Veteran surf journalist Bryan Dickerson turns the mic to those at the center of the wave pool universe as WavePoolMag shines a light on the engineers, entrepreneurs, pros and the hand-picked few who have a wave pool story to tell. The questions are pointed and the answers range from the sublime to the illuminating, hitting all flashpoints in between. Dig in to hear from the minds designing, building and surfing the world’s wave pools.
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The best wave pool movie ever and surfing’s lasting influence with John Philbin
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John Philbin’s best-known movie parts were in Children of the Corn, Tombstone, Point Break and, of course, The North Shore - that classic 1980s film about an Arizona wave pooler who goes to Hawaii. In this podcast, John talks about how he landed the role of Turtle (hint: he had to audition 7 times) and the movie’s lasting effect on a generation. As…
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Asking URBNSURF if your second wave pool is easier than the first
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There’s a mantra in the wave pool space that the development, opening and operation of parks will get easier as more facilities open up. That’s why the unveiling of URBNSURF Sydney is a pretty big deal. The launch makes the URBNSURF group the only entity to have two surf parks in operation. We wanted to find out if the company simply copy/pasted Me…
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The AllWaves Story: Outside-the-box wave pool imagineering
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Steven Nauwelaerts of AllWaves refers to competitors as "collegues," a refreshing take in a sector that grows more competitive each day. Steven has a unique view of the space. He spent years doing the one thing that might be more difficult than creating surfable waves in a confined pool – extrancting energy from ocean waves. Steven is one of the fe…
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Ideas and implementations: URBNSURF CEO Jennifer Vandekreeke
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The first thing we noticed at URBNSURF Sydney was that everyone wore a name badge. “Dude maintaining the pool” now has a name (it’s Keith by the way.) This simple customer experience measure hints at the kind of changes Jennifer Vandekreeke has in mind for Australia’s premier surf park business. In her previous roles, she drove growth for travel an…
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How this big wave surfer will transform Bavarian surfing through o2 SURFTOWN MUC
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I'm at the construction site at o2 SURFTOWN MUC with Michi Mohr. He's a large, intimidating figure with thick hands and a disarming smile - warm, sincere and just a tad goofy. We walk around the construction site while wave pool maker Endless Surf runs a multitude of tests. Michi stops to pick up an empty box for the recycling bin, cleans up an err…
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Find out how to build a wave pool in a canal in the center of Europe’s busiest shipping city
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Edwin van Viegen is leading a wave pool development in the center of Europe's busiest port city, Rotterdam. He has been working on this project for several years and experienced the usual surf park ups and downs. But this wave pool, Rif010 (pronounced riff-ten) has the unbridled support of major city planners and various local government agencies -…
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Plans and dreams to create a wave pool: “This is a story about failure and what not to do”
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Wave pool projects require perseverance, as they involve a significant amount of time, effort, and the all-mighty dollar. Nick Robinson talks about the hurdles he faced during his bid to build a wave pool in Portugal. He discusses the process he went through to find suitable land, choosing the right technology for that land and navigating the ever …
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AI video capture of your sessions with Luke Wallace of FLowstate
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Luke Wallace is the CEO of Flowstate, an AI video capture system adopted by many of the world’s wave pools. We spoke with Luke to find out how a variety of factors came together perfectly to create a platform that records each and every one of your waves during a surf park visit. In the process, the system has opened up new social, coaching and saf…
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Beyond The Wave – The Nick Hounsfield Interview
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Did you know that Nick Hounsfield comes from a family of inventors? He didn't invent the wave pool at his surf park. No, Wavegarden did that. But he's constantly focused on how things could work. It's like a constant invitation to daydream. We learned this early on but only now have gotten around to poking at this side of Nick. In this conversation…
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Matt Hyslop on feasibility studies for new surf venues
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Can a passion project like a wave pool have blind spots to reality? Matt Hyslop from Colliers International talks with WavePoolMag about his role in conducting feasibility studies for new surf venues. Matt highlights the importance of visitor forecasting and understanding the potential market when planning for a new wave pool. He also lets slip som…
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The backstory to Wave Park South Korea and its effects on K-Surf
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Hear Euna Kim's firsthand account of Wave Park's inception in Siheung-Si, South Korea. With her mastery of languages and a newfound passion for surfing, Euna played a pivotal role in navigating the intricate journey from vision to reality. She'll reveal how Wave Park has become a cornerstone in the evolution of Korea's surf culture and delve into t…
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Surf Park Summit achievements with Chris Kluesener
