pg.16 Waves, Ger ms & Steel
pg.22 Surf Parks: Accessible for All
pg.40
Vol. 2 | MARCH. 2017
Chasing Minis
SURFING + INNOVATION
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O n the co v e r: Jan o s Palk o
Photo:Wav e garden/ I gor
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CONTENTS 08
Le tte r from the Editor
Surfing Purists, Believers, + Ambassadors
10
Wav e Pools an d Lon e l y Poin ts
by Chris Ahre n s
12
In n ovation
Shaper Studios
16
Global
Waves, Ger ms & Steel
by Se an Brody
22
Su rf Parks
Accessible for All
by Jon Richards
26
Eye s On
34
Cheyne Magnussen In du str y
So You Want to Open a Surf Park?
by Se รก n You n g
40
Galle r y
Chasing Minis
by Nathan Fre n ch
48
Bu sin e ss
Bringing Sand to the Beach
by Jan os Palk o
52
54
D id You Kn o w
Surf Parks vs. Soccer Stadiums Historic Mome n ts
1989 F lowrider
Photo:: N athan Fre n ch
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S U RF PA R K MA GA ZINE
E D I TOR-IN -CH IEF Sean Brody
A SSO CIATE EDITOR Joe Frazer
A RT DIRECTOR Miles Cartwright
G RAPH IC DES IGN Isaac Mitchell
I LLUS TRATION S Steve Romero
C ON T R I BU TIN G AUTH ORS Chris Ahrens
Jon Richards Seán Young Janos Palko
IMAGES Igor
Nathan French Nikelle Lovaas Grey Lockwood CC Roberts Spike Kane Brent Bielmann Mike Balzer Sean Brody Wavegarden American Wave Machines Surf Loch LLC
A DV E RTIS IN G S ALES advertise@surfparkmagazine.com PUBLIS H ER Surf Education Academy
© 2017 Surf Education Academy. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. All rights reserved. Some materials used under license, with all rights reserved by licensor.
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Scarle t Sa wye r
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Pho t o : Wav e g arden
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR “Surfing Purists, Believers, + Ambassadors”
A
s the concept of “Surf Parks” continues to become food for thought in line-ups, parking lots, surf shops and shaping bays across the world, public opinion is readily available in abundance and it seems that many ocean surfers have rallied into two main camps. Those who believe surf parks are Armageddon for surfing, call them “purists” if you will, and those who believe surf parks are the future of surfing; lets call this group “believers”. While there are clearly arguments being made from both camps, I would like to propose a third camp, where I believe most surfers will eventually hunker down. The third camp is a camp of “ambassadors” that embrace the idea of riding waves wherever and however they break, but more importantly, appreciate the intrinsic value that surfing brings to their own lives and understand that you don’t need to be from the coast to love surfing or be a member of the global surf community. This volume of Surf Park Magazine was originally intended to be centered around the theme of “technology”, which is a fascinating component of the Surf Park Industry, but the more conversations we had in regards to technology the more prevalent the theme of being a global ambassador for the sport of surfing became, no matter where you call home. In this volume we get a glimpse into the mindset of Cheyne Magnussen, a wave riding aficionado who hails from the ocean, but loves surfing in all of its forms.
Whether it is threading the needle of throaty slabs, shredding man-made waves, or surfing mile and a half long river tidal bores in China, Cheyne is a true ambassador. We also hear from beloved surf author, Chris Ahrens, who has been the ultimate fly on the wall in the homes and lives of some of surfing’s greatest heroes and antiheros, mesmerizing generations of readers with his short stories,offering a refreshing insider’s perspective to the evolution of surf culture. Ahrens has watched surfing transform over the decades and provides a unique take on how surf parks compliment surfing in his article, “Wave Parks and Lonely Points”. Additionally, Chris Clark of Shaper Studios, describes the romance between surfboard and wave, which translates no matter what type of wave you ride. Over the years, I have been personally welcomed with open arms at all corners of the globe by complete strangers, with nothing more in common than our shared love of riding waves. I have been offered places to crash, cars to drive, food to eat, and waves to surf all because of the common bond of being a surfer and sharing similar values. Our global surf community is growing and, as ambassadors, it is our responsibility to welcome the newest members by sharing our knowledge and experience and, in return, I am sure there will be a plethora of couches and pool houses near surf parks that will be fair game for like-minded surfers from all over the world. - SEAN BRODY Editor-in-Chief
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Wave Pools and Lonely Points by Chris Ahrens
I
t’s been over 50 years since I ran home from seeing the movie Gidget; panting while telling my dad I had to surf. He replied that surfing was too dangerous for a 10-year-old. Since he hadn’t surfed for decades, he didn’t realize that surfboards were no longer 100-pound redwood slabs, like the ones he had tried in the ‘30s. Post his refusal, I put surfing on hold until the next pop media wave hit in the form of surf music, I was 13 by then and nothing could stop me from surfing. I bought a used 9’6” Wardy with the 45 dollars I had saved from my paper route and with it began the difficult task of learning to surf. There were no soft boards, no leashes, no decent wetsuits, and no surf instructors—just a clueless child in a blown-out sea with a 30-pound board that returned his love by opening his skull a couple times. Surf would become my obsession and eventually my job for the next 30-plus years. In that time I watched it morph from an outsider’s lifestyle into what can only be described as a healthy disease that controlled every aspect of my life. By the ‘90s it was basically seen as a competitive sport that I can now watch on this device they call a cell phone. In 1969 I moved to Maui and basked in the twilight of the baby and bathwater Shortboard Revolution. Two years later I moved to Encinitas and heard from my friend Cheer Critchlow that he had ridden Big Surf, the first functional wave machine that I had heard of, installed in Tempe Arizona where it played to big crowds of mostly non-surfers while real wave riders came, saw, rode and returned to the ocean to avoid what someone dubbed “the big flush”, compared to riding waves in the ocean. To be fair, however, Big Surf deserves credit as a technological wonder that brought surfing inland for the first time. Most coastal surfers enjoyed more natural wonders, like the celluloid visions of Mark Martinson at Sunset Beach nearly completing a 360-degree turn. With the 360 checked off the impossible list, the question immediately arouse among us if leaving the wave and doing what would become known as an aerial was possible. Only a few years after the debut of Big Surf, Santa Cruz’s Kevin Reed blasted air, to be followed much later by Martin Potter and Christian
Fletcher, who answered our question once and for all in the affirmative. A long trip down memory lane brought longboards back into style in the mid ‘80s. By the early nineties we revisited the idea of man-made waves again, this time with standing waves, when the Flowrider debuted, which some described as, “Not quite surfing, but a lot of fun,” and it certainly inspired people to think about the wave making possiblities ahead. The organic world roared back with the Laird Hamilton on Himalayan waves and Kelly breaking double digits. Then, when the idea of artificial waves had been all but lost from the surf community’s collective consciousness, Slater hit again, this time with a wave as deep and crisp and even as any point break had ever produced. It seems I hear daily talk of waves being created in locations far from the ocean. And, like many of you, I am anxious to ride them. While I love the idea of making waves for the world, something remains unsettled—the idea that our beloved pastime and it’s unique heritage that has been cherished by coastal dwellers all these years will somehow be diluted. Our wild and unregulated activity could be bound up with rules and reduced to a shell of what surfing once stood for. Then again, maybe surfing will become more like skiing or snowboarding, where the majority of people ride the cleared land and groomed slopes at the resort with the safety and convenience of chairlifts and the ski patrol, leaving the back country powder untracked, waiting for those adventurous enough to plow their way there and reap nature’s sweet rewards. Perhaps the ancient soul of surfing will survive and we will be divided into our distinct camps. Maybe the majority will pay the price of admission to ride a wave dialed into their liking, and leave the uncertain off-road destinations to those willing to risk everything in getting there. In the end however, the soul of surfing resides not in the waves, but in the heart of each rider. No one said you have to be from the coast to be a surfer and one’s geographic location definitely has no bearing on the ability to feel stoke.
