By now we’ve all seen what King Kelly has produced. We know all about Wavegarden and their pools popping up in different corners of the globe. This historic time in surfing has really just opened the flood gates for where waves pools can go, the question that instantly pops into the minds of those with the responsibility of getting boards to the masses is what will this do for the progression of surfboard design?
You may not think that there is much room for progression. It seems like groms are simply born doing airs these days, but think about where surfing can go when surfers can practice the same maneuver on the same section on the same board over and over again.
Mother Nature’s lack of consistency is actually one factor that dictates our pace of individual progression on a surfboard. Sure, you have locations where the waves break in a similar way over a defined sand bar or reef, but there are so many other variables involved. The strength and period of the swell, as well as direction (outlined to help you understand more in Where Do Waves Come From) and then you have the local wind conditions and how that can affect waves at any given time. Tide is a huge factor as well.
The point is, progressive surfing is held back simply by the fact that as surfers, we are at the whim of the elements. You may go for a two or three hour surf but the time you actual spend surfing waves is a small fraction of what you spend in the water. And for most of us (unless you have a high quality wave at your local) we are getting in maybe two turns and a closeout or end section.
We are now at the dawn of a progression revolution. Wave pools are going to become consistent training tools allowing surfers to practice the same maneuvers over and over until they have it dialed. Then when you take these skills back to natural waves and that section happens to come your way, you don’t even have to think about setting up and performing. It will be ingrained in your muscle memory and become more of a natural reaction, similar to a kick flip or even a golf swing.
So we see where we are headed with the progression of surfing, but what about surfboard design?
There is already (and always has been) a lot of experimentation with design principles from surfboard flex to surfboard outlines and tails, rails and noses. Many boards, or styles of boards are designed with certain types of waves in mind. Others are designed to be more or less a one board quiver, the Hypto Krypto is a great example, allowing you to surf in a wide variety of waves and conditions.
It would be safe to say however that there are going to be people designing and developing models to fit “wave pool surfing” specifically. In reaction to Kelly’s new wave pool, Greg Webber points out that what it is lacking is a trough in front of the wave. What he means is a natural wave actually draws water up the face at the same time that it is moving forward. It is almost impossible to notice while surfing an average sized wave, but what that does is create a slightly lower than sea level bulge right in front of the wave.
A great illustration of the mechanics of heavy waves…notice the sea level and how the wave sucks water out below that level, creating a trough in front of the waves. Image Courtesy of Surfline.com.
If you look at big reef breaks like Teahupoo you can see this effect with the naked eye. As the wave starts approaching, the water over the reef starts sucking out and actually going lower than sea level. This happens with every natural wave although you may not notice it. So in theory, when you are coming off a bottom turn, the trough more or less helps to propel you back up the face of the wave again.
If this cannot be recreated in a wave pool environment, maybe the standard surfboard is not the most ideal equipment that could be used. What would be the ideal equipment? It would be safe to say that many shapers (if they are interested in designing boards specific for pools) are going to take this into consideration. Most of the design concepts and tech is already there, it’s just figuring out what works best. This research and development will also be made easier as you can now flick a switch to test a design concept or new construction. This could be something like tweaking the flex characteristics like Carbon Wrap Technology from DMS Surfboards out of Australia and offered by Lost Surfboards as well, for example, to help the projection back up the face.
Is this the dawn of a real Rick Kane? Something else for us to consider is the fact that the chance to surf quality waves will open up to the rest of the world who are more or less landlocked.
That kid from Alice Springs in the Northern Territory will be boosting air reverses and scoring longer barrels in as little as a year of surfing, where it has taken you or me many many years at dumpy beach breaks to score the barrel of our lives (which more than likely happened on a surf trip away from home).
This will have a huge impact on everything surf related. Surfboard manufacturing is going to sky rocket. Up until now, it is really only SUP’s and Windsurf boards that can really make any promising sales inland. There are plenty of lakes and rivers all around the world you can SUP on, but not many that produce a surf-able wave, apart from standing waves on a flowing river.
We are still way off from seeing this change happen on a commercial level, but this is where it all starts. Consistency of waves, energy costs and a range of business challenges need to be solved before wave pool’s become commercially viable and open up in your neighborhood. It can be and will be recreated all over the world in years to come. Now, instead of waiting for the wind to shift, the tide to come up or the swell to arrive, surfers going to the wave pools will just have to wait for the gate keepers of stoke to flip the switch.
