Slater Designs, in collaboration with Firewire Surfboards, has introduced the BOSS UP, a new performance midlength surfboard model created by 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater and surfboard designer Dan Mann. The BOSS UP, an evolution of the popular S BOSS model, is designed for a variety of conditions and aims to provide surfers with a versatile option for cruising, catching waves, and having fun. Available in sizes ranging from 6’6” to 7’6”, the board offers a longer rail line that enhances sensations of drive and control, allowing surfers to improve their performance capabilities. Accordi ..read more

In a surprise announcement, Palm Springs Surf Club has shut its wave pool for unknown reasons. The desert wave pool was shut down on January 12 this year for unexpected work and only reopened a week ago this April. For the wave pool industry the announcement elicited a collective moan of despair. All surf park operators have experienced problems. Some are public, like the fatal shut down of equipment at Adventure Parc Snowdonia, but most incidents are just temporary as engineers hit the Problem Solve button. But this knowledge doesn’t make it any easier for the paying public. “You aren’t going ..read more

Lakeside Surf, aiming to establish itself as a global riversurf hub, has announced the addition of a new event to its annual calendar. The first-ever Battle of the Butte competition is scheduled for June 28 and 29 and is open to surfers of all levels. The event will feature male and female categories across four divisions, offering participants the opportunity to compete for a chance to join Team USA at the 2024 Continental Surf Cup. Lakeside Surf Manager Jared Eygabroad stated that the event aims to promote riversurfing and provide a platform for surfers to engage in friendly competition. “Th ..read more

How to make the wave pool dream come true? We just assume the architect designs the wave pool, the contractors build it and then the paying public comes flooding in. Done. Dream accomplished. But after you’ve nailed the technology, settings, pricing, etc, suppose that it takes up to 5 minutes for your restaurant staff to get entrees from the kitchen to those coveted poolside cabanas? Your customer experience suffers and the Yelp! reviews light up with “great waves but cold food” complaints. It’s one small example of the operational considerations that must be done at the beginning of a wave po ..read more

URBNSURF Sydney is the second Wavegarden Cove surf park in Australia and the eighth in the world. To celebrate, the company aired a clip of Reef Heazlewood enjoying the new wave playground. Reef runs us through a series of airs and barrels and, well, generally puts on a Shred Show of wave pool surfing. The surf park development required an investment of $75million AUD and will open to the public on May 13. URBNSURF Sydney will operate for 16 hours per day, from 6 am to 10 pm. Session prices will vary from $30 to $159 AUD depending on the level.  The post Television: Reef Heazlewood doin ..read more

Sydney’s first wave pool, URBNSURF Sydney, announced the official opening date during a grand “First Waves” media event featuring professional surfers such as Owen Wright and Milla Brown, along with industry leaders and representatives from Surfing NSW, AppleJack, and RipCurl. The surf park will open its doors to the public on May 13, 2024. This is a huge deal for URBNSURF and Sydney’s surfing community. The company launched Melbourne in 2020 and has been working steadily to bring Sydney online. Many of the finer points of surf park operation learned in Melbourne, will be applied to the Sydney ..read more

The annual water use in the Coachella Valley is staggering when compared to various recreational facilities. The water use of all golf courses in the area could support 11,000 Palm Springs Surf Clubs, 2,161 ES 34s, 1,967 Wavegarden Coves, or 853 Coral Mountain KSWaveCo Lagoons. On average, one golf course in the Coachella Valley consumes the same amount of water as 92 Palm Springs Surf Clubs, 17.5 ES 34s, 16.4 DSRT Surfs, or 7 Coral Mountain KSWaveCo Lagoons. From Surf Park Central In Part 1 of this article we looked at the gap in perception about surf parks and golf courses in terms of their ..read more

Australia is head and shoulders above many countries when it comes to organizing and promoting sport. Each state has its own full-time surfing institution to run contests, safety courses and coaching programs. To many, Australia is a lesson in what to do to succeed in sport. So it makes sense that the country’s first public surf park would draw on the hard-won experiences of institutions like Surfing Australia and Surfing Victoria to develop coaching programs. URBNSURF has implemented tools borrowed from the national level to help individual surfers improve while enjoying the surf park – wheth ..read more

URBNSURF has appointed Jennifer Vandekreeke as Chief Executive Officer to lead the business as it becomes the sole owner, developer, and operator of two surf parks worldwide. With a background in the travel and leisure industry, Vandekreeke has experience in growing companies by enhancing customer experiences. She is known for her work with Carnival Cruise Line in Australia and has held executive positions at NRMA and Club Med. Vandekreeke aims to enhance the surf park experience for both seasoned surfers and newcomers, making surfing more accessible to Australians. She joined URBNSURF in mid ..read more

Lost Shore has acquired 700 Yulex wetsuits in various sizes for its guests, marking the largest plant-based wetsuit fleet globally of any surf park. The wave pool at Lost Shore, set to open near Edinburgh in September, expects over 160,000 surfers annually to utilize the eco-friendly product. The resort’s team collaborated with Edinburgh Napier University for their Surf Lab initiative, conducting research on wetsuits’ performance and materials to ensure user comfort and warmth. Tests involved immersing a surfer in ice-cold water while monitoring body temperatures with Gul’s Yulex wetsuit emerg ..read more