lisa Andersen, arrived on the scene. Part poster girl and part high-performance surfer, Ms. Andersen won four world championships in a row. She entered a male professional contest and humbled several young pro surfers before being eliminated. Women around the globe began imitating Andersen's exciting wave riding.
Surfing has not always been a male-dominated sport. In ancient Hawaii, where the sport originated, kings often took to the waves accompanied by their queens. But in the 1960s, despite a crop of kitschy movies portraying surf queens like Gidget, few women left their beach chairs to paddle out to the waves. Those who did received little of the fame lavished on male champions.
"When I first started surfing [in the 1980s] there were big names and world-class women surfers," recalls Ballard. But except for the reigning champion, the women attracted few sponsorship dollars. Also, "if you were a surfer girl ... you were [considered] too tomboyish," she adds.
This perception started changing as professional sports leagues, media, and high schools did more to encourage women to participate in sports.
A few years ago, surf companies barely gave female customers a second thought. Now, several companies have set up separate entities to design women's gear. Industry figures are scarce, but insiders say the women's market has already eclipsed the men's.
Women wave-riders have found a mouthpiece: "Surfer Girl," a magazine launched in July out of Santa Cruz, Calif. It has attracted almost 50,000 subscription requests, while the online version receives 10,000 hits a day.
The surfing boom that began in California and Hawaii has swept through the East Coast and all the way to Australia. "When I was back home [in New York] last summer, I saw at least five or six girls in the water," says Jennifer Ramsay, editor of "Surfer Girl." "It encouraged me to see it had reached all the way to Long Island."
SUP Grows Up: Stand Up
Paddling Hits Uncharted Waters
The
sport known as SUP has been growing fast in California, Hawaii and along parts
of the east coast since the mid 2000s. But in the last couple of years the
surfing offshoot Stand Up Paddling has gone mainstream — and inland.
There are all sorts of good
reasons to go to Wisconsin in the summertime, but for most people surfing
isn’t one that probably comes to mind. But an increasingly popular form of
surfing, known alternatively as Stand Up Paddling, Stand Up Paddle
Boarding or Stand Up Paddle Surfing (SUP), is precisely what brought hundreds to
Middleton, Wisconsin in July for the second annual Mid West Stand Up
PaddleFest in Bishops Bay. There, SUPers of all ages and experience levels
took lessons, networked with other enthusiasts and in some cases
propelled themselves — with a single paddle — through two and six mile
race routes. At the event’s debut last year there were 30 people; this
year more than 200 signed up.
The sport known as SUP has been
growing fast in California, Hawaii and along parts of the east coast since
the mid 2000s, when surfing guru Laird Hamilton embraced SUP as a way to
explore waves he couldn’t access without a paddle. But in the last couple
of years it has gone mainstream — and inland. There are SUP clubs and classes
in Idaho, Ohio, Montana, Minnesota, Arizona and other states. There are
events every week of the year in the Great Lakes region alone, and this
summer SUPers have started appearing in the middle of New York City’s
Hudson River, taking their place alongside motor boats, jet skis, tankers
and cruise ships. There’s even a world SUP championship. Most recently
SUP has inspired a new wave of yoga paddlers, who bring their boards
in growing numbers to bays and lakes around the country to
practice headstands, downward dogs and sun salutations.
A branch of the surfing world
that dates back to ancient Polynesia, SUP involves standing on an
oversized surf board and using a single lightweight paddle, ideally
somewhat taller than oneself, to glide over water. Some rough it on ocean
surf or river whitewater; most do it on bays, lakes, inlets and other
flatwater. Either way, it’s an intense workout; balancing on the board
engages all the core muscles, while paddling hits the upper body. And
because it’s low impact and relatively easy to master, it has found fans
among every age group.
