First look: Surf Lakes waves

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
Swellnet Dispatch

Here it is, the first public glimpse of Surf Lakes full size poll near Rockhampton. Couple of unridden waves that look too fast, Parko getting pitched, Connor O'Leary in the slot.

That's it. Thirty seconds of ambiguity.

Expect a long video on Monday.

Comments

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 5:47am

First wave publicly revealed... is Parko unable to make the the drop?

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 5:49am

Yeah not exactly the most amazing first look clip they’ve put out.
Bigger waves coming soon apparently, if they got it up to 5-6ft that would be good viewing I think

redmondo's picture
redmondo's picture
redmondo Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 6:12am

Better to be a challenge, looks like parko misjudged it. nice backdrop with the tropical hills.

groovie's picture
groovie's picture
groovie Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 6:19am

lets see some more footage b4 judging the quality of the waves. Opening empty wave looks awesome though!

CMDunny's picture
CMDunny's picture
CMDunny Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 6:36am

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 6:46am

Wow! Love the way the machine expels air, like a surfacing humpback whale. 

indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 7:49am

Amazing how many different ways you can come up to produce a rideable wave, this one looks like it would create quite a number of different peaks so much more viable for public consumption.

shoredump's picture
shoredump's picture
shoredump Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 11:41am

This design looks the best, most enjoyable, most natural. The waves will have to get better though. I’d be putting the barrel down the line, not on takeoff. So this is about 40% capacity before it broke down? It will be interesting to see. I assume that’s the slab Parko went down on. It has a good vibe about it for sure.
Just wonder if that steam is a burn hazard?

ron's picture
ron's picture
ron Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 12:37pm

The plunger is allot simpler than i thought. I'd imagined it being all internal and seeing no moving parts externally. The forces on the mechanics moving that much surface area that quickly must be crazy, wouldn't be surprised to see a few teething problems.

Design is smart in terms of amount of peaks with a left and right. Looks very inviting with a few more feet on it but i think once you add 10 punters per break or more it will very quickly become an absolute shit show of bodies and boards. Curious about their plan regarding the simple logistics of surfing it. Probably need people to line up for either the left or right rather than fight for waves and then have strict rules about paddling back out wide around a marker of some sort. The period is so short that once someone falls on take off it ruins the next 2 waves or so.

shoredump's picture
shoredump's picture
shoredump Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 12:57pm

It will be much easier and friendlier getting waves than what happens in the ocean. Everyone will just take turns like you say. If they have a 4 wave set, then groups of 4 move into position while the machine warms up, and those surfers pick a number between themselves before it fires. That’s what was happening at Waco, it worked really well. You stay in that group for the whole time so you can share preferred numbers around evenly. Different surfers will favour different characteristics of each numbered wave also. They will limit the number of surfers per break so you get a few in the time you paid for. I got 10 waves in one hour at Waco, without hassling once. When you make a barrel in a wave pool you feel the same adrenaline rush as the ocean.

Bnkref's picture
Bnkref's picture
Bnkref Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 2:09pm

That sounds like it works well. How much does an hour at Waco cost you?

shoredump's picture
shoredump's picture
shoredump Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 2:15pm

$100 and potential brain sacrifice!!
It’s not cheap so keeps it in the novelty range. I reckon these pools are good for get togethers with friends, that kind of thing. A replacement for the pub, not the ocean. The ocean will always be Queen.

GuySmiley's picture
GuySmiley's picture
GuySmiley Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 12:59pm

Cool

ron's picture
ron's picture
ron Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 1:15pm

From info they released a few months back at full capicity the number of waves is in the 1000s per hour. Its not in sets with breaks like waco. Will be interesting to see the number of people per area etc.

Either way, keen to see some more video of it making 3 footers!

shoredump's picture
shoredump's picture
shoredump Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 2:06pm

Yeah, 6 waves per minute they say. Maybe your right maybe it will just constantly pump at 10 second intervals. They are saying that’s the plunger at 2m but it can go up to 4, that makes sense cause the period is currently about 5 seconds. I think it will be impressive. Just a shame we can’t go surf it.

truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 3:54pm

Thanks Swellnet/Stab some great footage.
I reckon that when,rather than if the groms surf the reverse sub sets to skate the keg.
Rocky Rum Plant will gobble them/boil them up & spit them out thru that left barrel.
You can see that left is spitting out something.

Surf Lakes resembles a Meteorological impact Tsunami.
Allowing full 360*Arena spectators + creating endless options.
*A complete surf festival for Dogs/Groms/Chix/Pros all going off at once.
* Big day out 4 x stages/lighting options different bands/red bull events for each festival.
*4 x 2 way peaks each heat around 15 mins. WSL Comp over in 1/2 a day easy...Next!

But the reality is a lot lot different for the public model.

Out of 40 flow/wave pools in Oz...Only W.A Flowhouse allows old school fibreglass boards
Post AquaPlane era Strict Qld Govt rules banned Fibreglass surfcraft from all Wave-Pools

If Surf Lakes sold to (wet'n'wild/seaworld/whitewater world) Here's the Wave Pool Rules.

