Joe Surf: Surf parks are an old idea with new interest

Surfing is more popular than it’s ever been. Up and down the coast on just about any weekend when there isn’t a Category 5 hurricane, the water is dotted with black specks — surfers in their wetsuits maneuvering to get a wave.

Waves are getting more difficult to find, but that may be changing, and you don’t even need a beach.

There is a push to develop more “surf parks,” which feature an artificial wave that offers surfing to everybody, even if you live in the desert.

Some big names are getting involved in the development of these parks. In 2013, a conference called Surf Park Summit was held in Laguna Beach, and Surf Park Summit II is scheduled for September in Orlando, Fla.

Fernando Aguerre, president of the International Surfing Association, will attend Surf Park Summit II, as will Doug Palladini, vice president of Vans. Another notable name is former world surfing champ Peter “PT” Townend, who spoke at the first summit and noted that the idea of developing surf parks is nothing new.

Townend related how in 1985 he was approached by Disney executives who were creating a surf park in Orlando called Typhoon Lagoon. Townend recommended that Disney combine the technologies of the three companies at the time that had developed an artificial wave, and it worked.

“A little further down the road we had a world-class event there,” Townend said in his speech at the summit. “(Kelly) Slater was there, and (Shane) Beschen and (Rob) Machado, and the guys were actually ripping in the pool.

“The wave was nowhere near what the ASP (Assn. of Surfing Professionals) might deem as what they want. But the interesting thing was that every wave comes out of the machine the same. And within a matter of a couple of heats, the guys that figured that out were doing well. Like a routine in gymnastics, they figured out what to do.”

Aguerre’s interest in surf parks is to eventually make surfing an Olympic event. But Townend was quick to point out that surf parks generally would not be for pros or other high-level competitors.

“This is all about having fun,” Townend said. “We can’t just build wave pools for the PTs and Shaun Tomsons and Kelly Slaters. We actually have to build them for kooks, because the kooks are the key to making it financially viable. We have to make what we’re doing viable for all levels of surfing.”

Townend was reminded that “kook” isn’t a complimentary term, meaning surf poseur.

“We were all kooks at one point in time, mate,” Townend said. “I’m proud I was a kook at one time.”

Wavegarden is recognized as the industry leader in creating artificial waves, and in September it held a pro contest in the United Kingdom that was deemed a success. For surfing purists, however, the idea of a surf park is blasphemy. Every artificial wave is perfect, taking things like wind, swell and tide out of the equation.

As one local surfer noted, surfing at a surf park is like going to a tanning salon or running on a treadmill — it’s just not the real thing.

But if it means fewer of those black specks in the water, I’m all for it.

JOE HAAKENSON is a Huntington Beach-based sports writer and editor. He may be reached at joe@juvecreative.com.