Wave Loch

Last updated

Wave Loch LLC.
IndustryWater attraction manufacturer
Founded1991 (1991)
FounderTom Lochtefeld
Headquarters
9747 Olson Drive, San Diego, California, 92121 [1]
,
United States
ProductsSurfPool, FlowBarrel, FlowTour, Wave House [1]
Website Official Website

Wave Loch Inc. is a surf ride manufacturing company responsible for such water rides as the FlowBarrel, Flying Reef, SurfPool, Wave House franchises, and, formerly, FlowRider. These water attractions grew to mainstream popularity thanks to their use in many popular water parks and cruise ships. [2]

Contents

Kelly Slater carving the mobile FlowBarrel during the Swatch Wave Tour, 1999. Slater swatch carve.jpg
Kelly Slater carving the mobile FlowBarrel during the Swatch Wave Tour, 1999.

History

During the 1980s, Tom Lochtefeld was a partner in the development of Raging Waters water parks in the United States. He created a water park attraction to simulate the riding of waves in the ocean. In 1988, a patent was taken out for "a wave-forming generator for generating inclined surfaces on a contained body of water". This was the concept of a sheet wave, the basis of most of Wave Loch's rides. Lochtefeld worked with Charles Sauerbier, Carl Ekstrom and others to model the wave using wave tanks at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla. [3]

Tom Lochtefeld test flowing the first FlowBarrel at Bo Sommarland, Norway. Lochtefeld flowbarrel norway.jpg
Tom Lochtefeld test flowing the first FlowBarrel at Bø Sommarland, Norway.

The first WaveLoch FlowRider opened at the Schlitterbahn in Texas in 1991. This was followed by the first FlowBarrel at the Summerland Resort in Norway two years later. [4]

In 1999, Wave Loch built a portable FlowBarrel, which was shipped around the world to support the SWATCH and Siemens Wave Tours. This portable FlowBarrel visited Florence, Munich, Australia and other places. Wave House South Africa opened in 2001 with a double FlowBarrel called the D Rex, and two FlowRider Singles at the center of an entertainment, retail and food and beverage complex. [5]

In 2005, Wave House San Diego opened at the northwest corner of the Belmont Park amusement area in San Diego, where the company headquarters was located for ten years. By 2009, Wave Loch had sold more than 175 FlowRider sheet waves to locations around the world. In 2014, there were Wave Houses located in Durban, San Diego, Santiago, Chile, Sentosa, Singapore, and Mallorca. Additional locations are planned for Miami, Orange County, and three in China. [6] [7]

In 2014, Wave Loch sold the FlowRider IP and technology to WhiteWater West, although it retained the Flow Barrel and Wave House brands. [8] As of 2018, there are over 230 FlowRiders installed around the world. [9]

That same year, after ten years of R&D, Wave Loch introduced it's Surf Pool line of compressed-air-powered wave pools. [10] [11] [12] With its goal of making surfing an Olympic sport, [13] Wave Loch’s Surf Pool generates 2-metre-high (6.6 ft) waves every ten seconds in a 5,000 m2 (1.2 acres) footprint. [14] [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surfing</span> Sport of riding waves

Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer, uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable for surfing are primarily found on ocean shores, but can also be found in standing waves in the open ocean, in lakes, in rivers in the form of a tidal bore, or in wave pools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Half-pipe</span> Structure used in sports

A half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as snowboarding, skateboarding, skiing, freestyle BMX, skating, and scooter riding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission Beach, San Diego</span> Community of San Diego in California

Mission Beach is a community built on a sandbar between the Pacific Ocean and Mission Bay. It is part of the city of San Diego, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wild Wadi Water Park</span> Outdoor water park in Dubai

The Wild Wadi Water Park is an outdoor water park in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Situated in the area of Jumeirah, next to the Burj Al Arab and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, the water park is operated by Jumeirah International, a Dubai-based hotelier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wave pool</span> Swimming pool with artificial waves

A wave pool is a swimming pool in which there are artificially generated, large waves, similar to those of the ocean. Wave pools are often a major feature of water parks, both indoors and outdoors, as well as some leisure centres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney's Typhoon Lagoon</span> One of two water parks at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida

Disney's Typhoon Lagoon is a water theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida near Orlando, and is one of two operating water parks at the resort. It is the second water park to open at the resort, preceded by Disney's River Country which closed in November 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast</span> Water park on the Gold Coast, Australia

Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast is a water park situated in Oxenford, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, owned and operated by Village Roadshow Theme Parks. In 2019, the park received 1,120,000 visitors making it the most visited water park in Australia and the 19th most visited water park in the world. Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast is located adjacent to Warner Bros. Movie World, a movie-related park also owned by Village Roadshow Theme Parks. The park remains open all year with all of the pools and slides heated during the winter months. It is one of several water parks operating under the Wet'n'Wild brand globally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belmont Park (San Diego)</span> Amusement park in San Diego

Belmont Park is an oceanfront historic amusement park located in the Mission Beach area of San Diego, California. The park was developed by sugar magnate John D. Spreckels and opened on July 4, 1925 as the Mission Beach Amusement Center. In addition to providing recreation and amusement, it also was intended as a way to help Spreckels sell land in Mission Beach. Located on the beach, it attracts millions of people each year.

