Since Wavegarden created their first wave in a test facility in Basque Country, it was clear that they were doing something that would change the path of surfing. Back in 2011, they released the first images to the public, and they’ve come a long way from that man-made secret spot. Today, they released footage and photos of the newest iteration of Wavegarden: The Cove.
When Kelly Slater dropped the footage of his wave, many viewers assumed that Wavegarden might roll over to what appeared to be a superior technology. That was definitely not the case. Since Wavegarden is being used all over the planet and KS Wave Co is not, one could assume that Wavegarden is, in fact, the superior technology. The Wavegarden Cove can pump out a surprising number of waves: up to 1,000 every hour, and the size and length is dependent on the size of the pool. Here’s their newest video:
You may remember that there were a few technical problems with Wavegardens. First, Surf Snowdonia broke just three weeks after opening their doors to the public. Then NLand, the Wavegarden-powered facility that Doug Coors (yeah, that Doug Coors) backed, famously broke and flooded a neighbor’s property. People were angry (and some were self-righteously happy, I’m sure), but it was just a bump in the road.
They’ve been testing the new technology for a while now, making absolutely sure that things won’t go pear-shaped after a few days of actual use. “Wavegarden has built a demonstration model at their R&D center in Spain measuring just 50m x 80m that has been creating waves non-stop since October 2016,” the press release explained.
It was clear that their first model had a few kinks to work out–as all first models do–and viewers and users alike weren’t afraid to let them know. They took those ideas and ran with them, creating a whole new version of Wavegarden. And have no doubts about it, it’s a business. “The high wave frequency enables a high user capacity,” explains Wavegarden’s Founder and CEO, Josema Odriozola in the press release. “[Which] is essential for surfers wanting to catch lots of waves as well as for developers seeking to establish a sound business model.”
Wavegarden is blowing up, and in a good way. They’ve got new projects in Barcelona, Madrid, Costa del Sol, Edinburgh, Bristol, London, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, New York, Miami, Santiago, Marrakesh, and Tel Aviv. Which means, hopefully, that fewer people will surf in the ocean and more will surf in wave pools.
