We are excited to introduce one of our key features: the creation of perfect beginner waves designed to enhance the first surfing experience for novices.
What happens behind the scenes in wave pool product development? Testing, testing and some more testing. Testing plays a crucial role in the development of any new technology. At AllWaves, we simulate real-world conditions in a controlled environment to validate the performance, reliability and safety of our wave pool designs before investing significant more resources into full-scale production.
One framework we use is the NASA Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale. The TRL scale is a measurement system developed by NASA. It is used to assess the maturity of a particular technology, ranging from basic research (TRL 1) to system test, launch, and operations (TRL 9).
Here are the different NASA TRL phases broken down:
TRL 2-4: During these early stages, scale models are used to demonstrate the basic principles of a technology and validate its functionality in a laboratory setting. This includes building proof-of-concept prototypes and testing them under controlled conditions to gather reliable data and benchmark performance. All of this happens in scale models. We built & developed multiple wave pool scale models in this phase, 1:20 scale, and 1:10 scale in our test site in Ostend, Belgium.
TRL 5-6: As technology matures, scale models are used to validate the system in a relevant environment, such as a simulated operational setting. This helps identify and address potential issues before moving to full-scale testing. We tested all critical components in an indoor wave pool scale 1:4 prior to building our full-scale test pool.
TRL 7-8: In the final stages of development, a full-scale model is used to demonstrate the system in an operational environment, such as a field test or pilot plant. In our case, this is the R&D test wave pool in Knokke-Heist. This ensures the technology meets all performance requirements and is ready for commercial deployment. This is how potential surf park developers can assess the technology for the projects they have in their countries.
Throughout these different TRL phases, test rigs are commonly used. In our case, this is a tool that simulates the same forces applied on the hydraulics & textile of our wavemaker when making waves. In our test rigs we research various designs & combinations of high-performance fabrics, confection methods & interfaces with our hydraulic equipment. Which has a lot of benefits in wave pool product development.
CFD or computational fluid dynamics is a term you also often hear in the world of water systems & wave pools. Although it has it benefits, nothing beats a real-world scale model or a full scale prototype to actually simulate water movement & forces. The computer-based model is only as powerful as the data used to feed & calibrate it.
In conclusion, the use of the NASA TRL framework in conjunction with test rigs, is essential for the successful development of new technologies, products, and systems. At AllWaves, we use both. Thereby we improve product quality, reduce development costs, enhance reliability, accelerate integration, and shorten our time-to-market.
To learn more about our wave pool product development, read further on our blog or follow us on social media.
Keep surfing!
AllWaves, a pioneering company in wavepool technology, has unveiled its innovative technology by means of a demonstration by international surfers.
Waves Explained: Nazaré. Understand the science behind the world’s most legendary waves. AllWaves explains how it works.
The key to building a commercial wavepool is to build it as energy efficient as possible. Wavepool or surfpark operators are often deterred from the steep energy costs of generating artificial waves. To solve this problem, AllWaves draws experience from nature
Waves Explained: Skeleton Bay. Understand the science behind the world’s most legendary waves. AllWaves explains how it works.
Waves Explained: Behind the curtain at Pipeline. Understand the science behind the world’s most legendary waves. AllWaves explains how it works.
Did you know about the health benefits of surfing? It benefits both your physical and mental health.
Effects observed range from positive changes in physical strength and fitness, general health and well-being to psychological and mental health & psychosocial wellbeing.
Over the past 15 years, the world has seen an emergence of surfing as a therapeutic intervention. Surf therapy has been defined by the International Surf Therapy Organization (ISTO) as “a method of intervention that combines surf instruction/surfing and structured individual and/or group activities to promote psychological, physical and psychosocial well-being”. A number of studies have been conducted, but still a lot of work needs to be done to gather more evidence in the field.
The first one is obvious, surfing increase your overall cardiovascular fitness. It improves shoulder and lower back strength from paddling. And surfing is 90% paddling! Once you become a better surfer, you benefit from more leg and core strength from standing up on the board and using your entire body for making turns. In women’s surfing, the WSL top 5 is dominated by those with strong legs. This allows them to exercise a lot of power in explosive moves. And brings surfing to a higher level.
Although not many amateur surfers do this yet, stretching before entering the water is advised.
Surfing is one of those sports you can do “forever”. Just like any non-impact sport, there is no age limit for surfing. It is also one of the reasons our CEO Steven prefers surfing above snowboarding and skiing. After learning it the hard way through injuries. Surfing requires less strains & impact on the body. As one saying goes:
“We don’t stop surfing because we grow old;
Adaptation on George Bernard Shaw
we grow old because we stop surfing.”
On social and psychological wellbeing, some studies report improvement on ‘positive outlook’ and ‘positive affect’ (Godfrey et al. (2015)). Participants reported feeling better, happier, had fun, made friends & felt fitter. Participants reported feeling a sense of mastery at learning a new skill, reported a feeling of respite and escape while at the beach and developed social connections with other peers who participated in the program (Marshall et al. (2019)). Having a self-selected pacing and progression, and creating a physical safe space within the surf therapy group contributed to the success.
For youth with disabilities, who tend to have lower fitness levels, surfing really did them well. They saw improvements in not only physical fitness, but also increase in self-confidence, social skills, behaviour, sleep & reduced levels of anxiety.
Children with autism even indicate that the tightness of the wetsuit already has a calming effect, reducing stress and anxiety. These kids love deep-pressure.
If you want to learn more about these surf therapy programs, check out the website of the International Surf Therapy Organization for a program near you.
It’s hypothesized that surf therapy may have even greater benefits than other outdoor activities. This because it requires participants to be immersed in the water or ‘blue space’. Check out The bestselling book, Blue Mind: The surprising science that shows how being near, in, on, or under water can make you happier, healthier, more connected, and better at what you do, by marine biologist Wallace J.
Water has a psychologically restorative effect. Spending time in and around aquatic environments has consistently been shown to lead to significantly higher benefits. Water induces positive mood and reduces negative feelings and stress, even more than green space does. Even a fountain may do so! So most definitely wavepools will have too. Water is quite literally immersive, and surfing a wavepool is an immersive experience. They create a real connection with the participant, one he is bound to repeat. A study is ongoing comparing hiking over surfing versus a control group.
At AllWaves, we hope more and more people learn how to surf and enjoy those positive benefits. We hope more studies get done, to further proof the positive effects of surfing. We’d like to compare impact of wavepool surfing versus surfing in nature. We encourage our potential B2B customers to open up their facilities for such studies & therapy sessions so the entire community can benefit.
So keep surfing, if it’s not for your physical health, just because it’s more fun!
The Waveshapers
So imagine you have found a good location, an investor, and you want to buy a wavepool? Which criteria should you take into account?
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