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In this podcast our guest Chris Kluesener sights on the wave pool space through the Surf Park Summit lens. We touch on the newness of the uniqueness of the industry and why his company’s annual gathering continues to connect people and grow. Chris quips that the real estate industry is bustling with 4 or 5 trade associations yes, “Is it really that…
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Barton Lynch on wave pools, their potential and oh so much more
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In our latest episode we catch up with 1988 world champ Barton Lynch who many of us know as the live wire WSL commentator. From our side of this interview we relished hearing an unbridled Barton expanding his thoughts beyond the WSL broadcast two-minute cap as he shares his insights into the early days of the pro tour and how that generation had to…
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How to manage a wave pool with URBNSURF’s Shaun Hutchinson
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Shaun Hutchinson is Group Operations Manager at Urbnsurf. Most of the day he’s tucked back in the office redlining in the tasks department, but we coaxed him out long enough to do a podcast. During our half hour conversation we learned just how complex and layered managing a surf park is.By Bryan Dickerson
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We returned live to the middle of a sheep paddock in bucolic Easter Compton to check in with the new CEO at The Wave, Hazel Geary. In this podcast we explore the similarities and differences between the Leisure, Beauty and Well-being Industries and Surf Parks. Are we really that different? Yes and No. Hazel digs in with a fresh level of sophisticat…
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Find out how Flowstate uses AI to enhance the surf park user experience
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How does one go about training a machine to recognise each and every individual surfer? Flowstate have created an AI powered capture system that records each guest’s surf experience. And the amazing thing is that it works without RFID wristbands or board stickers. In this podcast we dig in and learn how Chris, Mike and the crew at Flowstate have bu…
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In the surf park trenches – Matt Gunn of SwellMFG
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Revel Surf park is the wave pool powered by Swell MFG. It is the focal point of the 37-acre mixed-use development at Cannon Beach in Mesa, Arizona. In this episode, we have a wonderfully frank discussion with Matt Gunn, who along with his partner, built this wave technology. The journey one takes from obsessing on, and then building a new technolog…
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And just how is the wave pool space evolving? Surf Park Summit returns
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In this episode, we have a lively chat with the always-on-point Dr. Jess Ponting Jess is one of the brains behind Surf Park Summit, the annual wave pool dreamer, doer and developer convention. The Summit runs September 18-20 in San Diego, California.By Bryan Dickerson
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Just around the corner: Scotland’s first surf park with Andy Hadden
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Many of the surf parks scheduled to open soon have been in the works for nearly a decade or more. Their architects are the original crop of dreamers and doers - the devout wave poolers in a long-term relationship with artificial wave technology. Andy Hadden wed the wave pool dream back in 2013 and is now eyeing the completion of Lost Shore Surf Res…
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Atlanta's first surf park has a unique approach
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The “City in a Forest” is well-known as the filming location for "The Walking Dead," music stars like Ludacris and Usher, horrendous traffic and a major launch point for the Civil Rights movement. And now, it might become known as the home to Georgia’s first wave pool. Spencer Broome and crew are driving the concept of Surf ATL, a wave pool with a …
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Dave & Mike tell how they became owners of their own surf park
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Dave Taylor and Mike Schwaab own Waco Surf, the Sputnik of surf parks in America. The facility launched in the early days of the wave pool race has since gone through many changes. Enter DT and Mike, two average guys who worked incessantly to fulfill their dream of owning a wave pool. Here is how it all happened.…
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Ikaika and Greg from The Lineup at Wai Kai address the challenges of running a wave pool in Hawaii
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The Lineup at Wai Kai is unique in the wave pool world. To make a chlorinated rapid wave work in the birthplace of surfing is a tall order. Getting a skeptical community to support that project might take even more skill and moxie. But since opening this year, the world’s largest rapid wave has integrated into the community here on the West Side of…
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Ander Wynne-Edwards walks us through the entire wave pool building process
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Ander Wynne-Edwards is the Director of Operations at Endless Surf. He’s worked for Whitewater West for the past two decades building and commissioning large-scale wave pools – pneumatic wave pools in particular. In this episode, he walks us through everything that goes on in the time between a project breaking ground and rolling out the first set o…
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What is the premiere surf platform's take on wave pools? In this episode, we gather insight into the wave pool scene from the editor-in-chief at STAB Brendan Buckley. While we normally talk to wave makers and doers, Buck’s contribution to the wave pool discourse is on the culture, that unique confluence of salt and pool water. We hit on how ocean s…
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Blake Hess – The ultimate surf park manager
