Since surfing became surfing, surfers have been searching for waves. They’ve been looking around every corner, just past the next headland, traipsing all over the globe in search of a reliably perfect wave. Mother Nature, of course, makes that impossible — and as it turns out, that constant, endless search is just as good as the act of surfing itself. Because the act of surfing itself is just so damn fun and people enjoy fun, wave pools became a thing. In the last few years alone, wave pool technology (as technology is wont to do) has become exponentially better. And, as is to be expected, the creators of that technology are cashing in. You want free waves? You gotta work for them, just like the good ol’ days. But if you want to pay for them… well, you can pay for them. One of the most successful operations is the Wavegarden. They’ve cracked the code on how to get their waves in facilities all over the world, and URBNSURF in Melbourne is a prime example of it. At the beginning of January, URBNSURF opened its doors to the public. But not before testing the hell out of it.
In the months leading up to the big reveal, Wavegarden technicians pored over the data and fine-tuned the inner workings of what makes a “perfect” wave. Mitch Crews, Reef Heazlewood, Isabella Nichols, Chippa Wilson, Xavier Huxtable, Ryan Callinan, Dion Agius and a bunch of others paddled out and gave their feedback, which helped create the menu of waves on offer to the general public.
“URBNSURF Melbourne is the first Wavegarden Cove in the Southern Hemisphere and, in many ways, is the epitome of what Wavegarden’s founders have been working towards for many years,” the press release that came with the video you see above read. “Line upon line of waves. Section upon perfect section. Rights, lefts, barrels, open faces – all unfurling with seamless ease. An awe-inspiring sight, even to those who have no concept of what perfect surf may look like.
As the water level of the full-size lagoon, measuring 160 x 160m (5 times larger than the Demo Center in Spain) reached its prescribed level, the fruit of years of hard labor and thousands of grueling mathematical calculations could finally be put to the test. The machine came to life, software codes were fine-tuned and the first ‘Wave Menu’ for URBNSURF was created.”
Called the “commissioning phase,” the testing period took place over several weeks. For those lucky enough to be involved, it was very likely a good time. “Wavegarden and URBNSURF operations staff surfed wave after wave after wave, literally all day long,” the release explained. “Feedback was relayed via waterproof walkie talkies in real-time to office-bound programmers, who meticulously recorded data and adjusted the operating parameters. The complexity of the system that lies behind the waves cannot be underestimated – there’s an intricate, convoluted network of fibers and electrical panels acting as the brain, moving each piece of machinery with precision.
Every few days, a new wave type was logged into the system. Turn waves; barrel waves; waves that pitched this way, or that way; waves that peeled slower, or faster. Every wave was created with a specific surfer profile and skill level in mind.”
Then, after the menu was complete, a select few that included Julian Wilson and Ryan Callinan were invited to feast on it. Both Wilson and Callinan had visited the Spanish demo center years ago — a scaled-down version of what Wavegarden would eventually create — and they knew that the possibilities were nearly endless.
While URBNSURF in Melbourne is only the second commercial Wavegarden Cove in the world, five new ones are on the docket for the next year or two. And according to the press release, the Melbourne facility is not lacking in interested parties. “Since the start of the year,” it said, “URBNSURF Melbourne has been fully booked – day and night – with people traveling from all over Australia and the world to see what the Wavegarden Cove has to offer.”
As I’ve said countless times in the past, whether you like it or not, wave pools are here and here to stay. The technology will get better and better. Surfing doesn’t require an ocean anymore — but the search? That will always remain. But in between searching for waves, you can always keep your wave count up… as long as you’ve got the cash to do it.