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Art: St e v e R o mero
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Photo: Brody
INNOVATION: SHAPER STUDIOS
I
n a not so distant future a young child will stand on his tippy-toes to pull down a curious object from a shelf. Dusting the book off, he will ask his grandfather with a puzzled look, “What is this?”. Digital media will surpass print books, leaving the hard copies appreciated only by the rare few who respect the tangible connection to the past. The hand shaped surfboard faces a similar fate. The humble skill of designing and hand crafting surfboards has been an integral part of surfing’s history ever since the first waves were ridden. As technology continues to improve and the global economy makes the world seem increasingly smaller, truly hand shaped surfboards are coming harder and harder to come by. A young group of shapers has made it their mission to teach the art and love of hand shaping surfboards to as many individuals
across the globe as possible, and in doing so they are helping to preserve our connection to the roots of surfing. Shaper Studios flagship location is in San Diego, California and pays tribute to the original California surf shops, a place where surfboards were made and local surfers hung out. They provide a DIY surfboard shaping experience for novice surfers and pros alike, with fully equipped shaping bays and the know-how to get you through your project. Shaper Studios have expanded with locations in Hawaii, Chile, Montreal, and Vancouver, and rumors of new locations coming soon. They recently invited us down to their flagship location to partake in the experience of shaping our own surfboard, start to finish, and it didn’t take long for us to understand the value and pure fun of shaping your own surfing equipment. As surfing expands to places beyond our wildest imaginations it Surf Park Mag | 12
will be increasingly important to preserve what we love about the sport, including hand shaped surfboards. It makes a lot of sense for guests to have the ability to get connected with the experience beyond riding waves and feel a part of the great surfing community. The ability to improve your surfing increases when you have the ability to test and change your own equipment. Surfers now have the opportunity to become accutely in tune with their quiver and it is exciting to imagine the level of progression, plus the amount of good old fashion fun to be had , when the variables of the waves can be controlled as well. Shaper Studios Founding Partner, Chris Clark, sums it up perfectly by stating, “Before I started shaping I only got to experience half of surfing and now that I shape my own boards I have a much deeper relationship with surfing and it all comes full circle.”
Pho t o : Ni k el l e Lo v aas
Pho t o : Bro dy
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Pho t o : Gre y Lo ckw o o d
A few words With Chris CLARK: 1) Why do you teach hand shaping versus using machine cut surfboards? We offer something that is not accessible to most people, which is the art of hand shaping. It is something most surfers have always wanted to do, but the barriers of entry are so high they’ve never really had the opportunity to do this. It is on every surfer’s bucket list. 2) How do you see Shaper Studios playing a role in preserving surf culture as surf parks take surfing to new places? Some of the surf parks that have emerged or are proposed are going into places where there is no historical signs of surf culture. There is really no foundation in these communities revealing the authentic history and culture, which are big parts of surfing. Shaper Studios has the opportunity to come in and provide a deep connection to surfing history and culture throught the art of shaping surfboards. 3) What are the benefits to shaping your own surfboard? From a progression standpoint, it is just like Shaun White building his own halfpipe with a foam pit at the end, so that when he does tricks that seem impossible the consequences are limited. It is kind of the same thing, getting a really controlled environment so that you can progress either your surfing or your equipment, likely both. From an experienced surfer’s standpoint there is a huge advantage and from an entry level surfer’s perspective it empowers them to be connected to surfing’s heritage.
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Pat M i l l in
Pho t o : B rody
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WAVES, GERMS & STEEL The Birth of Surfing’s Inequality by Sean Brody
Ever since surfers started to ride waves, for fun or for sport, our capacity to improve has more or less been constrained to the same variables. There is a direct correlation between the time one spends surfing in high quality surf and one’s ability to improve upon their personal best and excel in comparison to others. Simply put, the more time a surfer spends riding quality and consistent waves, the quicker the learning curve is accelerated. Sure, some are born with natural talent that cannot be denied, while others maintain rigorous training and dietary routines to achieve the same level of excellence. Certain predetermined attributes for individual surfers may lend themselves to be advantageous, like longer arms for paddling or larger lungs for holding breath, and some are just a few clicks crazier as far as risk-taking is concerned, but as the age old saying goes, “practice makes perfect.” Well, maybe not perfect, but it sure doesn’t hurt. In his best selling book, Guns, Germs & Steel, author Jared Diamond delves into the complex question of why so much inequality exists in the world today. Diamond states that the best way to understand the answer to why some civilizations have so much stuff and others have so little is to look back in history to a time when everyone on Earth had the same things
and the same opportunities. Essentially, Diamond suggests to look at when there were only nomadic “cavemen” that had to travel regularly in search of food . He questions what advantages took place to have certain civilizations develop into complex societies with written language, advanced tools, and organized governments, while other societies developed at a much slower pace or failed to develop at all. Diamond draws the conclusion that one of the main factors inequalities exist is due to certain civilizations ability to grow crops and store grains. These civilizations were able to ease away from the nomadic lifestyle, as they were no longer worried about chasing food, and in turn the members of the societies that were not hunters were able to take the time to become experts in other areas, such as science, art, technology, farming, and war. When societies no longer needed to rely on following the food sources the learning curve in other areas increased dramatically. What does this have to do with surfing? This has everything to do with surfing, as history has a dependable pattern of repeating itself, and we will see the same transition take place in surfing. Surfers who have to search for quality surf will have less time to hone their skills, while those who have access to perfect waves on demand will have the time to focus on becoming experts.
