Wave Pool Mag

Check out www.wavepoolmag.com/podcast for the show notes.

Brett grew up surfing in Long Island, New York and I caught up with him online to talk about the project he has been working on for over four and a half years. Apologies for the audio quality, (it's tough when you're doing these things over the web), however, you can hear him pretty clearly. Let us know on our Instagram if you have any questions about the park and we'll ask him on to answer them.Hang on for the end of the podcast where I discuss the "state of the industry" - 5 parks open, 1 imminent and 7 under construction plus another 30 or so in the planning process.

Sophie Everard is a journalist, passionate snowboarder and surfer who has worked extensively within action sports media for more than ten years and is a published writer for industry-leading snowboard titles. She has also set up a brand called "Mad to Live" through which she promotes a positive, modern message of female empowerment with original content. Attached to the content brand is a series of wildly successful women-only retreats in various places like Portugal, Morocco, Costa Rica, Bali and England.Read more on www.wavepoolmag.com/podcast

We get the full story on Andy Hadden's seven year journey in creating another jewel in the Wave Garden crown. By the time this surf park is constructed it could well be the seventh wave garden in operation around the world.Andy relates the story leading up to where he is at now - a massive journey already but still far from over. Exciting times for the wave pool industry!

Chas Smith is a smart guy. Originally from California, he moved to Oregon and commenced his surfing career at age 10. He earned a bachelor’s degree in intercultural studies (1998) and a master’s degree in linguistics (2001) from Southern California’s Biola University; Smith’s studies included semesters spent studying Arabic in Egypt and English at Oxford University. That short bio is taken from Matt Warshaw's Encyclopedia of Surf, check it out: https://eos.surf/entries/smith-chas/Chas and I discuss a wealth of interesting subjects surrounding his life and wave pools. Here are some of my questions, listen up for his answers:Establishing personal context:Which surf media publications have you worked for. How was it?Can we dig DEEP into the story of Beach Grit. How did you involvement start, was it with a call from a friend and then an office meeting, or a few whiskies in a shady bar.You wrote a book about Hawaii. Have you ever returned to the North Shore afterwards?You were a war reporter? Have you seen your Wikipedia page or did you edit that yourself?Do you aspire to be William Finnegan, surfer and war reporter  (author of Barbarian Days)?Artificial WavesLet's get into serious detail here: Chas Smith, Kelly Slater and a dislocated shoulder? What did you experience as you arrived at the gate of Kelly’s Surf Ranch before those wooden gates opened?Signing the NDA at Kelly's. What's the point of inviting press over and getting them to sign an NDA?I heard a rumour that you have a wild card for the reality TV series: The Ultimate Surfer. Is this true?Have you been to BSR? Planned a trip to Jersey?What's your take on Urbnsurf down under?Here's the deal, imagine some billionaire wires you 50m US for you to construct your dream wave park. Give me a helicopter tour. Would it be next to an airport like Urbnsurf, in a field with camping tents like Bristol, in a mall like Madrid is planned to be? What would your dream park be? What's the wave tech and why?The Future of Surfing The growth of surfing is like a double edged sword. On the one hand, you have more opportunities for people to work passionately in the space that they love, on the other hand you have more kooks polluting the breaks. How do you feel about the growth of surfing?How will wave pools play a role in that growth?A lot has been said about surfing's inclusion in the Olympics in 2020. What kind of real impact do you feel it will bring to the sport?Do you feel that Tokyo should be in a pool?If you achieve your hell bent mission on destroying the WSL, what will the BEACH GRIT LEAGUE look like? Would you employ Elo to do the content and Chris Coté to commentate?

