Filipe Toledo has ventured across the border into Spain to Wavegarden for a surf session or two. This year was no exception and he invited Miguel Pupo and Ian Gouveia the time to test out the Cove’s new high-performance waves, which include a barrel wave, a slab, and an aerial section, among others.
So what does this mean for theWave at Bristol? Steve England asked Nick Hounsfield for an update…
Will it be the same height as the test facility?
The standard Wave will be similar height, with an opportunity to go a little bigger when we want to. But the energy costs go very high if you go too big.
Obviously there is an explosion of tech at the moment but you have been very confident from the start that The Cove is for you. Do you have five points why you chose this above the other tech?
Cove = Reliable, adjustable, smaller footprint, lower energy consumption, great company to work with.
We have seen the need for tight controls water quality recently highlighted in Waco. Is that of concern? How do you balance that in ecological terms (reed beds?)
Water quality wise: we are using potable water to fill up the lake and Wavegarden will supply the water treatment processing technology which is very high quality. The risks for us are minimal provided we have robust cleaning and maintenance procedures. We take water quality very seriously and the impact of not taking it seriously could have massive consequences. We are a passionate about surf/health/education, so we cant have people getting sick!
Has your surfing improved since you started visiting WG and when can we except to see the Hounsfield air reverse?
I spent a lot of time long boarding over the summer and consequently my surfing wasn’t on point yesterday. However, I had an hour and half to myself at The Cove yesterday with one of the WG team giving me instructions. So so helpful and really shows how even people like me can progress in a short space of time. The instructor was right next to me in the water and gave me several tips and tricks which in that short time totally sorted out some issues I was having. I’m excited for the future and the ability for people of all abilities to progress. However, if we can get kids into these waves at an early age, the UK will soon be producing very high calibre surfers. I’m so excited to be a part of that future.
The new “Slab” setting on the Cove is next level. A pro was there yesterday and even he took a few beatings. But he also got some proper spitting pits!
The 2018 Quemao Class invite list has been released. Held at Canarian Pipe – El Quameo, La Santa the event puts the best local surfers and bodyboarders in the best conditions possible against international invitees.
Conor Maguire from Ireland and Tom Lowe and Andrew Cotton are on this years invite list.
The event is on stand by from 20 October – 20 December
You might remember the sad story from a few weeks back of American surfer, Fab Stabile, dying from a rare brain eating amoeba* and the authorities were pursuing the possibility that he got at the Waco wave pool. The results are in and whilst the testing didn’t detect the Naegleria fowleri in the wave pool itself it was found on site. See the report here. So the current home page statement from the pool owners is a bit, err, confusing.
Managing large freshwater installations like this is tricky and hopefully, this terrible event will ensure all future pools can be run incident free. BSR are spending the winter installing state of the art filtration as detailed below.
From the BSR SURF RESORT website… WATER TESTS COME BACK CLEAN
Installation of State-of-the-Art Filtration System Already Underway;
BSR Determined to Go the Extra Mile, Set Highest Standards for Safety
First and foremost, on behalf of the entire staff at BSR Surf Resort, our hearts and prayers are with Fab Stabile’s family, friends, and the New Jersey surf community. A precious life has been lost, and we are deeply saddened for his loved ones.
For the past two weeks, increased awareness of this incredibly rare disease, Naegleria fowleri, has swept the globe. What will come of all this news coverage and commentary? At BSR Surf Park, we are determined it will help save lives.
Although comprehensive test results have now confirmed that the water at BSR Surf Resort meets every standard for safety, today I am announcing that we are going the extra mile and hiring a North Carolina firm to install a state-of-the-art filtration system to make our water in the surf, on lazy river, and at the Royal Flush slide is as clear and clean as humanly possible. It will take us to February to complete the installation of this new filtration system working very closely with local, state and CDC officials.
There are only a few of these man-made surf parks in the country today, but many more will be built. Our goal is to set the highest standard for these facilities. Going forward, BSR Surf Resort will have the cleanest water anywhere in the United States.
I built this water destination resort so people of all ages could learn to surf and wakeboard — and then go home safely to their families. We take pride in our park and the safety of every guest. And to be clear, it’s not just the guests that use the park. It’s also my family, our friends, and our employees that essentially live in our water. My two-year-old twins play on that beach, and — as kids do — they drink the water every time.
So you better believe my cousin, who tests and treats the water every day, is damn sure no one gets sick.
BSR wants to thank everyone that has supported us from the start and believed in what we are trying to do. We want to make people happy — and safe — and that’s what we are going to continue to do.
We will update you on our progress through social media and our webpage, and look forward to seeing everyone soon with clear, blue, clean water.
