WATER RIDES
SURF’S UP
Surfi ng is an undeniably cool pastime, so replicating the
sport away from the coast sounds like a winning proposition.
Kath Hudson looks at some of the companies creating wave
products and discovers that there’s an offer for all surfers,
both beginners and experienced and old and young alike
H
aving been king of the waves for in Durban, San Diego, Santiago, Chile and Wave House, for countries not blessed with
almost two decades, Wave Loch Singapore and more are in development, year-round sunshine. It will have food and
is facing challengers for a toehold including Spain, which will open in 2011, beverage, retail and some entertainment.
in the surfi ng rides market. Launched in and Wembley, UK, which will be the largest The fi rst one opens at Body Flight near
1991 by Californian surfer Tom Lochtefeld, to date, and the fi rst one indoors. Still in the Bedford, UK, in May, complementing the
Wave Loch’s core product is the FlowRider, planning stages, it’s due to open in 2012. other adventure sports on offer at the site –
which uses sheet fl ow technology: shoot- As there are only four inches of water, a a wind tunnel to simulate sky diving, Vertigo,
ing a thin fi lm of water over a stationary bespoke board has to be used. This, and a bungee jump without the bounce, and the
surface to create a surfable wave. the fact that the water comes from the UK’s tallest zipwire. Body Flight’s MD, Paul
Wave Loch’s products include the front, rather than behind, means it’s not Mayer, expects it to be popular: “Without
FlowRider Double for two riders, the an exact copy of surfi ng. The company a doubt, the extreme sports market will
FlowBarrel, which has larger, curling waves describes fl owboarding as a sport in its want to use Flow House,” he says. “We’re
for more experienced riders, and a mobile own right – “skateboarding without wheels, expecting a core of surf and board sport
version. FlowRiders are installed all over surfi ng without a fi n, snowboarding without enthusiasts to use it regularly, but also peo-
the world in waterparks, shopping malls the mountain, wakeboarding without the ple who view it as a unique experience to
and cruise ships and form the centrepiece boat and skimboarding without the sand.” have a go at. There will be two elements to
of Wave Loch’s Californian lifestyle experi- the classes – body boarding, which most
ence, Wave House. NEW CONCEPTS people will get the hang of during their fi rst
Wave House involves food and bever- More developments are in the pipeline. session, and stand-up riding, which takes
age, music and surf retail arranged around Lochtefeld says he wants to build a Flow more balance and practice.”
the water. Five are currently in operation, Park, similar to a skate park, with water half Around £1m (1.1m, US$1.7m) has
pipes. And a new concept, Flow House, been invested in this attraction and
is about to get off the starting blocks. A Mayer’s hoping it will pay back within three
joint venture between Wave Loch and the or four years. Once this site’s up and run-
UK-based thrills operator, Body Flight, Flow ning, the partners are planning to look for
House is a toned down, indoor version of more opportunities to operate Flow House.
Operations development manager for
Wave House Europe, Simon Palmer, says
this will show the UK market how Flowrider
works as a business model. “Flow House
will help people understand that it’s not
just a ride attraction, there’s more to it, and
brands want to be associated with it.”
Two more FlowRiders will open in the UK
soon. One in Newquay – despite the fact the
town is home to seven surf beaches – and a
local authority operation near Gateshead.
THE CHALLENGER
Another Californian surfer, Bruce
American Wave Machine’s SurfStream uses a surfboard to offer an authentic experience McFarland, founder of American Wave
68 Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital AM 1 2010
©
cybertrek 2010
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