Construction began on the project in 2009.
The first ever circular wave pool opened for initial testing this week. Contrary to expectations, the facility is not in an area known for its interest in surfing. Rather, the first continuous man made wave can be found in Warsaw, Poland of all places!
The People’s Wave Center (translated roughly from “Narody Machaja Strefa”), is the first man made wave of its kind. It is capable of sustaining a 4-6ft wave for indefinite periods. It can even produce barrels that peel without end. This new technology marks a great step forward for the global surfing community.
Over the past few months the surf industry has witnessed a surge of artificial wave interest with the launch of the Wave Garden in Basque Country, Spain; the Wave FolkOla Moviestar in Lima, Peru and the announcement of the Kelly Slater Wave Company. It appears that 2011 will be the year of the man made wave.
The $5 Million project was funded by a Polish entrepreneur, Vladamir Starynkiewicz. A serial entrepreneur and lover of fun, Dr. Starynkiewicz is has previously been involved in the creation of Europe’s largest indoor go-kart racing track and the Polish amusement park, Lunaprk, Lodz. He was first introduced to surfing on a trip to Hawaii in 2007 where he became fascinated with the sport. Within a year he began plans for the construction of the People’s Wave Center on the site of a former Soviet water treatment facility.
The People’s Wave Center is located about 15 miles south of the city adjacent to the Vistula River. The entire facility operates on power generated from the flowing of the river. It is its own self contained power plant.
The circular building that contains the wave is roughly 300 feet across, or about the size of a football field. It consists of on outer ring about 50 feet wide and an inner viewing and staging area. There are plans to include a restaurant within the inner area where diners can watch the surfers as the eat their meal.
The wave itself is created by a series wedges running on a track underwater. As the wave travels, it breaks starting on the inside of the circle. The wave then bends and continues to break as it travels in a clockwise direction. Image a point break and the way the wave wraps around it. The circular form of the outer ring produces a similar perpetual wrapping. Essentially, the wave will continue peeling and wrapping around the building until the generator is shut off.
SurfScience.com discussed the project with Vladamir Starynkiewicz to find out more. Read the full story at SurfScience.com
This may come as a shocker…but the first continuous circular wave pool…is an April Fool’s joke. Greg had us going for a minute there, too. Although…wouldn’t it be nice?
