Instant, an innovative engineering company located on the Basque Coast of Northern Spain, has today announced the launch of its new technology Wavegarden - a revolutionary development in surfing wave generation.
What is Wavegarden?
Wavegarden is a man-made wave that creates ideal conditions for surfing, as well as a broadly appealing range of other wave sports. With Wavegarden you can create a surf spot anywhere in the world and surf it anytime you like. Wavegarden’s patented technology can be applied to a wide range of existing bodies of water including lakes, lagoons, reservoirs, ponds, and manmade pools, allowing anyone, literally anywhere in the world, to be able to experience the thrill of surfing very good waves of all sizes, shapes, and speeds in a safe and natural setting. According to Chief Engineer and Instant Co-Founder José Manuel Odriozola, “The key differences to Wavegarden from previous wave generation technologies are that the wave is customisable to suit any skill level or age, it costs much less to build and maintain, and it is vastly superior in energy efficiency than any other system available today.” Odriozola continues, “Being passionate surfers, the founders of Wavegarden wanted to share surfing with others not fortunate enough to live near natural waves. Our goal was not only to bring the joy, adventure, and fitness of surfing to people everywhere, but also to open up new opportunities for both public and private enterprise.” As said by Managing Director, Igor Barandiaran, “Wavegarden is the first man-made wave facility where a profit can be made merely from the wave business, thanks to the reasonable initial investment and its low energy consumption.”
Wavegarden’s low operating costs and multiple surf zones that can run simultaneously at larger installations allow for its profitable application to a broad range of locations: municipalities, existing aquatic sports parks, purpose built water parks, resorts, and everywhere. Building these key factors into Wavegarden’s unique design has been the breakthrough needed to give people of all ages and fitness levels the ability to enjoy a beach environment and a great surfing experience beyond the ocean.
Surprisingly, even expert surfers who have typically been hard to impress by man-made waves are amazed at the quality, authenticity, and virtually unlimited length of Wavegarden’s waves. Elite professional surfers, such as basque phenomenon Aritz Aranburu, were using Wavegarden’s test center as a sort of laboratory to sharpen up their competitive games. He says, “Wavegarden has helped me improve my technique to take on championships. This wave is a great tool for learning and perfecting your style.”
Wavegarden Technology, Research and Development
Indeed, early testing and feedback show Wavegarden to be the closest thing to an ocean
break ever designed, and it is not by chance. Wavegarden boasts a highly qualified team of experts, who are all dedicated surfers. José Manuel Odriozola explains, “The experience and knowledge of our engineers, along with their capacity for technological innovation, underpin our performance as a company. We have spent nearly 6 years in research and development in order not only to make the installation and operation of Wavegarden affordable, but also to master the true to life experience of surfing perfect waves in an ideal setting." Wavegarden’s team provides all planning, design, implementation, and maintenance of each Wavegarden facility.
First reactions
Top ranked Californian pro, Bobby Martinez, recently posted this to his followers on Twitter, "Found a goofy footer’s dream yesterday!!!!!! Let me put it like this...the window never closes!!!!!Hahaha!"
In only 5 days, and even before the official presentation of Wavegarden to the public on February 15th 2011, our two video clips have been seen by 190.000 people from more than 150 different countries in internet. Wavegarden definitely has become one the most shocking news of the surfing world of the year. The 2-time World Champion Australian pro surfer Mick Fanning simply said on his website about our video clips: “This thing has blown my mind.”
Some interesting facts that you may not have known about surfing:
- Surfing is enjoyed by people of all ages, on all five continents and in 86 countries.
- Surfing has become a metaphor for living a healthy, natural life, with over 20 million surfers worldwide; this figure is growing exponentially.
- Cities with a good surf break are undeniably influenced by the economic turnover that surfing produces.
- The surfing industry, which has already surpassed $3 billion in revenue per year, is forecast to continue this aggressive growth in the years to come.
- Surfing is now a cultural phenomenon, with top fashion brands that have become worldwide icons.
- There are more injuries in cheerleading every year than there are in surfing.
- More people have died from attacks by pigs than from sharks. For more information and enquiries please go to wave-garden.com.