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WAVES The traditional ocean surfing experience, prior to the introduction of surf parks, typically consists of a few brief, yet glorious, moments on your feet. Fractions of a second of a pristine ride seem like an eternity and are preserved in intimate detail to be relived and retold for decades to come. These fleeting moments compel us to subject ourselves to all sorts of absurdities, while searching all ends of the globe in hopes of logging a few more seconds of toes digging into wax in the old memory. The amount of energy expelled to achieve a few seconds of wave riding is astronomical; that’s part of what makes it so sweet, but, as it stands the fraction of time actually riding waves compared to finding waves, getting ready, paddling out, catching waves, and falling is miniscule. Surf parks will change that. Those with a surf park within close enough proximity will be able to spend much more time actually riding waves, as they will no longer have to search for quality surf in a sea of ever-changing conditions. The opportunity to frequently practice the same maneuvers on identical waves will definitely help athletes progress and will push the limits of the sport. High performance surfing will be taken to a whole new level. Progressive maneuvers will be mastered and new innovative maneuvers will be added to the repertoire, and the best part is that the practice put in at a surf park directly translates to ocean surfing. For instance, rumor has it Sally Fitzgibbons learned how to do air reverses surfing at a surf park. Waiting for the ocean to provide another air section similar to the last could be trying on one’s patience, where surf parks can
replicate the same wave time after time. It is like a skate park for skateboarders or a snowboard park for snowboarders; those who put in the hours in the park get really good. In his book, Diamond continues to describe his hypothesis for human inequality and eventually lands on the topic of guns. In this case, “guns” is used quite literally, meaning weapons that shoot, but the term is also used as a metaphor for “weapons” in general, and furthermore alludes to “technology” or, more importantly, the time to pursue technology. Essentially what Diamond attests to is that once civilizations created more time in their lives by no longer having to chase food, then they had time to focus on things like technology and the development of weaponry. Those civilizations with the most advanced technology and weaponry typically had the highest chance of long-term survival. Swords proved more efficient in battle than stone or wooden weapons, while the invention of guns made swords more or less obsolete. Similarly, surf parks offer surfboard builders and other equipment designers the unprecedented ability to gather real time feedback faster than ever before, fostering rapid refinement of technology and encouraging surfers to be more in tune with their gear. Both surfers and board builders alike will benefit from the newfound accelerated learning curve. The ability for a surfer to perfect their relationship with their equipment could provide the slight edge needed to best their adversaries in a competition, or to at least make the most out of a session.
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Pho t o : Wav e g arden
GERMS Diamond states that the first major advantage for civilizations came with the ability to store and preserve grains and he continues by identifying the second major advantage as the time when civilizations began to domesticate animals. When a civilization is first introduced to a foreign animal species and they try to co-exist in close proximity with the animals it is historically pretty rough on the first few generations. Animals bring diseases and diseases kill people in masses. However, after several generations the people develop antibodies and are able to live more safely amongst the animals. When these same animal species are introduced to human populations that have not lived amongst the animals for generations then the pattern repeats itself. For example, chicken pox and a slue of other diseases were brought to “the new world”, the Americas, from “the old world”, Europe well before the European conquistadors and explorers showed up with their swords and guns. Germs had already done a majority of the damage by arriving through trade routes decimating populations, and weakening or killing leaders, leaving the strong and massive civilizations vulnerable. It was not truly Francisco Pizarro’s rag tag band of conquistadors that fell the Incan empire, nor was it Hérnan Cortés and his fleet of bearded Spaniards’ audacity that truly conquered the Aztec Empire. Sure these men had terribly fast and frightening horses, previously unseen in the region, and they had weapons that could hurt you from afar. However, the guns of this time were incredibly inaccurate and the conquistadors only had a handful between them; although the
guns were loud and intimidating, and potentially fatal, it was truly the germs that preceded the conquistadors that brought these empires to their knees. Surfing is described as a “healthy disease” by surf author, Chris Ahrens, in his article “Wave Pools and Lonely Points” and, with the birth of surf parks, we know that it will spread like never before. Today, surfers that live near the coast have cultivated a culture of aloha and respect that is engrained into the sport. Little tips get handed down from one generation of locals to another. Which trees to line up with on which swells. Best swell angles for desired breaks. Preferred winds and tides. But beyond the surf conditions is an underlying code of ethics and etiquette, which can’t quite be taught in a few sessions. Generations of surfers sculpt the rules of water and define the norms for our tribe and future generations. As this “healthy disease” spreads, there are a few aspects of surfing that have become norms for our culture that we can do without. Snaking, back paddling, and grumpy poker faces can be a thing of the past. With the sprawl of surf parks on the horizon, we have the opportunity to refine who we are as surfers. As surfing continues to spread to horizons unknown, it is the responsibility of the ocean surfers, who have been crafted by generations of surfers before them, to keep all the good stuff, the majority of what we stand for, like safety, etiquette, stoke and the aloha spirit, and leave out the bad bits, like localism, negativity, and intimidation.
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Pho t o : Bro dy
STEEL Finally, Diamond points to the invention of steel as the third differentiating factor for civilizations in regards to inequality, as steel allowed for transportation infrastructure to flourish and led to the ability for organized states to control dynamic civilizations over large geographical locations. Essentially, steel was the missing link that allowed organization and efficiency to flourish. For surfers, “organization and efficiency” often rely around the quest for quality surf, which makes it hard for surfers to focus on anything but waves and surfing. Surf parks will be a game changer in these regards, allowing surfers to schedule surf sessions into their daily lives without having to dedicate hours to research and reconnaissance of locations. This bodes well for top professionals and recreational surfers alike. It is a foregone conclusion that top tier professional surfers will be able to practice on flawless waves regularly and improve their surfing at an exponential rate. With that said, surf parks represent more than the opportunity for great surfers to excel at surfing, surf parks give all surfers the ability to excel at life. Not only can athletes improve on their surfing abilities, but now they do not need to spend so much time trying to get a few decent waves. This means more time for surfers to focus on other areas of their lives. More time for education, more time for professional and creative endeavors, and more time for family. Let’s take education for example. Currently many young aspiring pro surfers do home schooling to make time for searching for waves so they can train. In fact, the search for quality surf is so time consuming that most young professional surfers have to put their education on the sidelines to focus
on their surfing careers, landing a lot of extremely talented surfers in tough situations, without a college degree, when their careers slow down. In contrast, look at College Football and how all of the young athletes aspiring for professional careers must be enrolled in classes and maintain their grades in order to participate on the football team. If a surfer can conveniently get perfect waves and get on with their day then it is a lot easier to maintain a regular school schedule and pass classes. Surf parks will help surfers excel in school, and this is just one example of how those who have access to surf parks will have the time to focus on other areas of their life beyond surfing. Some surfers want to utilize surf parks to master their surfing skills, while others like the convenience of getting a few great waves and getting on with their day, allowing time to focus on other areas of importance. By combining optimal convenience with perfect surf, surf parks streamline the path to success, whatever your definition may be. However, there is an underlying question when it comes to developing surf parks… Will it become an exclusive club model that caters to the rich and leaves those less fortunate in the dust, like a high-end golf course? This is a fair question and I wish I had the magic answer, but I do not and it will not be a one-size-fits all solution. What I can say is that it does not have to be that way. If early best practices are put into place to establish programs that cater to those in lower socio-economic brackets and if this challenge is given some consideration by surf park developers early on in the planning process the gap of inequality can be bridged at the gates of your local surf park.
