A few days ago we highlighted the key aspect of surfing that will be absent from wave parks: freedom.
But what we did not mention is all of the things that will make surf parks awesome. So let’s do it.
1. No drop-ins.
and selfish or dangerous behaviour will (hopefully) not be tolerated.
2. Perfect opportunity for honing technique.
You can ride the same wave over and over and get those turns perfectly refined. Say you’re heading on your next trip and know you’ll be getting plenty of shoulder-high lefts. Spend an hour each evening down at the surf park in the month before you depart and you’ll have your repertoire nailed. Also good for rehabilitation if you want to take your return to the water step-by-step in a safe, consistent environment.
3. Testing equipment.
Manufacturers have will have their demo board quivers at each surf park location and you can test each one there and then. Like the board? Buy one! .
4. No sharks.
Kinda goes without saying. I can imagine “ocean surfers” ramping up the shark sighting rumours when “poolies” do start coming to the beach.
5. Surf games.
Remember the Boost Mobile Surfsho? Yep, there’ll be that kind of stuff going on. Maybe at night. With strobe lights and techno. And laser guns. This is the future and attention spans are short…
6. Competition of skill.
The ocean is all about connection with nature and luck, even in competition. . Here performance on a consistent platform will quickly reveal who is the most skilled competitor. Hello Olympic Games.
7. Less people at the beach on shitty days.
If the wave pool is pumping out four foot perfection I imagine a lot of us grovellers who are usually out there trying to ride anything may not be at the ocean beach. The pool will be the place. Which means that if you’re tenacious and patient enough you’ll probably score average waves all to yourself in the ocean. Better than scoring average waves in a crowd.
8. Job creation / expansion of the surf industry.
If an industry is going to grow it may as well be ours. Skating and snowboarding had a turn. Now it’s back to surfing. If you have a good business idea, get in now.
9. Social scene.
If set up thoughtfully wave parks will provide an awesome social scene (imagining faux beach bars, live gigs by the pool, bikini babes as in Dion’s video). A lot of future babies will have surf parks to thank.
10. Health.
Wave parks will be high performance hotbeds for future talent. Hopefully this focus on excellence will be accompanied by a range of performance and lifestyle facilities including health food shops, yoga, cross-training and mind professionals who will promote the benefits of a healthy surf lifestyle. If this filters through then wave parks will be a gift to future generations.
So there you have it. What do you think will be awesome (or not) about surf parks of the future?