Wave pools have been blowing up over the last few years. They’ve come a long way, considering the work that goes into making them. They aren’t cheap, either, and break downs are common with some of the up-and-coming tech. Wavegarden, however, is one of the O.G.s, and the brand just announced that it has built the first private wave pool “dedicated to continuous R&D and high-performance surfing.” It’s called the Wavegarden Lab.
Way back in 2011, Wavegarden unveiled the very first look at what was then the most promising wave pool in the world. It pumped out tiny little waves, but the proof of concept was there and all that remained was to scale it up. Now, all these years later, wave pools — and not just Wavegarden’s pools — are popping up all over the planet. They’re stops on the Championship Tour, centerpieces for resorts and subdivisions, and tend to rile the feathers of “purists.”
The new Wavegarden Lab is the original Wavegarden demo center, only upgraded from coach to business class. Wavegarden hopes it will help keep them at the top of a game that is rapidly gaining players. The Lab seems to be attracting the right kind of attention, with Kelly Slater, Shane Dorian, Bobby Martinez, Leo Fioravanti, Kauli Vaast, Mateus Herdy, and Coco Ho among those who’ve tested what’s on offer.
“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,” reads a press release announcing the newly 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.”
It wasn’t a small upgrade, either. From the sounds of it, Wavegarden engineers revamped pretty much the whole thing.
“We have been redesigning and rebuilding the demo center by extending the existing wave generator to produce longer ride times of up to 14 seconds and larger waves up to 2.2 meters high. We have improved the take-off and end sections, created a seven-second barrel, and new air sections,” said Josema Odriozola, Founder and CEO of Wavegarden. “We adjusted the bathymetry, updated the areas along the shoreline, added glass panels behind the take-off area, and removed some unnecessary walls to provide a more natural environment and improve the aesthetics.”
Since wave pools can be prohibitively expensive to build and run, mistakes can be disastrous. The hope is that the Wavegarden Lab will help avoid those mistakes.
“With investment in a surf park currently running between 15 million and 30 million euros, there is zero room for error when it comes to the construction and provision of technology at new facilities,” the press release continued. “With the Wavegarden Lab being the first private, full-sized test center for the R&D of artificial wave generation in the industry, it means every possible component of the civil works are tested. With a continuous cycle of waves that can run 24/7, the engineers can test the mechanical parts, water treatment, filtration, coating and cleaning systems and changes in bathymetry. This makes Wavegarden Lab the most advanced R&D center for artificial wave generation technology.”
Europe is nice for a lot of reasons, and a big one is that you can country hop in a blink of an eye. The Wavegarden Lab is about an hour from Hossegor and Mundaka, and a stone’s throw from the Basque Coast.
“Some of the world’s best surfers were in France this September for the Quiksilver Festival, directed by Miky Picon,” Wavegarden said. “The break in the waves during the competition brought Kelly Slater, Kai Lenny, Shane Dorian, Bobby Martinez and many other surfers to the freshly renovated demo center. They were joined by Olympic gold medallist Kauli Vaast, and a lineup of electrifying talents including Leo Fioravanti, Coco Ho, Mateus Herdy, Jackson Dorian, Noah Beschen, Milla Brown, and local surfers Kai, and Hans Odriozola.”
Slater, who of course is neck deep in his own wave pool technology, wasn’t let down by the competitor’s technology.
“I was really impressed,” said Kelly Slater after surfing for three hours. “There are a lot of options and variability in the designs. What we need most in wave pool design is ideas and people constantly working on them.”