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Pho t o : Wav e g arden
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Surf Parks: Accessible for All I by Jon Richards
t seems like nowadays building a surf park is on everyone’s mind. Think about it…having a wave pool in your back yard and being able to surf any kind of wave whenever you want. It is every surfer’s dream. With that said, this utopian vision must include everyone, and therefor we must look past the endless supply of pefect waves and understand how to offer access to everyone. Accessibility in the United States has been law for almost 30 years when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990. The law was designed to protect against discrimination towards disability and to allow reasonable accommodations for those who may need them. Although this is an area that still requires diligent attention, we are much better today than it was in the past. For the last ten years the popularity of adaptive surfing has grown so much that it has broken through the barriers and become a mainstay of adaptive sports. Surfing has an opportunity to rise above, where other sports have not. It has a moral obligation to cultivate accessibility when constructing surf parks and wave pools. Think about it for a minute. We want to build surf parks to help develop the sport of surfing and if we make parks accessible to anyone, then we are doing a great justice to the development of the sport and the people who participate. Constructing an accessible surf park benefits everyone. You should not think of it as beneficial to just a particular population, but an opportunity to provide value for all who use the park. It improves the ease of access to a sport that is rapidly growing in popularity. This is true for people with and without disabilities, kids, senior citizens, beginners and so many more. For the purpose of this article when we talk about accessibility, we mean all populations. When designing accessibility in the park, it should include physical features and non-physical features. Physical
features would include the layout of the park and ease of mobility within the park. Non-physical features would include the employees and the support that staff can offer their guests. Before we discuss physical features, I truly believe that a park must have the properly trained staff to utilize the physical aspects within the facility. Staff should be trained on how to assist surfers who may need the extra support. You can have the most accessible facility in the world, but if you do not know how to use it, then it is not nearly as effective. Improperly trained personnel will not know how to serve their customers, which often can become a safety hazard or make the park inaccessible. Trainings should be designed to incorporate all populations, to include people with and without disabilities. There will need to be an emphasis on cultural and sensitivity awareness along with learning about different disabilities and disorders. Another focus needs to be on safely transferring a surfer into another chair or onto a surfboard while in the water. The trainings are key to the safety of any program or facility’s success.
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Photo: Cou rte sy CC Robe rts
The next topic is to address physical features. What physical features should we consider when designing for accessibility? The first thing to understand is that accessibility must be placed into the initial designs of the surf park. Some of the build may cost extra money upfront. However, later if it is determined that you need the extra features and they were not built into the original construction, it will cost you more down the road. This could be a costly mistake and can incur major overhauls which could close the facility for periods of time. The design should start in the parking lot with closer, designated facility parking and extra space offered. This allows for more room to get in and out of the vehicle while having the additional space for accessing personal equipment, such as: wheelchair, walker, surfboard, waveski, medical supplies and anything else that may be needed. When leaving the parking lot, there needs to be clearly displayed curb cuts that are available in order to move to the walkway to get to the main facility. If a staircase is present, a ramp or elevator will be required. If the facility has multiple
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levels this will be a concern throughout. Bathrooms should also be a main focus allowing extra space and wider stalls. Other things to be included are larger changing rooms and roll-in showers, with a bench. This can allow for privacy, but also will keep the bathroom stalls open if a person is changing their clothes. On the deck top there are several things to consider. One is the ability to move around on the deck. Is there enough space to maneuver a wheelchair? Is the deck made of wood or concrete to help improve mobility? Are there obstacles in the way like tables, steps, or other people? With a well thought out plan, solutions for each are easy to put into place. Plenty of shade should be provided as a safe place for people to cool down in the heat of the sun. Another thing to lay out are benches for people to eat or hang out while watching the action. There will need to be space for wheelchairs to roll up to a bench or table. This can be as easy as taking chairs away from a table; however, it should be outlined in a plan.
system would utilize beeping sounds and would require an overhead cabling system that could move the noise maker throughout the wave. An initial beeping sound can get a surfer set in the correct place of the lineup to prepare for the wave. Once there, another beeping sound would come towards the surfer as the wave approaches. The noise would get faster and the sound closer/louder as the wave approaches the surfer. Beeping can continue and stay above the pocket of the wave, again promoting independence. There are endless possibilities to help improve access to surf parks and this committed effort will take pre-planning. It will begin in the design of the facility and proper training of staff. It is imperative to do both in order to operate a safe and accessible facility. Doing this with a well thought out plan will also help with branding of the facility. It would be a good opportunity for marketing and stating (and really meaning it) that everyone can participate. More people are likely to go to a user friendly facility, rather than spending money and time at a facility with limited access. Overall, the final product further develops the sport of surfing and is beneficial to all who enjoy the activity.
Pho t o : C o urt esy
* Author, Jon Richards, is the Supervising Therapuetic Recreational Therapist for the City of San Diego
Spi k e K an e
Entry into the wave pool can be difficult for most. An easy option is to have a ramp with rubber flooring that goes into the water. The ramp should have a railing so people who can walk have the extra support when entering. The ramp should lead to where the takeoff originates and the surfer can get to with ease. Not everyone will need a ramp, so steps into the water would be a good addition. A great feature would be to have a beach style grade (ramp) that exits in the water across the entire width of the pool. This will benefit everyone. Once off the wave and paddling in you will not need to search for an exit. This can be difficult when eyesight is at water level and an exit is harder to see. Another way to improve entering and exiting a wave pool includes access to a beach wheelchair. Since there are many kinds of beach wheelchairs to choose from, having a couple of options is important. Each surfer will have a different level of independence. Wave size, type and speed should be regulated for the skill and ability level of all surfers. Surf parks with several options to different kinds of waves and pre-determining the setup of the wave improves access to surfing. This will make a difference in someone having a good experience or not. The water temperature can also influence accessibility. An example of this is that people with spinal cord injuries do not have the ability to control body temperature regulation. If the facility is not equipped to control water temperatures, then they should provide or rent wetsuits to people that may not have one. The future of adaptive surfing or assisting someone to surf is optimistic with the help of surf parks. As time progresses there will be innovations that will be developed to assist people in surfing. Such ideas will further revolutionize the wave pool and surfing altogether. One idea is to use a winch system similar to wakeboarding. A surfer who may not have the ability to paddle into a wave could benefit from such a system to get them into a wave without being pushed. The system may include a remote on the handle that the surfer could control. This would promote independence which allows the surfer to initiate getting into the wave without a second person’s assistance. Another innovation could benefit people who are visually impaired or someone who needs to learn when to paddle for a wave. This
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EYES ON
CHEYNE MAGNUSSEN
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Ima ge s Cou rte sy of Ame rican Wa v e Machin e s
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Pho t o : M i k e Bal zer
Pho t o : Brent Bi el mann
Surf Park Magazine caught up with Cheyne Magnussen to chat about riding waves...
