Jackson Dorian is setting himself up for a career as a fantastic all-around surfer. Photos: Wavegarden Lab//Screenshot
Jackson Dorian is definitely his father’s son. It’s not just looks, either. Their surfing is remarkably similar, only Jackson’s is a modern version of Shane’s.
Compact and powerful, both of them. A love of going fast, both of them. Jackson is part of a generation of surfers, however, who are growing up with wave pools as a normal part of life. It might be strange for Shane to watch it happen, but when a wave is on offer like the one at the Wavegarden Lab, there’s no way he’d let his son miss out on it.
“Kids and wave pools are a great match,” the elder Dorian said in a poolside interview after the session with Jackson you see below. “They love the variety and being able to anticipate the section. For kids [Jackson’s] age that love high performance surfing; to get the same high-quality section over and over; to be able to know what the wave is going to do so you can fully commit to whatever trick you’re trying to land… it’s amazing.”
One criticism of wave pools heard often is that every wave is the same. According to Shane, that’s not the case at the Lab.
“There’s a surprising amount of variety in the pool,” he said. “There are a lot of different variations of different waves. A couple of waves with high performance turn sections that had really good pace and a nice little scoop on the wave. They’re really fun. I also surfed a variety of tube waves. Everything from a slabby, critical take offs to something a little slower that would grow along the way.”
The new Wavegarden Lab is the original Wavegarden demo center – only it’s been upgraded from coach to business class. Wavegarden hopes it will help keep them at the top of a game that is rapidly gaining players.
“With a water surface area of just 90 meters by 45 meters (295 feet by 148 feet) the Wavegarden Lab can now generate waves up to 2.2 meters high (seven feet), with ride times of up to 14 seconds and barrels lasting up to seven seconds,” read a press release announcing the recently unveiled Lab. “Located in the Basque Country, the original Wavegarden Cove prototype has recently been transformed and extended to provide an increased variety of waves and new design features to ensure thorough testing of the upgraded technology before commercial use.”