“It’s still in its infancy, and
it’s just going to keep getting bigger,” says Hawaiian born Reid Inouye,
publisher of Cardiff, Calif.-based Stand Up Paddle magazine. “The biggest
growth now is inland, which, if you think of the U.S. with its tens of
thousands of lakes, has limitless possibilities. That market is
barely tapped.”
Indeed, the sheer beauty and
variety of the sights is a big part of the appeal of paddling. Inouye
discovered stand up when he lost his ”surf stoke” — or passion for the
waves — after 40 years of hanging ten, and within six weeks had lost 25
pounds. Among his favorite SUP adventures: paddling through the crevices
in the canyons of Arizona’s Lake Powell, where he recently guided a group
on a two day trip in the dead of winter. Gary Stone, sponsor of the Mid
West Stand Up Paddle Fest, got addicted to what he calls “this powerful
connection to the outdoors. I got intrigued with the zen of it.”
Families are jumping aboard for
simpler reasons: it’s a fun, healthy way to spend time together. Brad
Woodall, a former pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, and his wife Kari
Woodall, a former pro swimmer, live in Madison, Wisc. with their two
daughters, 8 and 5. They took a sample paddle in June and the next day
bought two 12.6 feet boards (stable enough to hold kids). Now they take
their two daughters out on Lake Mendota at least once a week. Brad says
that after a fearful start, his youngest “has become somewhat fearless, to
the point where she is now trying to stand up and do paddle dances.”
Business is booming. Stone says
his Westport, Wisc.-based business, Paddleboard Specialists, one of a
growing number in the country dedicated exclusively to SUP gear, has
doubled its sales annually since 2009. Inouye says Kayak retailers now attribute
15%–20% of their business to stand up paddlers. Mass retailers like
Costco, Target and WalMart are selling boards alongside higher
end manufacturers like Surfech and Naish. ATX SUP, an Austin,
Tex.-based company catering specifically to the entry level fan, opened in
2009, turned a profit in 2010, and saw sales of $13 million in 2011.
To test the claim that SUP is
easy, I tried it this summer in Shinnecock Bay in Hampton Bays, NY, with
an instructor, Ed Croce, who launched a small rental business in May. As a
40-something lifelong city dweller who had never touched a surfboard,I
thought I’d be an apt demographic. Instructors like to say that newbies
will be up on a board in their first 15 minutes. After a quick tutorial on
technique (start out kneeling, when ready stand just behind mid-point,
lean forward, hold paddle with hands shoulder length apart), I ventured
out on shaky knees. Within ten minutes I was standing up, touring the
bay’s nooks and villas, effortlessly gliding over crabs and dune
grass underfoot, chatting breezily with Croce, and feeling like I was
walking on water. It’s true, my giant, styrofoam beginner board — Croce colloquially
calls it “the big blue bus” — was ultra-stable. But after the lesson, and
a few falls, I was able to get around fairly well on Croce’s sleeker,
lighter board, too.
Of course, flat water falling is
safe, whereas falling in the ocean waves, surrounded by traditional, more
experienced surfers on smaller, faster boards, is not — and that contrast
has caused a rift between ocean SUPers and members of the famously
territorial surfing community. Some old school surfers are legitimately
irked that ocean paddlers are often clueless about surf etiquette and
safety; they have even tried, so far unsuccessfully, to get SUP banned
from some beaches in California.
Others surfers mock SUP as
clumsy, wannabe surfing — akin to using training wheels. That didn’t
bother me; I was elated with my clumsy, wannabe surfing self and was
quickly imagining buying a family fleet — until I discovered a more
practical snag. SUP gear can be costly, due in part to the epoxy material
required to keep the oversized boards light. The average cost of a board
in 2011 was $1100, according to the Surf Industry Manufacturers
Association. Paddles alone can cost between $90 and $500. 12 foot racing
boards sell for as much as $3,000.