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Blake Hess is a rare individual in that he is one of only a handful of people who know how to run, manage and develop a surf park. In the few years that wave pools 2.0 have been a thing, Blake has been deeply involved. He helped bring NLand online its first and only year and then he moved on and managed the lucrative ins-and-outs at Kelly’s. Now he…
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Jess Ponting dishes all those little details that explain why this space is limitless
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Dr. Jess Ponting joins us to touch on several projects and points including Stoke Certification, Surf Park Summit, the new Consumer Trends Report and more. But the heart of the convo comes during his big-picture view of surfing. “People aren't used to thinking about a surf park as a legitimate recreation facility in a community," he says. "And ther…
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More surf park insight than you can possibly handle with Skip Taylor
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Skip Taylor is the guy we call when we’re stumped as he is one of the few veterans working the nascent wave pool landscape. This industry being what it is, he’s up to his elbows in NDAs so getting him to spill is basically impossible. That said, Zooms with Mr. Taylor are like a perpetual cocktail hour where the conversation is easy, funny and punct…
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Brad Gerlach on the intersection of wave pools and Wave Ki
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Brad Gerlach held down a very successful pro career during the ASP’s 3-to-the-beach era, finishing ranked at #2 in 1991. He then went on to pursue big wave riding, winning an XXL award in 2005. At some point, Brad merged martial arts and surfing fundamentals in a new training regimen called Wave Ki. In a nutshell, it’s practicing movements on land …
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Julie Kline explains how EpicSurf can democratize surfing
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In this episode we speak with Julie Kline of EpicSurf whose goal is to bring the benefits of sliding along a wave to everyone. The deepwater standing wave revolution will allow more waves in more places than ever before, bringing surfing to people who ordinarily might not have the chance to become surfers.…
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Angus Forrest explains why Rip Curl jumped into the deep end
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In Rip Curl’s Search campaign, we are teased with images of empty lineups from far-off, exotic locations. So how does a company that built its core messaging on the nearly unattainable aspect of surfing, align itself with surfing in wave pools? In this episode, we speak with Angus Forrest, marketing manager for Rip Curl Australia and New Zealand, a…
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Brandon Lowry is the interim CEO at USA Surfing, the definitive amateur organization for surfing in America. He’s been involved in the pool scene for more than a decade, working with Greg Webber and BSR Surf Resort early on. In this episode we explore not only how wave pools can better Team America, but how pools will change the face of global surf…
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Evan Slater and why surf marketing matters in the wave pool space
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While we’ve been watching the surf industry shrink since 2008 – it’s never quite come back to where it was – we’ve also been watching the wave pool space accelerate with nothing but limitless possibilities. In this episode we learn how Billabong and other surf brands are courting the wave pool space. Evan Slater, VP of Marketing at Billabong, share…
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What wave poolers need to know with Nick Hounsfield
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Quick Update with Nick Hounsfield of The Wave. We’ve had Nick on the show before and The Wave’s history is well documented. For this episode of the podcast we branched out to explore community and how The Wave is helping diversify the lineup. “We’re starting to see people of very different backgrounds come here, rather than feeling like it’s consta…
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What the surf park world can learn from the golf club set
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Luke Altschwager is the Managing Director at Parkwood Village on the Gold Coast of Australia. He’s a former pro golfer currently merging resort know-how with surf park potential via the Club at Parkwood. Well-spoken and sharp-witted, Luke walks us through the similarities and the gaps between surf and golf as we explore how future wave pool develop…
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The subtleties you don’t see in the Surf Lakes plunger system with Kit Sidwell
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In this episode, Surf Lakes engineer Kit Sidwell explains some of the nuances, history and basics of why the stone-in-a-pond wave machine concept works.By Bryan Dickerson
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Alternative wave pool construction with Myrtha and Endless Surf
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In this episode, Paul Chutter of Endless Surf and Roberto Colletto of Myrtha Pools dive into how they are changing the process of wave pool construction. Myrtha uses a pre-fab steel-and-pvc technique that simplifies the wave pool building process and reduces project time. Too good to be true? Give it a listen.…
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Wave intervals are more important than you might think
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In our latest podcast Nick Robinson dives into the hot new topic of intervals in wave pools. Joining Nick and editor Bryan Dickerson are Baptiste Caulonque and Clement Ginestet of Endless Surf wave pools. The four explore the intervals inherent in popular surf systems and how that affects the surf itself, the customer experience and ultimately oper…
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Quarterly pool chat with editor-in-chief Bryan Dickerson