Artificial waves are human-made waves usually created on a specially designed surface or in a pool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water Park of America</span> Former water park

Great Wolf Lodge, originally the Water Park of America, is home to the tallest indoor water slide in the U.S. It covers 70,000 square feet (6,500 m2) with a slide tower nearly ten stories high. It opened in May 2006. Located in Bloomington, Minnesota, it is a half mile from the Mall of America and close to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SeaWorld San Diego</span> Theme park in San Diego, California

SeaWorld San Diego is a theme park located in Mission Bay Park, San Diego, California, United States. Owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts, the park is an animal-focused marine mammal park, oceanarium, marine animal rehabilitation center, and aquarium with both indoor and outdoor aquatic exhibits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flowriding</span> Sport pacticed on artificial wave machine

Flowriding is a late 20th century alternative boardsport incorporating elements of surfing, bodyboarding, skateboarding, skimboarding, snowboarding and wakeboarding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caribbean Bay</span> Water park in Yongin, South Korea

Caribbean Bay is an indoor/outdoor water park located in Yongin, South Korea, on the outskirts of Seoul. Opened in 1996. Caribbean Bay is part of the Everland Resort, but requires a separate admission fee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapids Water Park</span> Water park in Riviera Beach, Florida

Rapids Water Park is a water park in Riviera Beach, Florida, United States, that occupies 30 acres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raging Waters Sydney</span> Water park in Sydney

Raging Waters Sydney, formerly Wet'n'Wild Sydney, is a water park in the greater western Sydney suburb of Prospect, New South Wales, Australia, that opened on 12 December 2013. The park was announced on 11 September 2010 and was the third Wet'n'Wild water park operated by Village Roadshow Theme Parks, after locations on the Gold Coast and Las Vegas. On 2 July 2018, it was announced that the park had been acquired by Parques Reunidos who renamed the park Raging Waters Sydney for the 2019 season. It is the only attraction outside the United States owned by Palace Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FlowRider (Dreamworld)</span> Sheet wave FlowRider attraction

FlowRider is a sheet wave FlowRider attraction at the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WhiteWater West</span> Water park equipment manufacturer

WhiteWater West is a manufacturing company based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. It was established in 1980 and manufactures a variety of products for water parks including water slides and water play areas. The company also owns FlowRider, which produces a line of surf simulators.

Master Blaster is a type of uphill water coaster at Schlitterbahn New Braunfels Waterpark in Texas, USA. Master Blaster opened in 1996 in the Schlitterbahn East section of the park as the anchor attraction to a second themed area called Blastenhoff. The ride is 65 feet tall and 1,100 feet long.

Aquatica is a chain of water parks owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts. Aquatica parks are operating in Orlando, Florida and San Antonio, Texas.

The Wave is a firm building artificial wave pools for surfing in England. The Wave: Bristol was opened in 2019, on the northern outskirts of the city. A second site, The Wave: London, is planned.

References

  1. 1 2 Czech (March 3, 2014). "Wave Pools | Wave Machines | Surf Pools". Wave Loch. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  2. ↑ https://www.npr.org/2016/08/30/490545030/surfers-and-scientists-team-up-to-create-the-perfect-wave
  3. ↑ "Tom Lochtefeld in The Encyclopedia of Surfing". Matt Warshaw. June 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Wave Loch – A short history of Wave Loch and Wave House & Surfing Machines". Wave Loch. June 23, 2010. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Making Waves". Wired. June 2008. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Wave Loch History". Wave Loch. June 2008. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  7. ↑ "A wave pool in a beach town?". Orange County Register. December 28, 2010. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Wave Loch turns their attention to surf pools after selling their world-leading FlowRider sheet-wave product to WhiteWater West Industries". waveloch.com. Wave Loch. February 27, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  9. ↑ "FlowRider® Official | The Ultimate Surf Machine | Buy A FlowRider". FlowRider | The Ultimate Surf Machine | Buy A FlowRider -. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  10. ↑ Beamish, Christian. "Jumping In The [Wave] Pool". Surfline.Com. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Wave Loch SurfPool IAAPA 2014". YouTube. November 24, 2014. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  12. ↑ Čeština. "World's Largest Professional Network". LinkedIn. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Tom Lochtefeld Discusses New Focus on Surf Pools at Wave Loch - PODCAST #1". Surf Park Central. March 27, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  14. ↑ Czech. "Surf Loch SurfPools". surfloch.com. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Technology". Surf Loch. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.