I’m here with Cheyne Magnussen and we’re going to have a cup of coffee and talk a little bit about surfing. Yup, all types of surfing. [laughs]
Awesome. So a few hats, for sure. Too many hats. [laughs] Ocean surfing was your first love, how’d you get into it?
Exactly. If you don’t mind starting us out by telling us a bit about your background. Where you grew up, how long you have been surfing, and your experience in the surf industry… I’m Cheyne Magnussen. I grew up in Lahaina, Maui. I’ve been a professional surfer for the better part of 15 years now. I did the WQS, competed, rode for companies like Quiksilver, Body Glove, Nixon to name a few. I traveled the world and now I’m venturing into the industry side of things a little more. I’ve been working with Body Glove in the marketing department, working with the team for the better part of the last three years and I’m now the Marketing Manager at American Wave Machines amongst other things.
Surprisingly enough, I got into it because I couldn’t find my boogie board. That’s what I did when we lived in Maui early on. You know, me and my buddies would go, “let’s get the boogie board and go to the shore break!” We went in the shed one day and no boogie board. There happened to be a surfboard there. My buddy’s like, “My dad has a surfboard in his shed, too!” And that’s all she wrote, dude. We took two surfboards out, paddled ourselves out into the whitewater, stood up, been hooked ever since. Haven’t stopped.
Have you boogie boarded since?
Haven’t boogie boarded since. No, dude. Boogie boards are so fun though! They are kind of like mopeds, you know. They’re really fun to ride, you just don’t want your friends to see you on them. [laughs]
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You have been involved in wave pools, standing waves, surf parks, surf pools, etc. What was your initial draw t o surfing outside the ocean? How did you get involved? I got introduced to out-of-ocean surfing through one of the owners of Body Glove, Robbie Meistrell. He had become friends and started working with Bruce and Marie McFarland, the owners of American Wave Machines. And at the time, they only had the Surf Stream Technology, which is their standing wave, capable of putting out a wave that is 14 inches deep, so you can use a surfboard with fins. It’s not the same thing as ocean surfing, but it’s definitely surfing and it is a ton of fun! Robbie was the owner of Body Glove, so he had the surf team at his fingertips and he asked me, “Hey, would you be willing to go try this new standing wave technology?” And, I’ve always been an advocate of surfing of all kinds and I’ve always said that anything that allows me to stand on a board on a wave more often, I’m all about it. I don’t surf for the paddling, you know, I surf because I love standing on a wave on a board. So when I got presented that opportunity, he was like, “yeah, you just surf,” and I said, “yes, absolutely.” So I took a trip, ended up going to Peru, to the facility down there and just had a blast man. It was so much fun. We rode the wave all day, for like three days straight. At what point did it click for you that there might be something here as far as a real cornerstone in surfing development and that surfing’s future is going to have to ackno wledge this technology? For me, it actually occurred a few years ago, in like 2012-2013, when I saw their (American wave Machines) scale model of their Perfect Swell Technology. I started playing around with it and they pretty much had to drag me out of the lab because I was freaking out about how cool it was. My mind went from this one to two inch little sequence of waves I was
creating to just visualizing the potential. If these waves were scaled up you could train people to paddle in and surf just like you do in the ocean and the learning curve would be that much greater because you could throw the same wave at them over and over. So, I’d say about four or five years ago I thought surf parks could change the face of surfing as we know it and, in my opinion, for the better. How do these worlds collide? You have ocean surfing and then you have man-made artificial sur fing experiences that are popping up in all sorts of different forms, destinations, and venues. Where do you see the synergies? Where do you see the complements of ocean surfing to man-made surfing experiences? Where do you see the gaps? At this time that’s like the most asked question, that’s the hot button issue, so to speak. I love ocean surfing first and foremost too. I don’t think anybody is ever saying, “This is identical to the ocean,” but we’re going to get pretty darn close coming up here. Now, where I see the synergies and what I think is important for us as, first and foremost, ocean surfers, to do when these facilities start getting built in places like Ohio or Wisconsin or Texas, I think it’s the responsibility of the guys like myself who are involved in it to spread the culture that we grew up loving and respecting and knowing; making sure that mentality of what surfing truly means for all ocean surfers is being shared at these facilities, helping to spread the culture in the right way- a responsible way. Alternatively, we (ocean surfers) know all the unwritten rules of the line-up, which will not be present at surf parks. There’s a pecking order in the line-up. So, I think it’s our responsibility to educate the newer inland surfers, I guess we can call them, as they prepare to surf in the ocean.
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What values from the global surf community do you want to make sure remain intact as we bring surfing to where surfing has never been? Well, it’s going to be interesting for someone like myself who grew up surfing in the ocean, it’s just engrained in me. Now we will be dealing with surfers that literally have never seen the ocean. So, I think it’s about promoting that healthy lifestyle, promoting that Aloha spirit, not to sound too tacky, but that’s part of the surf culture, the heritage.
That encompasses a lot… the Aloha spirit. How do we maintain that cultural fabric? To speak to that, there’s a culture in ball sports. There’s a football culture, there’s a jock culture you know. That’s not really us, like you said. We can go around the world and everyone who’s out in the line-up on a surfboard, we have the same understanding and you have the same kind of morals that the older guys taught you about surfing culture. It is going to be our responsibility to teach that (culture) to people who have never seen a surfboard.
