Coast for surfing wave pool?

Surf Scene outlines why the Gold Coast is the perfect fit for the controversial wave pools.

THE launch of Australia’s first wave pool at Yeppoon has sparked more than 400 inquires worldwide – and don’t be surprised to see more wave pools built with the Gold Coast targeted as a potential future location.

The Yeppoon facility is only a test facility and basically a full-sized prototype to sell the idea to potential licensees.

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The Surf Lake uses a giant wave machine to generate concentric swells in the centre of a lagoon which is about 200m by 180m.

Like a centrifugal plunger powered by diesel generators and compressed air, the waves radiate out and then intersect with four reefs.

Surf Lakes Ambassador Mark Occhilupho performing his familiar off the top snap at “Occy’s Peak,” Yeppoon.

Each reef has a left and a right multiple peak.

‘FROTHING’ FOR WORLD SHOT

Each concentric swell creates eight separate waves.

At full capacity it can create around five swells per minute. That’s five swells times eight breaks: That adds up to 40 waves per minute.

Maximum wave size will be about 2.4 metre face height although the demo day was more like one metre and anywhere in-between.

It can cater for the pros, advanced, intermediate and beginner.

It is totally different to Kelly Slater’s wave pool that resembles a left or right point break using a large foil on a “train” producing a boat wash-style wave.

Whereas the Lakes offers a series of multiple random short and punchy peaks breaking similar to a reef break or beach break.

Wave pools would be a welcome development for the Tweed and Gold Coast where the main breaks are suffering from overcrowding.

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This future development would help alleviate overcrowding from the well-established surf breaks that have reached saturation point.

The City of Gold Coast is planning to build an artificial reef break at Palm Beach in 2019 with no certainty that it will create a perfect wave, whereas the money is now on wave pools like Kelly’s and Yeppoon.

Most agree that that a mechanical wave will never be as good as the natural ocean generated swell.

The wave pool is predictable and repetitive compared to the oceans unpredictable attraction.

Incredible when you think that Kelly’s wave pool has created the perfect wave yet it is boring when presented as a WCT event.

First impressions of Yeppoon is that it can only generate a quick fast ride and needs more size. But hey, these are early days and already the technology is capable of anything.

Keep watching this space for more updates.