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Rise of the Machines

How will two new wave pools in Sydney and Melbourne affect Australian surf culture?

The future of surfing is here, and sweet Mary Jane, haven’t we come a long way from the pot-smoking, turn-your-back-on-society-and-get-a-shack-on-the-beach days of the 1970s. Following an announcement a few weeks ago that their first wave pool will be opening in Melbourne in 2017, Perth-based company URBNSURF have now followed it up with the news that a second wave pool has just been given the go ahead to be built at Sydney Olympic Park, right in the heart of Western Sydney. And it raises some interesting questions about the future of Australian surf culture. Like, will it one day be acceptable to carry a board under your arm while wearing Adidas trackies? And will we soon start seeing a whole new demographic of surfers emerge from urban wave pools?

URBNSURF is all about getting more people in the water and combatting the overcrowding of line-ups at busy city beaches. According to their website, they’re “revolutionising surfing participation in Australia by making it safer and more convenient for everyone to surf.” Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it sounds pretty good. Not everyone lives within a stone’s throw of the coast or wants to risk getting mauled by a shark when they go surfing (although where’s the fun in that?). But with the news that an in-house surf academy will be operating at both the Sydney and Melbourne wave pools, offering everything from beginner lessons to advanced coaching, it does make you wonder if in the long run a man-made wave in such densely populated parts of Australia will deter the overcrowding of line-ups or actually promote it. How long before all those inland dwellers who catch the bug start heading coastward in search of the real thing? For the most part, surfing has traditionally been adopted by those lucky enough to grow up near the beach. The emergence of man-made wave technology in non-coastal areas means that a lot more people will now have the same opportunity.

Which leads to another question: is it possible Australia could see some serious talent emerge from these wave pools? Considering URBNSURF will be using the same technology that we’ve already seen in full effect in the Wave Gardens of Europe, it’s fair to say that while it might not be Pipeline, the waves on offer are definitely still rippable. Airs, hacks, tail-slides, even squatty little tubes have been proven possible by the pros during their visits to the Wave Garden. With the implementation of LED lights at Australia’s two proposed venues, punters will be able to surf day and night, which equates to a lot of practice time for those willing to put in the hours (and the moolah). Sure, I hear you, surfing involves a lot more than just riding waves, and it’s doubtful we’ll see the next JOB come out of Homebush or Dandenong, but an army of small-wave specialists might not be out of the question.

So what do you think? Will the emergence of wave pools in this country drive Australia’s surf culture in a variety of new and interesting directions? Or are we just one step further away from our beautiful beginnings?

Welcome to URBNSURF Sydney from URBNSURF on Vimeo.

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