On the flipside, is there anything you would like to see left out o r is there anything you’ would like to change? To be honest, I could do without the localism thing. I understand when there are waves of consequence and people are out there endangering themselves and others, that those people should be told, “today might not be for you.” But, the whole localism without purpose, where it’s just to be a bully, to be an asshole to someone, I could do without that. I didn’t start surfing to become a part-time UFC fighter. That’s not what got me into the sport. The draw was “Oh my God! That looks so cool and so much fun.” So, I’d love to see that kind of kicked to the curb when it comes to out-of-ocean surfing. What I would like to see kind of integrated in there instead, because I come from a skateboard background as well, is more of the camaraderie that you see at skate parks. For example, you can show up at the YMCA in Encinitas to skate the kidney bowl and there could be Bucky Lasek, Tony Hawk, a bunch of top name pros at the bowl and there will be someone learning to kick turn on that
same bowl, a beginner. When the beginner lands the kick turn, those guys will be cheering for him. You parallel that with surfing, a lot of times the best guys in the world will see a beginner trying to learn and they will be like, “Hey, get out of here!” It is the opposite and I’ve never been that stoked on that. I think when you take out the limited resource that ocean waves are, you’ll get more camaraderie. I’m pretty excited about it and I’d love to see that kind of mindset instilled into (the guests of) these facilities. So I know you have several surfing milestones to speak of, tell us about China. China, yeah the tidal bore. The Silver Dragon [laughs]. I’ve been lucky enough to compete in the Silver Dragon Contest the last two years running and it’s one of the most unique waves I’ve ever set foot on. Basically, we are surfing an hour and a half long tidal wave. You’re about 13-14 miles upriver from any ocean and on a really low tide, the high tide will start to fill in and it funnels into this river and a wave forms. It starts at the mouth and breaks all the way down through this city called Xiang Zhou and we catch it at this bridge, Bridge Nine. You use jet-skis and you have a partner and you do step-offs into it. It’s one wave that constantly moves down this river and the river is about a mile wide at its widest points. If you had a wide and fat enough surfboard you could probably ride the wave for 20 minutes at a time. I mean, you couldn’t handle it, your legs are Jell-O after like two minutes. It is one of the most unique surfing experiences in the world because you are surfing a natural phenomenon. I think it falls somewhere in the middle of ocean surfing and artificial wave surfing. Like I said earlier, I am all for anything that allows me stand on a wave longer. To me, that is surfing! So the tidal bore is one of the most radical experiences you can have, because you can ride until your legs give out! Plus, it is so cool to see all the Chinese people come out and line the sides of the river to watch. None of them even surf, but it is such a spectacle and really brings people together. So how does that fall in the spectrum with ocean
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Photos: Ame ri c an Wav e M achi nes
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What are you excited about at American Wave Machines? We’re most excited about Texas. I, and the company are most excited about the facility going into Waco, Texas. We partnered up with Barefoot Ski Ranch, everyone calls it BSR, and they are taking a two acre lagoon on their property and they’re putting in a Perfect Swell, which is our natural wave technology. You can change the frequency, you can essentially control the buoys. That to me is the most potential I see for out-of-ocean surfing becoming more relevant to core surfers and new surfers alike. As a new dad, how would a surf park help you to maintain your wave count ? To me, it makes the family surf trip more doable. Because as it sits right now, if you want to get some waves in boardshorts we’re looking at Hawaii, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Tahiti. Those are big plane tickets, those are big boardbag fees, and the lodging there isn’t cheap either. We have to rent a car, we have to do the whole thing. Multiply that by x number of family members. If you can get an authentic, super cool, good surf experience in the States domestically, that reduces your cost and reduces your worry of international travel with the family., then why not? Your wife and your kids are no problem at a surf park, so as a family man you won’t have to fight to get really good waves. It’s going to make the family surf trip a lot more feasible and a lot more streamlined for all those dads out there that want to get tubed. Me being one of them.
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Pho t o : Brent Bi el mann
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SO YOU WANT TO OPEN A SURF PARK? Avoid these 13 Dreaded Pitfalls by Seán Young
Pho t o : Surf Lo ch
S
eán Young, Head of Destination Consulting at Colliers International, has ample experience advising clients on the development of surf parks across the world. Young has over 22 years of working in leisure, tourism, hospitality and real estate development, and has been the lead business advisor on 14 proposed surf park projects, including Surf Snowdonia which opened in 2015. He is currently busy working on proposed surf parks in the UK, Germany and the US.
As you can imagine, the development of a large scale, dynamic surf park attraction is a complex process. There are countless issues that need to be considered, challenges to overcome, and a wide range of specialist skills and expertise required. Young took the liberty of breaking it down for us and states that, “To help simplify the process for our clients we find it useful to summarise all of these issues and challenges under three broad headings – ‘the three legged stool’ so to speak of market, technical and financial pitfalls.”
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MARKET-RELATED PITFALLS During the development journey, particularly during the early stages, we have witnessed a number of common market-related pitfalls:
1. It’s not just about surfing....
2. It’s not just about demographics....
As many developers are passionate surfers themselves, there is often too much focus on the size and quality of the wave and not enough on the overall experience of the surf park. A surf park needs to be a successful visitor attraction and considerable thought needs to be given to the needs of both surfers and non-surfers. For example, Surf Snowdonia attracts more non-surfers than surfers to its site and capturing revenue from these visitors is important to operational viability.
There are many occasions when we have to review business plans that have been prepared for new attractions on behalf of banks or potential investors. In the majority of cases, the so called ‘market analysis’ is limited to analysing the size and profile of the resident and tourist catchments. Of course this is very important but when it comes to visitor attractions, and this applies to surf parks, there are a raft of other factors that can impact visitor performance and need to be considered such as: -
Val ue fo r t i m e an d m o n e y Ge n e ral pri c i n g an d m e m be rshi p a ppro ach M ark e t i n g pl an an d bu dg e t Se aso n al i t y an d c a pac i t y Lo cat i o n , ac c e ss an d v i si bi l i t y D ay v e rsu s st ay v i si t o rs R e pe at abi l i t y Q u al i t y o f t he m an a g e m e n t t e am
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3. It’s not just about capacity + occupancy.... The issue of surf park capacity and occupancy (lagoon capacity divided by total surfers), when applied to visitor forecasting, can be very misleading. The only time that occupancy should become important is if there is an issue with limited capacity in the wave lagoon itself. Interestingly, capacity of the main wave at the three open surf parks (Wadi Adventure, Surf Snowdonia and NLand) is currently a constraint but it is a very serious error to assume that simply by increasing capacity, visitor numbers will increase. Also, comparing the occupancy achieved at different surf parks is deceptive. With new surf park technologies emerging that can produce a very high number of waves per hour, it will be more imperative than ever that user projections are based on location specific market analysis and not a simple occupancy approach.
Pho t o : Wav e g arden
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TECHNICAL-RELATED PITFALLS
During the development journey, there are a number of common technical-related pitfalls to look out for.