Then I remembered the Austin
company SUP ATX, which manufactures some of its gear in China and offers
high quality packages — a board, leash to attach to one’s hand,
and paddle — for under $900. My dreams of a family fleet may have been
dashed, but I have received clearance from my wife, a fellow student on
the lesson with Croce, to order a board and paddle. It’s still pricey for
us, and she and our sons and I will have to take turns. But for
that magical feeling of freedom from everything except the water,
board and paddle — for the “zen” of it — it seemed well worth it.
Wavegarden®
Technology Revolutionizes the Artificial Surfing Wave
| posted on June 11, 2013
(SAN SEBASTIAN,
SPAIN) – Wavegarden, the emerging leader in wave pool technology, has today
unveiled its new full-scale surfing installation with a video showcasing test
sessions with several of the world’s top professional surfers. Please check the
video here: https://vimeo.com/67886627 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCeBnqBLCMY
The new surfing
lagoon, built in the Basque Country, generates perfectly formed tubing waves
that peel for more than 220 m (720 feet) without losing power or shape. It is
the longest artificial surfing wave in existence, and the wave quality, shape
and speed are suitable for the highest levels of performance surfing.
Commenting on this
release, the CEO of Wavegarden, Mr José Manuel Odriozola said:
“We are delighted to
be able to reveal to the surfing world our new demonstration facility, which we
expect to revolutionize the way people engage in surfing. “Historically,
participation in surfing has been limited due to the fact that it is required
to be undertaken at specific coastal locations, in daylight hours and is highly
dependent upon appropriate swell and weather conditions. With the development
of the Wavegarden, we now have the ability to provide an authentic surfing
experience in any location capable of sitting a lagoon.”
Background
The Wavegarden team
of engineering experts and passionate surfers have worked for nearly a decade
to create an artificial surfing lagoon designed to generate consistent,
perfectly formed waves for surfers of all abilities. By addressing nearly all
of the inherently variable characteristics that are associated with surfing in
the ocean, this revolution in wave riding can provide quality surfing waves all
hours of the day and through all seasons.
Wavegarden’s
patented technology uses a hydrodynamic ‘wave foil’ that runs at floor level to
create a swell down the length of a lagoon. This swell bends onto the banks on
either side of the track creating two perfect waves that simultaneously peel
down the lagoon in both left and right directions. As the wave generator stops
at either end of the lagoon, engineered ‘bays’ transform the wave energy into
smooth rolling whitewater waves; perfect for children, longboarding and surf
lessons. The wave generator then rotates 180 degrees and proceeds back along
the length of the lagoon generating waves in an identical manner in the
opposite direction.
The new wave is
approximately 1.20 metres (4.25 feet) in face-height providing clean barreling
rides of 20 seconds duration that do not lose power or shape during the course
of their travel. The technology is designed to generate 120 waves per hour with
an average power of 270 kW. The technology has been proven through advanced
simulation modeling to be capable of making waves of any size and length,
depending on the size of the lagoon. Due to the limited land available in
Wavegarden’s premises, the surf lagoon featured in the videos cannot offer
bigger or longer waves, although the technology is perfectly able to do so.
This first of its kind facility will be used strictly for fine-tuning testing
and future research and development efforts, and consequently the facility is
not open to the public.
Benefits of
Wavegarden
Patented and
manufactured by Wavegarden, the technology is reliable and requires
significantly less energy compared to other artificial wave generating
technologies. It also boasts the lowest environmental impact and costs in the
industry for both construction and operation. A key consideration in the
development of the Wavegarden technology has also been to ensure that the
highest possible levels of safety are experienced by users of the facility.
This is guaranteed through a range of measures, including the physical
isolation of the wave generator from any surfer in the lagoon.
A combination of
high wave frequency, large lagoon capacity and low overall costs qualify
Wavegarden as the first dedicated surfing installation to provide a commercial
return on investment on a stand-alone basis.
Exclusive Partners
Wavegarden is
already making strides in two of the world’s surfing capitals by signing strategic
partnerships to develop at least five facilities in Australia and 25 in the USA
over the coming years.
