Surf Lakes’ Yeppoon research and development facility is back up and running again. And they claim they’re consistently pumping out eight-foot waves. You be the judge. Photo: Courtesy of Surf Lakes
The current state of the artificial wave technology boom is one characterized by one-upmanship. First, Wavegarden began producing long, if not crumbly walls in Spain, the U.K., and Austin, Texas. Then Kelly Slater Wave Co. produced an artificial break as close to perfect as one could imagine. Wavegarden built its Cove tech with huge wave frequency, and, of course, BSR’s facility in Waco entered the fray, a place some have call an ideal training ground for aerial surfing. And then there’s Surf Lakes.
Exactly one year ago, the Australian company (who have Occy and Barton Lynch on payroll) gave us a first glimpse of what they’re able to produce with a plunger-like mechanism in the center of a pool with intentionally-designed bathymetry to create several different types of waves. Some of the biggest waves we saw on video were about head-high and we were told that the technology could be scaled to produce bigger sets. Then the thing broke down and had to be repaired.
The pool is now in working order again, and, according to a recent presser, producing eight-foot surf. Although it should be noted, there is no video evidence to support the claim. Just photos. If true, Surf Lakes would be the first artificial wave technology to be consistently pumping out waves of that size.
“Surf Lakes are proud to announce that (sic)… the company was able to achieve its maximum target wave face height, being 2.4 meters (8ft),” reads the press release. “Surf Lakes believes that even though this is a test site only, it has created the largest and most powerful wave pool wave available in the world today.”
To share the news, Surf Lakes included a few snaps of three-time world bodyboard champ Ben Player getting some waves in Yeppoon. And, not to be critical, but wave height is pretty difficult to judge when the rider is lying prone. This little diagram doesn’t help much either.
Eight feet? Photo: Courtesy of Surf Lakes
Still, according to Surf Lakes, video evidence is imminent. “More footage of Occhilupo, Player and other surfers will be released over the coming weeks, as it becomes available,” the company said.
We’ll reserve final judgments until then.