4.Operational efficiency of site + building design.... Typically not enough attention is given to the potential operational impact of site and building locations and design. As an example, with staffing being one of the largest annual expenditure items, it is important to consider the impact of design on staffing requirements. Often functions that could potentially be shared, if designed carefully, are placed in separate buildings or locations demanding additional dedicated staff.
7. Budget for contingencies.... Over the past twenty years I have been involved in well over 100 leisure projects, but I can count on one hand the number of times a project has cost less than anticipated to deliver. Yet it is still very common for clients to underestimate the capital costs and not have sufficient budget for contingencies.
5.Planning permission 6.Ground and permits.... conditions.... This should be obvious but there are many cases when projects move into the expensive construction phase without having the necessary permits in place. This is a risky approach and although understandable at times, it should be avoided if at all possible. In particular, it is very important that the local council recognise that the surf park body of water is not a swimming pool, but rather a recreational lake. This has been an issue on many projects that we have worked on and can have a major impact on financial viability.
Given that surf lagoon construction can require substantial earth movement it is important to conduct early ground condition surveys to avoid future problems with contamination or flooding and estimate the cost of civil works, which can vary significantly depending on ground conditions.
8. Construction changes that impact on operational budget....
9. Sufficient testing period....
This may well be the most common technical pitfall that I have seen over the years. An operational plan has been prepared based on a series of annual revenue and expenditure forecasts aligned with the original design plans. However, during construction decisions are made, typically to help reduce capital costs, that then have very significant impact on the on-going operational financial plan. Mistakes can include changes to areas, design specification or complete removal of elements of the park without full consideration of the impact on future revenues.
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Finally, although there can be significant pressure to open the park as soon as possible, it is important to allow for a sufficient testing period. It is better to delay and get it right than open and have problems which disappoint customers.
FINANCIAL-RELATED PITFALLS
As you can imagine there are many potential pitfalls in the financial planning of a new surf park development. Below are some of the most common.
10. Cost of land.... Given the relatively large land requirement of surf parks, the cost of land has a significant impact on the potential financial viability of the development. Our advice with regards to choice of site is not to spend valuable time looking at any land that could be used for other commercial development such as residential, office or retail. In these cases the price of the land is likely to be too high. Instead it is better to focus on that land that is already allocated for leisure (e.g. golf courses, sports fields) or agricultural land that could secure a change of use permit.
11. Unsupported and ambitious revenue projections.... The majority of revenue streams in the surf park will be driven by visitors. If a robust and detailed market analysis has been prepared, then this should reduce the risk of projecting overly ambitious visitor income. However, we have seen cases where the client has increased the proposed ticket pricing but assumed the visitor forecast would remain as originally projected. We have also seen many cases of high retail and catering income projections that were based solely on high spend per head forecasts without also checking the projections in terms of lease rates and/or sales per square foot.
12. The real number of staff required....
13. Business build up over years....
Somewhat linked to the point above, it is very easy to under estimate the number of staff that will be required to operate a successful surf park. Increased visitors and higher revenue typically demands more staff. It is important to estimate the annual operational hours of the park and then work back to how many staff will be required to cover these hours. For example, in a surf park that is open from morning to evening, 7 days a week, as many as 3 staff may need to be hired to cover a single front of house position. Furthermore, we would advise on introducing as much flexibility in staff roles as possible e.g. surf instructors also work as life guards, or reception staff also work as retail staff, and so on.
The performance of visitor attractions can vary considerably from year to year, particularly in the early years after opening. New attractions typically perform well in the first couple of years and then visitor numbers can fall to what becomes the established ‘stabilised’ annual forecast. The attraction then has to invest in renewal, marketing incentives, events, etc. to try to sustain visitor numbers at the ‘stabilised’ year target. With regards to surf parks, we believe that there are two very different user profiles to consider. For beginners and very occasional surfers a ‘honeymoon period’ in the first few years like at other attractions can be expected. However, for dedicated surfers we might expect to see user numbers growing steadily over the years. This is because a surf park has the great ability to grow its own market of dedicated users over time. People who were the beginners in early years will progress and become regular users later. The financial model for the surf park should try to reflect this potential growth profile over five to ten years in the projections for the different types of users and for revenue generated by retail, catering, photography, etc.
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ONE FINAL THOUGHT
As someone who works as a ‘destination development consultant’, I may be somewhat biased when I say that it is vitally important to get some good independent advice at the early stage of the development process. However, I genuinely find it hard to understand when new leisure projects are launched with incredibly ambitious aspirations that are not backed up by some robust market, technical and financial viability work. I have seen cases where millions of dollars have been spent on new leisure projects that go out of business within the first couple of years. A relatively small bit of time and money spent at the early stage of planning could save millions of dollars down the line.
Kalan i Cha pman
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Photo: Ame ri c an Wav e M achi nes
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CHasin g MINIS P H O T O
G A L L E RY
by Nathan French
Perfection comes in all sizes and Southern California based photographer, Nathan French, has an eye for creating images of flawless waves that beg to be mind surfed. While the rest of the world has been mesmerized with chasing Mavericks, French has been dedicated to chasing minis.
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YOU CREATE THE BRAND WE CREATE THE STORY
owlhousecreative.com
BRINGING SAND TO THE BEACH The Argument For Building Surf Parks Near The Ocean by Janos Palko
T
Janos Palko is Director of Marketing at Honokea Surf Villages
he ocean has a undeniable, inexplicable draw, and for nearly 100 years, man has been attempting to replicate its waves. In the last five years we have seen the debut of artificial wave pool technology that provides the frequency and surfingquality required to be a profitable business anchor, the missing puzzle piece which will undoubtedly trigger the proliferation of surf parks throughout the world. Up until this point, nearly all ‘surf pools’ have been a marginally profitable loss-leader for large-scale water parks. The Ocean Dome in Miyazaki, Japan, is an example where the wave pool was legitimately good, but the technology to create this wave was so expensive to operate that the wave pool was closed in 2007. The technology is here, now the question is... where to build them? More specifically, does it make sense to build a surf park anywhere near a coastline that serves up waves for free?