Wavegarden has also
entered into agreements with more than ten other affiliates who have
financially committed to developing facilities in different parts of Europe and
the Middle East. It is yet to be determined where the first commercial lagoon
will be opened, however, the technology promises to bring surfing to places
where riding waves has never before been possible.
Feedback on
Wavegarden
Professional
surfers, including Taj Burrow, Adriano da Souza, Dane Reynolds, Gabriel Medina,
Jeremy Flores, Miguel Pupo, Dusty Payne, Craig Anderson, Jadson Andre, Aritz
Aranburu and Pauline Ado have all tested the new Wavegarden facility with
highly positive reviews:
“It’s a revolution!”
said women’s world tour competitor, Pauline Ado of France.
“It’s fun for
everyone. If you don’t surf, you can learn to surf right here!” said world tour
competitor Gabriel Medina from Brazil.
“The speed of the
wave is perfect,” said professional free surfer, Dane Reynolds of California.
The State of
Artificial Waves
Wednesday,
February 13th, 2013
Are artificial
waves the future of surfing? Well…they’re at least a part of it. Photo: Paul
Roget/Webber Wave Pools
Artificial waves have
received a lot of attention recently, and why shouldn’t they? Surfers travel the world
searching for the perfect wave. What if that perfect swell could be replicated
and controlled? What if that perfect swell was easily accessed and predictable?
Although nothing can beat the feeling of
catching barrels in nature’s playground, companies like Kelly Slater Wave Company, Webber Wave Pools, The Wave Garden, and American Wave Machines have all made varying
claims that their products will make it possible to experience rideable waves
in a more controlled environment. Ideally, competitive surfers (and non-) can
practice without having to wait for the right conditions. According to a press
release by American Wave Machines, their PerfectSwell technology is able to
produce ten large barreling waves a minute. Hypothetical coaches will even be
able to control the waves from the shore depending upon skill level, they say.
The icing on the cake? They say their technology can be installed anywhere from
resorts to recreational facilities to cruise ships.
Another company, Webber Wave Pools, owned by renowned shaper
Greg Webber, has also been working to generate endless waves that break
continuously around a central island. They have plans plans for wave pools in
both Australia and Europe and claim to have developed a low-energy design can accommodate
numerous surfers at once while the intensity of the wave can be adjusted in
seconds. Webber explains, “The future of wave pools will depend on how good the waves
are, but even more importantly on how long you have to wait. If people have to
queue for an hour then they just won’t come back. It’s insulting, and ruins the
experience. It’s also about being able to just rock up for a quick session of
half a dozen waves. If you can cater for back-to-back waves without any waiting
time at all, then the morning and afternoon demand spikes can reach full
potential. Imagine knowing that there is always room to park, there are more
waves than surfers, and you can be in and out within 45 minutes. This is what I
want to provide”.
But what about accessibility to different
skill levels? “The idea is to start the thing at about 1m (3 ft.) so that
virtually any surfer can take off, then build the wave size and speed, as the
gradient gets shallower and shallower,” said Webber. “This way you get your
footing totally sorted with a couple of slow pumps to get in rhythm, then the
tube starts as a bowly almond eye shape and then gradually gets thicker and
faster as you go along. This way, surfers with only moderate ability are going
to ride tubes that they would otherwise have great difficulty taking off on.
The aim is to have every surfer come out at the end of the barrel pretty much
blown away.”
There is a lot of potential in these
companies, but don’t start fine tuning your quiver for mind blowing artificial
barrels just yet. Even the notoriously tight-lipped Slater has mentioned in
public that the The Kelly Slater Wave
Company
has the potential to revolutionize surfing, yet the venture still provides economic challenges when it comes to business
models. So figure it out. Surely, we can think of a few surfers willing to open
their wallets for perfect waves.
Another
alternative. Design: Paul Roget
Crescent. The
basic version. Design: Paul Roget
A cross
section of the design.
No comments:
Post a Comment