How to create the best wavepool on earth and why Surf Lakes gonna self-destruct!
All that heat about the new Palm Springs Surf Club wavepool, featuring the tech of wavepool king Tom Lochtefeld, has been entirely warranted despite earlier fears it was a modern incarnation of the old Disney Typhoon Lagoon.
Three years ago, the world’s best surfers lined up to ride the then proto-wavepool built on the site of the old Wet N Wild, the same pool used in the opening sequences of North Shore, a film from 1987 that tells the fictional tale of Arizona’s Rick Kane, a boy from a broken home who learns to surf in a wavepool and then attempts to transpose his skills to Pipeline with mostly pleasing results.
The Tom Lochtefeld tech, which is called Surf Loch, is diff to Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch, Wavegarden, American Wave Machines and Surf Lakes. It uses a combo of vacuum and pressure to make waves.
“An opening at the bottom of each chamber allows the wave energy pulse to be released into open water independently of each other. The controlled variations of the independent pulses can generate an infinite variety of wave swells.”
The Hawaiian-raised surfer Cheyne Magnusson, who turned the Waco tank into the hottest party in town, was handpicked to run the tank and help push it to its full potential.
“He is a phenomenal wave composer, a virtuoso on our equipment,” says Tom Lochtefeld.
“I come in and play the piano,” Cheyne told me of his role complementing the Surf Loch tech. “Give me a bunch of knobs to move water and I can make it sing.”
Tom Lochtefeld is a long-time friend of BeachGrit and its co-master Charlie Smith.
In this long-form interview Lochtefeld reveals the secrets behind creating better-than-perfect waves, why Surf Lakes is gonna self-destruct and why the Slater plough is destined for the junkyard.
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What is this lame puff piece about Lochtefeld? If this is the best wave pool tech, then why has the Palm Springs pool been malfunctioning every other day? Cringeworthy journalism if you want to call it that.
I guess that might be why they’re not open to the public yet?
They’ve been taking plenty of private groups for thousands of $$ already. Then when they realized they could make more money with the private sessions they pivoted and closed off a bunch of public sessions in Jan. Too bad the machine is gonna be broken half the time.
Every time I’ve been to an amusement park there’s always a handful of closed rides. Movings tons of cubic metres of water is going to test any set up.
What’s your connection?
Waco and Surf Ranch worked pretty well even early on. This thing’s a mess.
Pools suck
While it is not real surfing, at least there are no hydrofoils in the water.
This guy is the only guy who should be in the wavepool space. Nice guy, been at it for a long time. Glad to see he has a scale product out there.
I found this pretty interesting regarding the economics of wave pools and the ability to change the wave on demand.
We need a shuttle service from seaside reef to this inland wave pool
Ugh! Yuck. Two creepy looking men shooting the breeze about chlorine ‘surfing’. But slick how Tom wiped the snot on his pants in one smooooth movement. A bit like a hair flick claim in a wave pool I suppose.
waiting to see what Beef & Beer comes up with on that still…
Chas was your mic clipped on your shoe? Or in a cup somewhere nearby? Old mate is crisp as an off season granny smith compared to your shoe recording. Well done keeping his ramblings sub 20 minutes.
One mic. We poor.
In other news;
Chas Smith forgets to pick up blue suit from cleaners.
More as the story develops
Who is the Dude with the private wave pool in the back garden?
As an aside, I reckon Aussies are the most anti Semitic group after Muslims et al.
Huge surf here tho
I would’ve said the British, but hey, same genetic basket.
Id say Germans, duh.
I used to get served last in a little vegetarian pizza shop in balaclava years ago…works both ways I spose
So what ?
Don’t confuse anti semitic with anti zionist.
Tommy & Bro Peter were both Masters at Rock.
Loching up that BG Surf Loch, LLC sponsorship.
Nice of Chas to tell me my prebooked slot as first guest* would be superceded by the Crypt Keeper… gotta secure the BG white party in Palm Springs I guess…
*triple not confirmed!
The whole thing is very much Priscilla – Queen of the Desert. If they had Thai hookers shooting ping pong balls over the pool then I’d give it half a chance.
Sadly, they do not.
The balloon popping pussy darts wss my favorite and also the selfportrait by a marker wielding pussy
My mind is saying “don’t ask who the tour operator was” my little mind is asking for their number
8675309
Ask for Jenny
I can arrange that, how many you need and what time?
You should ask him if the pool had any downtime for broken parts recently.
I meant to ask, via Chas, if it was the pool that nearly stole BJ Penn from the world.
https://beachgrit.com/2021/…
Yeah I don’t like the sound of “vacuum and pressure “
If employed correctly, oowee.
Hahaha this guy knows the truth. PSSC’s marketing would have us believe otherwise.
Capitalism baby!
The vlog has guests. I’m rattled. Also intrigued. Might actually click the play button, eventually.
Party Pete…that you?
NDA…unredacted…Leaving The Union..we went on to build Knott’s Berry Farm
https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx….
Anyone know what the current Knott’s Berry Farm Body Glove watch selection is like?
I was wearing a Mickey Mouse watch and didn’t meet the height requirements. some of my south bay surf idols played music there with the Hillbillies…Steve Martin too.
https://comic-cons.xyz/wp-c…