The company says eight-foot waves are on the horizon, but we’ll believe it when we see it. Photo: Dany Taylor/Surf Lakes
The nature of the ongoing wave pool revolution is that new technologies seemingly crop up every day. And when breaking new ground, it’s often that kinks will have to be ironed out.
Case in point: Surf Lakes’ Yeppoon facility that emerged on the scene late last year to much fanfare and very soon after was reportedly down for repairs. The news was reminiscent of Surf Snowdonia’s closing just three short weeks after opening.
Well, according to a company release circulated to press the Mad Max-style pool with a giant plunger in its center is back online and cranking out waves again.
“We are pleased to announce that our full-scale R&D facility in Yeppoon is back in operation,” the release reads. “Repairs, upgrades, and improvements were completed in late June and since then our engineering team has been undertaking further testing. They are working through a detailed process to refine the machine, systems, and software in order to maximize efficiency, which will continue for several months.”
And while most might shrug that an artificial wave tech company’s assuredly off-limits-to-the-public facility is working again, it’s worth noting that several licensees may soon begin developing facilities powered by the tech and that, according to the release, six-foot waves are already being pumped out with eight-foot waves on the horizon.
Now, we’ll wait to believe these claims when we see them. But, from Kelly Slater Wave Co.’s technology to Wavegarden to American Wave Machines, typical artificial wave height seems to plateau at about four (maybe five) feet. Eight feet, if true, would definitively be the biggest waves being produced in a wave pool. Again, we’ll wait for the video evidence.