Thanks
*Naegleria fowleri, colloquially known as the “brain-eating amoeba”, is a species of the genus Naegleria, belonging to the phylum Percolozoa. It is a free-living, bacteria-eating amoeba that can be pathogenic, causing a fulminant brain infection called naegleriasis, also known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis.
Yago Dora (BRA) is the winner of the 2018 Redbull Airborne speciality event after placing first in the final in Hossegor, France.
Today, Yago Dora (BRA) won the Red Bull Airborne France, a World Surf League (WSL) speciality event, in four foot (1.2 metre) waves at Plage des Culs Nus.
The inaugural Red Bull Airborne hosted an 18-man field consisting of a cross-section of the world’s best surfers from the elite Championship Tour and a global field of aerial specialists. 22-year old Dora topped the Final, which included Griffin Colapinto (USA), Jack Freestone (AUS), Kalani David (HAW), Matt Meola (HAW), and Eithan Osborne (USA).
“Being included in this group of surfers was an honour for me and to come out with a win was great,” said Dora. “It is really cool to win the first Airborne. Airs are the future of the sport, so I am so happy and excited to win. The judges are only looking for those progressive and innovative airs, and you just have to go for it.”
Dora got active early in the Final and scored two great manoeuvres in the first five minutes to take a lead he never let go. His first aerial was a huge slob air (front arm grabbing his toe-edge) that came in as a 6.67 (out of a possible 10), his best score being doubled for the overall tally. He then quickly put together another forehand rotation with a frontside grab, the same manoeuvre but with the trailing arm grabbing the toe-edge.
Pictured: Yago Dora of Brasil. Credit: © WSL / Poullenot
“I can’t believe it, ” Dora continued. “I’m exhausted actually, an hour is too long for a heat! I was lucky to start on the inside by myself and I got those two good waves when everyone was still out there. Griffin (Colapinto) needed a low score only and there’s no priority, so there was nothing I could do. I just tried to get another one but I couldn’t. ”
Griffin Colapinto (USA) and Jack Freestone (AUS) were the only other surfers to come close to threatening Dora’s lead in the Final, both going big in the punchy beach breaks. Freestone’s best effort was a massive backside alley-oop. Considering the relatively small conditions, his score came in as a 5.90. Unfortunately the Australian couldn’t quite land a good enough second air to back up his best score and earned third place.
Championship Tour rookie Colapinto threw his signature inverted forehand reverses with no grab – a highly technical rotation projected towards the beach – to post the Final’s highest single score, a 6.77, but could not find the required 4.73 to advance past Dora and take the win.
Pictured: Griffin Colapinto of USA. Credit: © WSL / Poullenot
Unfortunately Kalani David (HAW), Matt Meola (HAW) and Eithan Osborne (USA), who were all among the top scorers in the Qualifying Rounds, were unable to exploit the shifty lineup in the Final and couldn’t showcase the technicality that makes them some of the world’s most innovative surfers above the lip.
Highlights from the Red Bull Airborne France can be viewed at WorldSurfLeague.com and the WSL’s Facebook page.
Red Bull Airborne Final Leaderboard:
1 – Yago Dora (BRA) 18.27
2 – Griffin Colapinto (USA) 17.21
3 – Jack Freestone (AUS) 15.3
4 – Kalani David (HAW) 5.66
5 – Matt Meola (HAW) 5.40
6 – Eithan Osborne (USA) 0.00
Qualifying Round Leaderboard:
1 – Kalani David (HAW) 16.83
2 – Griffin Colapinto (USA) 14.29
3 – Yago Dora (BRA) 13.83
4 – Matt Meola (HAW) 12.46
5 – Eithan Osborne (USA) 12.34
6 – Jack Freestone (AUS) 11.26
7 – Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 9.84
8 – Jordy Smith (ZAF) 9.80
9 – Albee Layer (HAW) 9.76
10 – Eric Geiselman (USA) 9.60
11 – Mason Ho (HAW) 9.17
12 – Leif Engstrom (USA) 8.63
13 – Kael Walsh (AUS) 8.36
14 – Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 6.20
15 – Italo Ferreira (BRA) 4.96
16 – William Aliotti (FRA) 2.60
17 – Chippa Wilson (AUS) 1.46
18 – Sebastian Williams (MEX) 0.00
Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) surfing in Qualifying Round Heat 2 of the WSL Redbull Airborne event in Hossegor, France.
Mason Ho (HAW) surfing in Qualifying Round 2 Heat 1 of the WSL Redbull Airborne event in Hossegor, France.
Matt Meola (HAW) surfing in Qualifying Round 2 Heat 2 of the WSL Redbull Airborne event in Hossegor, France.
Jordy Smith (ZAF) surfing in Qualifying Round Heat 2 of the WSL Redbull Airborne event in Hossegor, France.
