The start of the 2020–21 big wave season has been nothing if not historic. Especially in Ireland, where Conor Maguire nabbed what many are calling the biggest wave ever surfed at Ireland's premiere – and most terrifying – wave, Mullaghmore. Here's a look back at filmmaker Mikey Corker's award-winning 2018 docu-series Made In Ireland, which traces surfing's roots in what was once considered the unlikeliest of surf destinations.
Newquay’s Peter Keyes made two iconic surf documentaries in the early 80’s. For years they lay collecting dust n his attic until friends persuaded him to remastered them.
“In 1982 and 1983 I made 2 surf documentaries, The ‘82 Newquay Surf Classic and the 1983 Europro. I showed them both in the King Mark pub to a group of surfers. Since then they have been gathering dust in my attic.
“Last month a few friends persuaded me to have them digitised and I set about restoring them.
“I had to use new music because the original had tracks by artists such as Duran Duran, Joe Jackson and Roxy Music. I have recut the film, cleaned up the soundtrack and put the new music on, although I have managed to retain a Mechanics’ track sung by the late Al Hodge. The films are essentially as first shown.”
The kind of rare day when every wave is a gem and everyone is stocked.
Surfers: Marc Lacomare, Charly Quivront, Patrick Beven, Joan Duru, Remi Derepas, Didier Piter, Noa Dupouy, Justin Becret Pv Laborde.
Music: new order
Witness the sickness, introducing the new air section at Wave Park in South Korea. They're pretty stoked with the results, the section can be modified to suit the level of the surfer. While air specialist Jacob Szekely was keen on hitting the steepest, heaviest section possible, Kai and Hans Odriozola - inspired by Jacob - were satisfied to practice on the slightly softer version.
The Wave Park is also a paradise for longboarders. If your dream session is riding the nose at Noosa Point or Baja, then you are going to love the latest Malibu Wave Menu, which has great waves of various sizes and degrees of difficulty for all longboarders. You can surf it to the shore, with some rides going for almost a minute, schweet.
Southport Cove
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.”
