Is The Surf Lakes Wave Pool Coming To A City Near You?

Last month Stab traveled to Yeppoon, Queensland to see Australia’s first wavepool. What we discovered was initially amazing – Mad-Max-ian rigs creating five waves at a time (10 if you count left and right), little barrels at one peak, air sections on another, and playful walls elsewhere – but this feeling of incredulity eventually passed.  

After a week of watching waist-to-chest-high waves at highly variable intervals, it was hard not to become disillusioned with the machine.

“Just turn this thing up already!” was the visitors’ general sentiment. 

So they turned this thing up already and the machine broke – snapped the plunger in half as if it were made of eggshells and not a thousand tons of reinforced steel. 

“It’s just a part,” said Wayne Dart, Surf Lakes’ media director. “Parts can be replaced. The important thing is that we showed the technology can work.”

As it turns out, Mr. Dart was right. Since the pool broke in October, Surf Lakes has procured licensing deals in six cities around the world. Let’s read Surf Lakes’ press release for more info:

Gold Coast, Qld, Australia: Following the success of full scale prototype testing of the 5 Waves Surf Lake in Queensland in November 2018, licensee enquiries have been flooding in from around the globe en masse.

Well over 200 parties have actively been seeking information about how to purchase a Surf Lakes license and at least six parties are positioning to begin construction in 2019 with a view to opening commercial surf parks using 5 Waves technology in 2020. 

The leading 6 projects are as follows:

In the US, one site in California and one in Arizona have been marked out and early stage design is underway for each. There is also one site in Western Australia as well as in London, Spain and Brazil. Licensees for all 6 sites intend to commence construction in 2019, with completion in 2020.

“Our plan for 2019 was always to commence construction of at least two commercial spec 5 Wave Surf Lakes,” Trevis continued. “But with the inbound interest from such quality licensees, we now believe that three or even four could commence construction next year, and be open to the public within 24 months.”

Hear that, guy from Arizona named Rick? 2021 could be your year!