Fortunately for crew here Qld does allow for night surfing of Stand up boards in Wave Pools.
Foam boards (ONLY) 6 surfers+supervisor per 8 wave zones for same if public = 48 surfers
Body Boards 9 surfers + supervisor per wave zone in same public wavepool = 72 boogerz.
No swimmers/bodybasherz can access wave zones during Stand Up/boogerz sessions

With a Ban on Stand Up Surf Boards/ 2,400 waves an hour can be surfed by basherz/tuberz. Effectively roping off sections as in municipal pool may screen off Soft board surfcraft zone.
Similar to beach flags zone (Surfboard Flag zone ends 10m from Flagged swimming zone)

Link shows crew of Oz ride operators returning to surf their dilapidated Mad Max river ride.
Laugh! As it grunts and groans like this beastie. Imagine cranking this up after the surf wars.

CMDunny's picture
CMDunny's picture
CMDunny Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 6:08pm

CMDunny's picture
CMDunny's picture
CMDunny Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 6:13pm

Needs to be bigger. Hopefully they get it to 4 foot.

eat-your-vegies's picture
eat-your-vegies's picture
eat-your-vegies Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 6:20pm

Fuck , that’s tiny.

wbat's picture
wbat's picture
wbat Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 6:56pm

Ok that's a start. Could be good.

greyhound's picture
greyhound's picture
greyhound Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 7:45pm

Looks crap. This obsession with fake waves is getting rediculas..

truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 8:46pm

Basherz porpoise the backdoor & barrel roll out before these skegs wrangle a comb over in.
Instantly smell it from here that the free surf option opens up a longer faster overhead slot.
Anyone else thinking 1st Point Noosa throw-downs?
Must be a reason for lack of size...Is pool only half full or maybe old boiler has maxed out!

Great insight again shoredump thanks for sharing...just gets better!

Also that cool link earns Party Wave of the Day ~ ~~/C..~[ CMDunny )

CMDunny's picture
CMDunny's picture
CMDunny Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 9:13pm

If Parko's not making the drop then I'm no chance. TBB

dimdim's picture
dimdim's picture
dimdim Saturday, 27 Oct 2018 at 9:32pm

Keep on rollin. Ramp up the technology. More options any location like Alice Springs.

frog's picture
frog's picture
frog Sunday, 28 Oct 2018 at 6:31pm

I like the concept. A more evolved set up could have breaks all around the lake perimeter. Barrel close up and some long slow beginners waves elsewhere.

Will the saltwater crocodiles move in eventually up that way?

JosephStalin's picture
JosephStalin's picture
JosephStalin Sunday, 28 Oct 2018 at 8:16pm

May as well drop a bouy on the sweet spot so you know where the fuzz to sit

memlasurf's picture
memlasurf's picture
memlasurf Sunday, 28 Oct 2018 at 8:52pm

Could make it really steam punk with 19th Century whistles, giant bells and pistons the whole thing could have a cool Victorian Engineering vibe. You would come to worship the giant plunger. I like the system and setting far more than baldy's. If they can get this to 4 foot it would be a lot of fun with a group of mates every now and again.

AndyM's picture
AndyM's picture
AndyM Sunday, 28 Oct 2018 at 10:07pm

Worship the giant plunger?

Gary G, paging Mr Gary G...

Gary G's picture
Gary G's picture
Gary G Sunday, 28 Oct 2018 at 11:01pm

Credit where credit's due - the thrust of that plunger makes waves in a way that only Gary has been able to in the past.

Whilst Gary can certainly understand the excitement to try out a new toy, perhaps warming things up for a bit longer or a bit of extra lubrication could have avoided the blown gasket?

truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher Sunday, 28 Oct 2018 at 10:21pm

dimdim closest Wave pools to Alice Springs

Northern Territory.
Darwin Wave Lagoon + soon Flowrider OZ Wave + Lazy River
2010 Australia's 2nd Stand up Surfboardriding wavepool

Gold Coast
1986 Oz 1st large Wave Pool Wet'n'Wild never permits surfboards? (Happy to be wrong!)
2006 Oz 1st Stand up Surfboardriding was at Dreamworld's Huey's Cave of Waves...I think!

NSW
2013 Oz 3rd Stand Up Surfboard riding Wave Pool @ Sydney's Wet'n'Wild

W.A
If you wish to surf your own board!
2018 Oz 4th Surfboard Wave Pool (1st Fibreglass) Aloha Surf House Joondalup (Flow wave)
https://www.alohasurfhouse.com.au/surf/our-story/

2008 Kalgoorlie Oasis is OZ 2nd Flowrider... (2006 1st Stand up Flowboardrider Dreamworld)

2012 South Port Headland Latitube Wavestand (Stand up Flow barrel) (Oz design-Coffs)
Latitube can build a Stadium sized Flow Barrel as in Mega X games (Ski Ramps)
These guys got bought out by Flowrider (Leggo for Surfers) re: link 2011 in house promo.

South Australia
Stand up Flowriders
2014 Salisbury
2015 Glenelg

VIC
2015 Melbourne Stand up Flowrider
1980's > now: Vic/NSW Municipal therapeutic wave pools see micro groms stand up boogie.
Some of these pools put out more wave size per ratio...older pools got some punch.

Not counting Stand up flowboard waves or Micro Groms rodeo health spa whirlpools...

2018 Surf Lakes is (unofficially) Oz 5th Standup' Surfboardrider's Wave Pool (2nd fibreglass)
Surf Lakes can dream up any numbers they like... (1986 Qld old school wavepool rules! )

For whole Oz Flow/Wavepool listing....Take a Guide + Trail Mix

https://www.swellnet.com/news/swellnet-dispatch/2016/04/07/australias-fi...