Wavepool for Southport, UK
Southport Cove
An artists impression…
Southport is going to have a wavepool.
Go Surf is set to create ‘Southport Cove Resort’, described as ‘an exciting, new, all year-round attraction with a world class surf wave pool’ at Princes Park on the seafront.
The project will also include water-based wellness, spa, restaurant & cafés and indoor leisure facilities.
A 250m long beach will sit beside a wave generator capable of germinating waves ‘over 2 metres’.
Councillor Marion Atkinson said “When we were doing the consultation around the Southport Town Deal it was clear that many people still had memories of the Lido in Southport. This project will, in many ways, bring back a viable facility with all year-round broad visitor appeal, and strike a balance between the memory of this well-loved former attraction and a new, modern, family-oriented offer that will be unique to the region.”
It is hoped that the project will create 120 new jobs and more £20 million extra cash to the local economy with 150,000 visits a year and cost £40 million.
Go Surf said: “Southport’s location and existing facilities lend themselves perfectly to the town becoming a true haven for water sports, indoor and outdoor attractions, and wellness. The town benefits greatly from the successful integration of its town centre, marine lake and seafront.
The plans will be submitted as part of Southport’s Town Deal bid for part of the government’s £3.6bn Towns Fund.
Details on tech are scant, but Wavepool mag recognised the drawings as WhiteWaters Endless surf” machine. Whitewater made Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, in 1989 and produce Flowriders and parks like Sunway Lagoon Water Park.
“Our reliable pneumatic technology creates endless rolling sets, designed for operational success; being flexible, high capacity, and above all else, safe,” says Paul Chutter, Chief Business Development Officer of WhiteWater.
“Endless Surf is a surfer’s dream of on-demand waves. Its organic, heart-shaped pool design is scalable in size, with a width of up to 300-meters (1,000-feet) in a 2-hectare (5-acre) pool and can provide up to a 26 second end-to-end ride. Patent protected proprietary programming, accessed through its Wave Doctor interface, gives the operator the control to change the wave pattern in real-time based on the session requirements and guests in the pool. Importantly, Endless Surf can run multiple wave types at one time so that beginners, intermediates, and experts can surf alongside each other, providing huge operational flexibility.”
BIGGEST NAZARÉ EVER?
“I always thought that the day would come where we would see a huge huge swell with clean offshore winds.
Since I remember looking at weather and storm maps Ive never ever seen a forecast of conditions like this and Mother Nature delivered some of the craziest cleanest waves ever seen at Nazaré.
A day for the history books, swells like this happen very few times in a lifetime. So happy to witness this day and see everyone back to shore safe.” – Nic Von Rupp
Cotty Vs Nazaré
Action shot: @leopoldocastro
Nazare went huge yesterday and North Devons Andrew Cotton was in the right spot at the right time to score one the of the biggest waves of the day. It is possibly one of, if not the biggest wave ever ridden. The jury is out at the moment as photos and video are examined.
Cotty took a calculated approach to the swell aiming to scoring one of the waves of the sessions, which paid dividends. Tow partner Garrett McNamara whipped him in and he was immediately asking the question “Biggest wave ever ridden?”
It is an epic achievement for Cotty, who just re-signed to Salt Rock, after coming back from several injuries courtesy of the the beast.
Portrait: Leo Francis/Red Bull Content Pool
Conor Maguire & Monster Mullaghmore
David and Goliath, pah, I think Conor Maguire and Mullaghmore just knocked that one straight out of the park in Ireland. Almost breaking the interent in doing so, helluvah big. We salute you Conor and your support team and crew, well done all, and we’ve not even started on Cottys epic feat at Nazaré.
In his own words Conor said.
“Yesterday morning was wild. I saw our little magic bay do some mesmerising shit that I never thought imaginable. Chaos met beauty in an unimaginable way.
I can’t begin to describe how grateful I am to all of you guys for the positive response and support, including the hundreds of lovely messages. It’s been overwhelming.
Saying thank you to everyone involved in yesterday’s antics seems like an underrated response to their efforts. The organisation and safety put in place for the biggest swell to hit Ireland (reading 29 meters on the m6 buoy off Ireland) was impeccable.
@finn_mullen, you’re my guardian angle. He was the safety coordinator for the swell and I couldn’t have asked for a more appropriate guy for the job. With some crazy experience behind him, including a few ground-breaking windsurfing waves at Mullaghmore, it seemed appropriate.
From informing the coastguard of our plans, organising a paramedic and ambulance to 4 four rescue skis driven by my closest friends to spotters on the cliff who were lifelong friends to thorough safety briefings the night before and the day of (including adherence to Covid-19 regs), it couldn’t have been a safer and better reason to push myself at a wave I’ve grown obsessed with over the years. I honestly can’t put into words how thankful I am. I owe everyone a few stout when the pubs reopen.
Photos: Conor Flanagan / Red Bull Content Pool
Mirage: Skeleton Bay
Since it was unveiled in 2008, the wave at Skelton Bay has become part of every surfer’s lexicon, a synonym for never-ending sand bottomed tubes. But unlike Pipeline, G-Land, or [insert your preferred iconic world class wave here], the two-kilometre-long left on the edge of the Namib Desert is in a constant state of flux. If satellite imagery is anything to go by, the wave we know today didn’t even exist 30 years ago.
“People think oh, easy, Skeleton Bay. I’m going to go get the barrel of my life. But then they show up here and realise it’s more like Teahupoo on sand.”
Mirage is a 15-minute documentary that traces the genesis of the Namibian sandspit and how it became one of the most sought after waves on the planet, as told by pioneering locals and some of the best tube riders in the world.
But before you put it on the top of your post-pandemic bucket list, perhaps take heed of Koa Smith’s veiled advice from the film: “People think oh, easy, Skeleton Bay. I’m going to go get the barrel of my life. But then they show up here and realise it’s more like Teahupoo on sand.”