It’s ironic. With all of the controversy in the surf community surrounding wave pools – from claims that it’s not real surfing and beyond – who would’ve thought that the biggest barrier to progress would turn out to be the man.
Officials of Travis County, Texas – where NLand Surf Park is located – have attempted to railroad the opening of the park because they see the wave pool as a, well, pool and should be regulated as such. If you’ve ever been to a public pool, you know that the things are filled with so many chemicals (apparently to protect the public from when Johnnie has an accident at the shallow end) that it’ll change the color of your hair. Instead, NLand hopes to define themselves as a lagoon, because to do otherwise would be so costly it’d make the entire venture unfeasible. The whole thing has led to a lawsuit and a countersuit, meaning for the time being the thought of opening the park remains on hold. Messy stuff.
But that didn’t stop the folks at NLand (in collaboration with the New York Times) from dropping a banger little info/edit to generate froth and support for the park, and damn does the wave look fun.
