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The next artificial wave pool may be coming to Orlando, Florida. Lately, Palm Springs Surf Club has been stealing the spotlight with its barrage of media following an opening announcement. However, according to WKMG Orlando, the next big thing in artificial wave surfing could be opening in the Sunshine State.
Coral Springs-based developer Ocean Sports Development, Inc. is spearheading the effort, dubbed Orlando Surf Park. An OSD spokesperson told WKMG that the destination would include a 13-acre pool that would reach depths of 14 feet and hold up to 35 million gallons of water. Beyond that, the venue is planned to have an artificial beach, volleyball courts, tiki bars and a surf shop. The planned site of the attraction, located northwest of Disney in Winter Garden, is a former construction landfill.
The information released to the press described the pool as using “patented wave technology” that would be entirely solar powered and capable of producing an “artificial reef” effect. Though the press release did not specify what wave technology would be responsible for this effect, the OSD website proudly proclaims they are the exclusive U.S. licensee of Webber Wave Pool technology. According to the OSD site, this system uses “a DC electric semi truck guided by a center power and steering rail onto which hydraulic arms are attached. The hydraulic arms control the wave hull, giving the system the ability to tilt, trim, and yaw the hull in motion.”
Raised Water Research describes the Webber Wave Pool technology as being similar in practice to Wavegarden Lagoon and Kelly Slater Wave Company pools. However, the key difference is that the Webber system creates a kelvin wave, which tends to have a trough preceding the crest. The site concludes that, “Whether this factor is critical or not is yet to be seen at full scale, but field testing in rivers at 1m do seem to indicate a more open tube on kelvin waves.”
