Before digging in, Skip reminds us this is a totally new frontier. And that each build is unique and inevitably will experience issues. The reality is that public surf parks have to rely on beginner and intermediate surfers to make business models work. Wave tech companies are developing the dream that appeals to the top ten percent of surfers but the reality is that they have to rely on the beginner and intermediates to drive the bottom line. Jeff and Paul Chutter bought FlowRider years ago because they are early adopters and saw the opportunity in novelty surf.
Their experience working with developers and waterpark attractions gives them a considerable step in the resources they can bring to the table. How they position themselves in the food chain of development differs from the other surf parks. In drawing on a comparison to the ski lift industry, you can buy different chair lifts made by different manufacturers. Still, you would never see a ski lift maker then ask the ski resort for a percentage of revenues, which some of the wave pool manufacturers feel they are entitled to.
I understand that somewhat, as many of them helped create this space. But ultimately, they have to get a couple built to show the world. They use a pneumatic system very similar to AMW but re-envisioned pool shape and pneumatic sequencing to create longer, and potentially more significant waves and will be able to accommodate more people. The shape is different. Instead of the diamond Wavegarden shape, this one looks more like a heart shape and can accommodate many people in the water at one time.
STRENGTHS One of the leaders in developing world-class water park attractions, they have developed a whole team, who knows how to build infrastructure and all the components that go into a wave pool.
They have tons of design and development experience, and when it comes to doing a build-out in some far corners of the world, they are one of the few companies who know what needs to get done. Simple things like converting metric to inches can really hamper a build, and they are a team of engineers who know how to address these issues. The other thing is they look at themselves as a technology provider, just the wave pool and will do typical service and warranty programs without seeking a percentage of revenues like some of the other companies out there are doing, which is a substantial long-term bonus for ROI.
They have some of the best business experience too. But their engineer and sales team are surfers with the same passion that we all have. The current one at the Palm Springs Surf Club is just a test facility that is getting a lot of attention from the core surf world. They are now building the main wave pool adjacent to the small test pool that we see on Instagram. The wave now is maybe six seconds but is supposed to go up to sixteen seconds in the larger facility.
Tom has six-to-eight chambers now, but his designs can go up to twenty-four. Share Tweet Share Email. How do these waves differ from the surf in other wave pools? The Eisbach and Zambezi rivers are rapid waves where you can surf the same wave for several minutes and not travel any longitudinal distance. Although the rider remains in the same dedicated wave space, the movements are very similar to what one does on an ocean wave. Stationary waves are created when water passes at high velocity over a bottom contour that is shaped in such a way, and resides at such a depth, that it creates a wave.
The characteristics of the wave can be controlled in a rapid wave pool. Terminology: There are three names assigned to wave pools that mimic a river wave: standing, rapid and stationary. Here are some benefits of standing wave pools — Smaller footprint, so they work in areas with space limitations — Standard surfboard equipment can be used instead of specialized craft — Easier entry threshold to the sport of surfing as a training bar can be deployed — Intimate environment.
Spectators are close to the action which creates a group atmosphere — Offers variety for wave parks with traditional wave pools, adding more surf options for visitors. Under the dock is a motor and drivetrain that forces water through a wave-shaping head. Shaping heads protrude from the dock and into the pool bending the high-pressure flow into any one of a variety of waves.
Wave type is changed by swapping out the shaping head on the machine. The interchangeable shaping heads produce everything from an Eisbach-like rapid to a barreling Zambezi river wave. Intensity and shape of that wave are also altered by adjusting flow volumes and velocities of water. Further refinement can be achieved by articulating the pitch and plunge of the head. All adjustments are controlled through sophisticated software. The company should have its first production CM7-Medium unit in a pool, shortly.
The CM7-small delivers wakeboat-size wave heights around 4. Aquatic Development Group has been in the water park business for several decades and in announced the launch of their new EpicSurf stationary surf wave. When the water level in the reservoir is high enough, the system opens up the release valves at the bottom of the reservoir.
This is like flushing a toilet: It dumps all of the collected water into the pool, creating the wave. In this system, the water is constantly circulating. It moves from the deep end of the pool, out to the canal, around to the pumping system and back into the deep end of the pool. The return canal is fenced off so swimmers will never be exposed to the pumping mechanism. There are any number of ways to configure the wave-generating system in this setup.
In the next section, we'll look at the specific machinery used at Emerald Pointe's Thunder Bay. On a busy day, thousands and thousands of people will take a dip in the Thunder Bay wave pool, and even the cleanest among them leave a certain amount of dirt and oil behind. To keep the water sanitary, Emerald Pointe keeps a filtering system going 24 hours a day. The Thunder Bay wave pool uses six massive filters, located just behind the wave generator.
A powerful pump sucks water in from the canal, sends it through the filter system and shoots clean water back out. The collected dirty water is pumped to the city sewer line almost a mile away.
Thunder Bay is 84 feet 26 m across at the deep end, and it is more than feet m long. Overall, the pool holds about 2 million gallons 7. To make a wave this big and get it to make its way across the entire pool, you need some pretty heavy equipment. The wave generator uses a horsepower pump, a horsepower pump and a horsepower pump. Each pump has a motor at the top, which spins a long drive shaft. The drive shaft extends down through a pipe, to a propeller positioned 13 feet 4 m underwater.
When the drive shaft spins, it rotates the propeller, which drives water upward through the pipe in the same way a spinning fan drives air forward. At the base level of the pump, the pipe curves, runs horizontal for 6 feet 1.
In all, the pumps move the water 29 feet 9 m! At their standard speed, the pumps drive about 40, gallons , L of water per minute.
The water reservoir is broken up into eight connected chambers , each with its own release valve. The release valve has three major elements:. Since the metal struts pivot freely on the stationary steel beam, you can swing the valve plate back and forth. The plate is fairly heavy, so it naturally will swing over the valve seat.
This plugs up the reservoir so water can't escape. A rubber gasket around the valve seat keeps the valve from leaking too much. When pressurized oil is directed to the hydraulic cylinder, it moves the piston with a great deal of force. This pushes out on the metal struts. The valve plate extends outward, unplugging the water reservoir.
The water drops directly underneath the reservoir, into a curved passageway leading to the pool. As it rushes into the pool, the water ramps up a sort of reef in the concrete floor. This focuses the flowing water so that it moves in a good-sized, surfable wave. The water pumps do most of the work in building up a wave, but the hydraulic system is the crucial element that actually gets it going. In the next section, we'll look at the simple but ingenious mechanism that controls this system.
A wave pool, just like any swimming pool, is constantly losing water. Some of it evaporates into the air, some of it is filtered out and a good bit is carried away in swimmers' bathing suits and on their bodies.
To keep the water level up in Thunder Bay, Emerald Pointe has to constantly pump in new water. The park is connected to the city water line, but most of the water comes from several underground wells. The wells pump water into the wave-pool canal as well as into other feeder pools in the park. Installing the water wells required a hefty initial investment, but it meant much lower monthly water bills in the long run.
In the last section, we saw that the wave generator's valves are opened by hydraulic pistons. As with most any hydraulic machine , these pistons are powered by a basic hydraulic pump.
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