Of all 21st-century wave pool technology players, Endless Surf is backed by one of the industry's longtime veterans: Whitewater.
Whitewater is one of the longest-running companies in the water park business.
Founded in 1980 by Geoff Chutter and his uncle in Penticton, Canada, it developed its first wave pool in 1989, the iconic Disney's Typhoon Lagoon in Florida.
Whitewater remained relatively unknown in the surfing world for over two decades, especially in the artificial wave segment.
That changed in 2014 when the Richmond-based company bought WaveLoch's Flowrider.
From that moment on, it was clear that Whitewater was aware of the chlorine wave-riding revolution and wanted a share of the profits.
At the time, everyone knew Wavegarden's and Kelly Slater's intention to further explore a niche that would become potentially larger than the existing and decaying surf industry itself.
Catching Up
Wave pools have become the new surfwear, the new kids on the block.
In May 2020, Whitewater announced the creation of its pneumatic wave-generating technology, Endless Surf, citing reliability, longevity, redundancy, minimal moving parts, and maintenance advantages over all other surf pool technologies.
In 2024, the new insignia opened and powered its first wave pool, O2 Surftown MUC in Munich, Germany, anchored on Whitewater's heritage and expertise working with programmable wave patterns.
But how did Endless Surf quickly become a respected force in the wave pool industry? What's its wave-making formula?
The secret lies in a combination of mechanical technology, software, and architectural design.
Hardware
Machines are an inevitable part of the process of whatever path is chosen to create a human-made wave.
As we've seen above, Whitewater's experience in building water parks worldwide has helped accelerate Endless Surf's go-to-market phase.
The young company adopted the pneumatic wave-generating chamber system around which all types of rides are created.
They believe it's the wisest solution for this kind of surf lagoon, mainly because it requires "no more than routine maintenance."
The number of chambers positioned along the back wall of the pool determines the size of each Endless Surf installment.
The ES48 model features 48 chambers, but the customer can opt for a smaller size (ES24) or a larger structure (ES60).
Depending on the chosen model, the pool's total area and riding time can be affected, but not the wave height or wave type.
The company also provides two variations for any model: Standard and Extended (x). The latter has increased capacity and an extra surf zone named "The Inside," thanks to its lengthened shoulder walls.
For instance, the standard ES48 can accommodate 80 surfers per hour, while the ES48x can welcome 100 surfers.
On weekdays or periods with only half-booked sessions, venues can activate the power-saving mode that only triggers as many pneumatic caissons as necessary so that no waves go unridden.
Software
Endless Surf relies on its software suite to remotely control and monitor the mechanical structure (Wave Doctor), manage bookings and real-time capacity (Surf Concierge), and adjust wave creation and programming (Swell Studio).
The Wave Doctor allows the operator to check how the machinery works.
It also runs daily safety check-ups and triggers routine maintenance checklists to keep all technology rolling smoothly.
According to Endless, it "diagnoses common problems before they arise and provides a correct course of treatment."
A significant upside is that there is never a need to drain the pool for repairs or routine maintenance since no parts are submerged.
The Surf Concierge is a guest management system that ensures each customer gets the right wave.
It shares information with the operator on how to customize wave preferences for each session and surfer.
Lastly, the Swell Studio takes data from the previous software and creates magic by tailoring waves in real-time with maximum flexibility.
The Design
The Endless Surf wave pool features a half-heart-shaped or M-shaped design.
The format allows up to six different surf zones, but beginners, intermediates, and experts don't need to be separated depending on their favorite riding stance.
With no piers or mechanical rooms, the venue is almost just like an XXL swimming pool.
Therefore, the lagoon's 360-degree surrounding space can be used to boost revenue with beach shacks, surf clubs, restaurants, cafés, retail, and other tourism or entertainment amenities.
The Surfing Experience
Like many other wave pool technologies, Endless Surf has options for all experience levels, from first-timer or beginner to advanced and professional.
Thanks to the Swell Studio, operators can control the most critical variables of a wave: height, speed, and angle.
Moreover, they can generate different types of waves, from A-frame and barreling cylinders to longboard, air sections, and whitewater rollers, and even mix them.
Endless Surf says their waves can be adjusted up to 7 feet (2.1 meters)n in height in an "almost endless variety of wave types."
Each fire-and-run set of waves requires no pool settling time, meaning they can be created every 8-16+ seconds.
According to the company, an Endless Surf surf pool can generate 400-700 waves every hour.
The simulations indicated that in Single Peak operating mode, the system can create a wave that can be ridden for 32 seconds.
In the most common preset - the Split Peak - the rides last 12-14 seconds on the ES48 model.
Words by Luís MP | Founder of SurferToday.com
por Surf News | Headlines and Top Stories https://ift.tt/1qI2dVR