Has Greg Webber been at this game longer than anyone else? Maybe not, but he sure has a ton of fascinating insights and excellent ideas surrounding the wave pool space. You can check him out on www.webberwavepools.com Before we kicked off the interview Greg inferred to me that he had no problem in my drilling him about the fact that he essentially broadcasts the fact that his wave pools are the best in the world but none have been built. Well, hold your horses, hopefully, a Webber wave pool is taking shape in Orlando, Florida right now and a V-reef is under development near Perth, Australia.Webber Wave Pools show notesWe kick off with some light banter about girls and waves.Smacking into a German near Currumbin, Australia at 10 years of age.Right-hand rip banks at Bondi on a coolite surfboard.Dead friends and absence of control when he was a kid and surfing at South Head, Sydney.Surf trips to Bali, Hawaii and getting Malaria in Indonesia.11:30 Webber Wave PoolsThinking about wave machines and a video from a U.S. University kicked off the idea of getting a patent for his creations.Greg talks about patents and patent law and hints at his tussle with Kelly Slater.Webber Wave Pool's three different wave solutions: wave system, v-reef, v-wall.Greg quickly mentions Penrith Wave Pool.Ocean Sports Development (Anthony Brown) is discussed in more detail. They have three projects, one of which is in Orlando, Florida hopefully breaking ground in January 2020.40 wave pools from all wave tech makers by 2025.He talks about conical tubes and the foam ball itself.Cheaper wave pools will make them much more accessible and expand the sport a lot more.Webber wave pools create a Kelvin wake similar to the wave behind a boat.V-Reefs at Triggs Beach near Perth, Australia and the benefits of V-reefs.An aside about Beach Grit and the state of modern surf journalism. We mention Nick Carrols "New Sarcasm" article.Back to V-reefs and how they fit into the bigger picture of floating cities which is a real thing. Check out what the United Nations says about it. Oceanix is spearheading the drive.The profit involved for developers in V-reefs and how they impact the property price of beachfront developments.An oversupply of waves...Greg mentions Tom Blake

We interview Tim Curry, known as TC, who is setting out on the arduous venture to create an oasis of surf in the parched desert surrounding Las Vegas. I am sure the Las Vegas population will be STOKED to hear this and the millions of visitors to the city will be able to practice their cutbacks alongside the locals.Many of you out there may be dreaming about creating your own wave pool in your area. Hopefully, this relaxed chat with TC will put it into perspective for you and feed you with a few insights. If you're unsure of where to start on your journey get in touch with Wave Pool Mag. We'll be able to help you out.Show notesGrowing up in Newport / Huntington Beach and Vooli.TC jetted into Vegas in 2004 - he tells us why...Land acquisition, rezoning and the "Fun Agents".How TC first heard about wave pools - we talk about Kelly Slater's original video which is fast becoming the starting point for many people's interest in the wave pool space.TC explains his concept of a beach in Las Vegas and we discuss the appeal of surfing to aspirational surfers.How TC fully realized that he wanted to create a beach in Las Vegas with surfable waves and the current lack of opportunity in the city.What stage he is at with "The Beach Las Vegas".We go off on a tangent about wave pool competitions and compare them to skateboarding.Going public with the project and not being fearful of public lash back, like in France in mid-2019.Procuring the land for "The Beach Las Vegas" and discussing various elements like Crystal Lagoons, dog beaches and the challenges of setting up such a large development. We chat about the 3D renderings from the SURFLAND project in Brazil and Sheraton's history in wave pools with their project at Oceandome in Japan.What's the process when you're engaging ambassadors in the business?What's the timeline for the Las Vegas beach? 3 years...Why surf is growing so radically at the moment and what will the effect of wave pools actually be?We compare skateboarding, wakeboarding, flow riding and snowboarding to surfing in a pool.We talk about residential development on the beach at Las Vegas.

“Wavegarden”, the sound of that name evokes a zen-like space where waves roll endlessly through green spaces pulsing with lush natural life. As if you didn’t know, it’s actually a company created way back in 2005, that sits deep in a northern Spanish valley. It’s a richly forested and abundant area ravaged by harsh Atlantic winters and pounded by massive waves during the cold, rainy months. It is from this secret hideaway that Sean Young chats to us all about the history of Wavegarden, how he came to join the exclusive firm and how they came to be operating in all four corners of the planet.

Hey guys, it's Nick coming to you from a warm and autumnal Algarve in Portugal. The swell is picking up down here and I managed a great session where these glassy beauties where peeling off a hard sand spit. Stoked again after along break! The other day I called up Australia and got to chat to Andrew Ross. It was a great conversation, not just because he's such a down to earth relaxed professional but because he's opening one of the first two Wavegarden Cove's in the world. It's quite tense watching both Bristol and Melbourne (as I do), releasing tidbits about the boxes they're ticking and the milestones they're hitting and gliding by. It certainly isn't always smooth sailing but lets dig deep into Andrew Ross' life and find out how URBNSURF came to be.

Find out how the Surf lakes technology was born from the founder himself. Aaron Trevis talks candidly of how the idea came to him, how he pulled a team of incredible people together and built a wave wonderland in Yeppoon, Australia. Looking at the explosive wheezing of a mad max style contraption may appear intriguing but when perfect waves barrel out onto the five reefs, one is hooked! There is a heap of sheer determination that has been ploughed into this project, we uncover it all in this episode.