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Nick Robinson chats with WavePoolMag editor Bryan Dickerson about the latest happenings and goings-on in the wave pool world including upcoming projects, rumors and pipe dreams. The two also map out what wave pool contests could and should look like...By Bryan Dickerson
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Aaron Trevis on the state of Surf Lakes five years in
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Aaron Trevis has been tinkering away for well more than five years on Surf Lakes. He built small 1:25 and 1:10 prototypes of the plunger to see if the idea could work. It did. Fast forward to today and licensing has been fast with Surf Lakes selling territories in Hawaii, China, the US, and elsewhere. In all, the company says they have 19 projects …
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Meet the person behind Brazil’s first wave pool, Oscar Segall
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Oscar Segall is the human behind Fazenda do Grama, Brazil and South America’s first surf-focused wave pool. In this episode podcaster Nick Robinson uncovers the how and why of Segall’s master development. The Wavegarden Cove is the central component to the private development and is only accessible via membership or residency. It could also herald …
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CEO Damon Tudor mapping Urbnsurf’s growth
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Urbnsurf Melbourne has been open for a little more than one year. In that time the gates have been shut more often than open. By not pumping out waves to a happy public on the daily, their learning curve for building a thriving, profitable surf park has been incredibly steep. CEO Damon Tudor shares with us an accelerated master class in wave pools,…
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Surfloch one of the "big six" wave tech providers
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Surfloch is one of the larger wave tech providers having originally made a splash with the sale of the Flowrider system to White Water. Tom Lochtefeld has led Surfloch into a new era of wave creation coming up with a powerful system for creating top quality surfing waves. He has proved it in the Californian desert at Palm Springs with ex-BSR wavema…
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The intellectual side of surf parks with Professor Jess Ponting
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Jess Ponting relates his early days in Fiji and then working his way around the Pacific to San Diego. He ended up there for life becoming an Associate Professor at San Diego State University and is the Founder/Director of Center for Surf Research. He has an impressive resume: Dr. Jess Ponting is considered the leading academic and consultant in sus…
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Life at The Wave in Bristol with Nick Hounsfield
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Nick Hounsfield had a background in healthcare and is the chairman of Surfing England, having long been involved in the governing body. His dream to build a wave pool in a field outside Bristol has captured the attention of thousands, if not millions of people around the UK and the world. He chats with us about the highs and the lows, not just of t…
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I can picture Daniel teaching volleyball on Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro and wondering how these guys can fly in from Norway and enjoy such an amazing quality of life. So, being a man full of initiative he figured it out, jumped on a plane and moved to Norway to study. He had no choice but to work hard and get his degree, which he did. It was an…
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Wavegarden update: 43 projects around the world!
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Catching up with Wavegarden is an exciting conversation. We discuss the traditional diamond shaped "Cove" and how it could be modified to fit different locations and topographies. We talk energy and how the Wavegarden is more efficient than any of it's competitors. We talk about some of the key projects that they're working on around the world and …
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Scott Bass: well skilled surf journalist chats about his wave pool stories
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Scott Bass hails from San Diego and runs his own surf show: "The Boardroom Show" Check it out over here https://boardroomshow.com/ It's a solid surfing podcast and an excellent show where Scott brings people together around the stoke of surfing. We get to chat about his experiences in the following pools: Kelly Slater's Surf Ranch Typhoon Lagoon in…
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Research and experimentation - the Wave Prizm story
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Mark has built a brand around making waves. It's called https://www.waveprizm.com/ , however he is not about to compete with the major players at this stage. In this long conversation Mark recounts how his life led up to his current experimentation with wave machines and discusses his claim that he can make bigger waves that are currently on the ma…
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A helicopter's view of wave pool projects today
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We have an amazing page on our website over on www.wavepoolmag.com called the surf planner. It details all the projects in the space that we've written about and there are potentially quite a few others under wraps. In this chat Bryan and I head through all the projects we're aware of and proceed from the point of view of the companies who provide …
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Andrew Thatcher grew up surfing in the warm waters off Durban, South Africa and came to live in my home town, much further south before leaving for the USA back in 2000. The happiest coincidence occurred when a family connection to Tom Lochtefeld landed him a job at the legendary wave maker's Surf Loch and Wave Loch company. Tom had created the Flo…
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