To date, the only three “Surf Parks” in existence are in Austin, Texas, Dolgarrog in Wales, and Dubai, nowhere near quality natural waves. From a business standpoint, this would seem logical because bringing waves to a landlocked city means a total lack of competition. No ocean means no other option. It also means there are not many surfers living nearby, which greatly limits any existing customer base. Such surf park developments must ‘grow’ their own customer base, transforming non-surfers into surfers, which takes some time. However, not nearly as long as becoming a surfer in the ocean, which can take decades, even a lifetime to achieve. In a controlled environment with unlimited perfect waves, the learning curve becomes dramatically steeper. How much steeper remains to be seen, but the fact remains: landlocked surf parks will have to create their own
demand by teaching their guests to surf. Most of the new surf park venues create varying wave sizes for different ability levels, from beginner to professional. In places such as Austin, Texas, it will take some time before guests learn the skills necessary to ride the more expert waves on offer. Once this happens, the park will enjoy quite the captive audience, but until then, the park must rely largely on visiting surfers to fill the advanced waves in their lagoon. Luckily for NLand, Austin boasts over 24 million visitors each year. There are currently three more surf park developments on the way in Australia, which are near natural waves: Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney; and the company I am involved with, Honokea Surf Villages, is working on a project in California within a short drive of the beach. We are relying on the idea that surfers will pay to surf when the ocean is right there. Why would we do this?
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Pho t o : Bro dy
Our theory is that surf parks (in the 100 acre or less range) can be profitable in places where the surf demand far outweighs the natural supply of waves for reasons such as: natural surf quality/frequency, crowds, weather, etc. as long as the local population is large enough. Places that have consistently great uncrowded waves, AND are near large population centers are very rare, if not non-existent. This is why you will most likely be seeing surf parks built in and around many major cities in America, regardless of existing natural surf. We did extensive field research and found that in a crowded lineup on a good day, your average surfer gets five waves/hour each lasting roughly eight seconds long. That is 40 seconds of ride time per hour, and in reality most of those waves are less than perfect In a wave pool, each surfer gets 10-15 waves per hour, each lasting 20+ seconds. When you compare the ride time of 40 seconds/hour to 200-300 seconds/hour, that means one hour in a wave pool equals five to seven plus hours of surfing in the ocean. Considering that each wave in a pool is perfect, creating a repeatable learning environment for improvement, you can see why people might pay for that experience.
By our metrics of viability, a surf park (in the 100 acre or less range) needs a minimum of 1 million residents within a 30 minute drive, and an annual visitor base of 5 million to be profitable. These same numbers seem to hold true wether or not real waves are present or not because surfing near any city means big crowds and less waves. Another thing to consider is that landlocked surf parks will serve as the ‘Johnny Appleseed’ of surf culture for that region, taking on the responsibility to educate guests on what surfing is, as well as how to do it. “It is a Pandora’s Box, bringing waves to new places carries a lot of responsibility beyond just teaching people how to ride those waves,” says Hawaiian Surf Ambassador and Honokea President Brian Keaulana. Whereas surf parks built near surf will serve as a ocean-supplement: real surfers training to ultimately take those skills back into the ocean. The latter must be sensitive to the existing surf culture in that region. Surfers are very sensitive and protective of their lifestyle and any perceived exploitation efforts are met with crossed arms. While surfers may only make up a small fraction of the population, their opinions and sphere of influence stretches far into popular culture.
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Let’s take a look at the Sou thern C alifornia region to illustrate these points. Case Study: So Cal as a surf park location
Southern California is the home of modern day surf culture. The entire surf industry is based in Orange County, and the entire coastline from San Diego to Santa Barbara is densely dotted with world renowned surf spots, with an estimated 1.6 million surfers in Southern California. In short, not many places on earth hold more wave-hungry surfers than Southern California. The stretch of coast from Point Conception to San Diego forms a massive bay which provides shelter from the harsh seas of Central and Northern California, providing a perfect zone of surf potential. So Cal also faces West, which means it can get swell year-round, from the Northern Hemisphere in the Winter, and the Southern Hemisphere in Summer. While Southern California can have truly world-class waves, but they do not happen all that often. Quality of surfing waves vary greatly from spot to spot, with some of the best waves on the coast only offering five or less days of good waves per year, and some waves offering up to 300 days of good surf per year. And even on the good days, the waves don’t stay good for more than a few hours. Here are the reasons that a surf park could be profitable despite the access to the ocean in Southern California:
Crowds:
With such a massive surf population that continues to grow, and a finite amount of surf spots and waves, the individual’s wave count (how many waves you catch) is perpetually dropping. Overcrowding has led to territorial surfers, ‘localism’ and violence.
Swell:
The seasonal nature of the storms that generate waves means that certain parts of the coastline lay dormant during certain seasons, adding to the overcrowding problem. Santa Barbara and South Los Angeles are dormant during the Summer, and North Los Angeles and parts of orange county are dormant during the Winter. Also, since Southern California is tucked under Point Conception and the Channel Islands block certain swells, the entire coast experiences yearly ‘flat spells’ where the waves disappear for a month or more at a time. ‘Flat spells’ typically occur in Spring and Summer.
Wind:
The dominant wind pattern in So Cal is typically calm winds in the morning, which is great for surfing, and by 10am the onshore winds caused by convection (land heating up from the sun) pick up, ruining the waves by 11am. Winds are typically worse in spring and early summer.
Tide:
California has a nine foot tidal range, and water depth greatly affects how waves break. Most spots only offer good waves on certain tides, further limiting suitable surf time
Daylight:
Nine hours of daylight during the winter means surfing after or before work is probably not an option. 14 hours of daylight in the summer is great, but that is when the waves are at their worst compared to the rest of the year.
Dangers:
There have been a number of great white shark sightings and attacks in Southern California, keeping many people away from the ocean. Pollution, currents, and large waves can also be problematic.
Costs:
Surfing is not free, not even in the ocean. According to the Surfrider Foundation’s 2011 study titled, “A Socioeconomic and Recreational Profile of Surfers in the United States”, the average surfer in California surfs 120 times/year and spends $59 per surf session. He/she also drives 28 miles each way to surf.
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D id you know? ON AVERAGE, IT COSTS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE MONEY TO
Photo: Creativ e Commons
Yadin Nicol
Photo: Wave garden
BUILD A SOCCER STADIUM THAN A SURF PARK.
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Historic MOMENTS 1989 PROTOTYPE FLOWRIDER
Tom Lochtefeld test rides a prototype of what would become the Flo wRider® sheet wav e attraction at Ra ging Waters Waterpark, San Dimas (Los Angeles).
To date, Flowrider sheet waves have been installed at more than 200 attractions and venues around the world, including onboard Carnival Cruise Ships. The Flowrider technology was the precursor to its gnarlier cousin, the hollow, overhead FlowBarrel, otherwise knows as the “Bruticus Maximus”. These sheet waves gave birth to the sport of Flowboarding, a finless wave riding experience, which got a lot of people thinking about making artificial waves and helped perpetuate the eventual development of Surf Parks with waves that move, more closely emulating an ocean surfing experience.
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Tom Lochte fe ld
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Photos: Su rf Lo ch
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Ne w 2017 model
PHOTO: TIM MCCAIG
| RIDER: KEVIN
SCHULZ
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