Humans are amazing in their ability to create the unimaginbale. Any flight of fancy can be indulged with a little imagination, and sometimes a whole lot of motivation.
Who knew could ride a wave without ever setting foot in the ocean? It has always been a dream of ours to ride a wave without the threat of dire consequence. We never thought it possible until we heard about the Surf Ranch. Famed surfer and eleven time World Champion Kelly Slater opened his surf ranch 100 miles from the Pacific in sunny California. Slater set out to create the ultimate perfect wave so that surfers could practice their sport in a controlled and consistent environment.
Photo by Federico Gutierrez on Unsplash
Kelly and his partners sought four qualities in order to mimic what they considered to be the perfect wave. These four qualities were: wave height, wave peel angle, wave breaking intensity, and wave section length. They thought it important to control the height of the break, as high breaks require high skill level. The wave peel angle controls when the wave breaks. If the angle is too low, the wave will break quickly. Wave break intensity controls the quality of the wave. The team sought to create waves that had a barrel effect, making for a smooth coast down the crest. Lastly, the team considered wave section length. They sought to have the wave break in one consistent, sweeping motion. In the natural environment, factors like wind, effect this. By controlling environment, the team of engineers was better able to create a smooth ride.
Using a solar powered hydrofoil machine, they created an artificial wave pool with breaks that exhibit the mentioned properties. Breaking at taller than six feet, with a clean ride, these ideal waves are channeling some serious Hawaii.
Photo by Linus Nylund on Unsplash
Want to learn more about the Surf Ranch? Watch the video here.
**Technical information sourced from Zach Sehgal