Kelly Slater Wave Company

Looks like it has finally arrived. Lets hope they are more successful than those kiwi bandits.

Kelly Slater Wave Company Ready to Build First Full-Scale Surf Park that Offers World-Class Waves
December 2, 2010
PRESS RELEASE

After five years of research and development, champion pro surfer Kelly Slater has launched the Kelly Slater Wave Company [KSWC] -- a company devoted to making a world-class surfing experience accessible to the sport's enthusiasts across the globe.

KSWC's pioneering wave-generation and control technologies feature the world's first natural, deep water, world-class wave. The wave is generated on the outside of a large circular pool, propagating onto an inner island where it breaks endlessly. The company aims to use this technology to create a new vision of entertainment that extends beyond just waves themselves -- offering a unique lifestyle destination featuring beaches, restaurants, bars, pools, conference facilities, and retail. KSWC intends to permanently change how people and business professionals think and interact with the surfing lifestyle.

"Until now, there hasn't been a man-made wave technology that even comes
close to reproducing a natural feeling and world-class waves," Slater says. "From the start, we've been committed to creating an authentic surfing experience. It's been a long and challenging development period, led by a formal scientific investigation, but we now understand how to generate and control the elements that produce ocean-type waves. Our technology can create a wave that suits anyone from beginner to pro level, and can be adjusted easily for everyone in between."

Since 2005, Slater and a team of engineers, scientists, and businessmen have worked to research the viability of an endless traveling wave. To accomplish this, KSWC founders built a state-of-the-art research laboratory in Los Angeles that houses a working model of the circular wave pool. Slater and his team will develop, market, license, and sell KSWC's patentable wave-generation control technologies to promote accessibility to the sport.

"This project has unlimited potential to add to surfing," Slater says. "I'd like to see this be a sort of default wave for when the surf in the ocean isn't good, as well as a platform to help anyone advance from the level they're at quickly and easily in a safe environment. Our technology will allow everyone, no matter their age or skill level, to have a rewarding surfing experience."

This technology was perfected at the Maritime College in Tassie. They built a 1/5 scale model earlier in the year.

Phill

He should do he was the one in the middle of it all originally.

Its quite ecomomical to run using gas trigeneration technology.

They were planning to build 300+ parks in the States alone.

Phill

I think webers idea breaks on the outside of ring, kellys breaks on the inside island. maybe one will be for goofy and the other natural. and the crappy ones now for lids.

Looks good. Hopefully they work well, and don't use too much energy. I would expect them to be reversible too, to have lefts or rights at different times. We will wait and see.

So are you saying that they can re-use the wave power for electricity / energy generation - now that would be pretty smart.

I actually love the idea of these things. Yes eventually things will get more and more crowded - but thats just a fact of life given the pursuit of leisure activities by the wealthier sectors of the world and the increasing middle class we are seeing globally. Its gonna happen. The volumes that increased in the 10 yrs I lived in Manly were amazing. Now where I reside I have not surfed with more than 10 people in the last 4 weeks. So whilst there are massive surfing populations in and around large populations when you get away a bit things change a lot. So if these pools can help manage the mecca surfing populations then they are probably going to be really positive.

On another point - I wonder what happens when someone falls and gets stuck in the impact zone with another 8 continuous waves coming at them loaded with people on 6ft out of control fiberglass weapons and they do not know how to duck dive or get out of the way. Should make for some enthralling viewing. In the patent they suggest that there could be up to 100 surfers in the water at once and people just paddle over for a wave when someone falls off. Jeepers. Might be worse than North Steyne on a NE swell and SW wind.

Scathing article about it on swellnet

http://www.swellnet.com.au/news/992-pulling-the-plug-on-kelly-s-pool-party