"If we build Surf Lakes, they will come."
Now, at the outset, here, I don’t know how Surfing Queensland spokesman Keanu Chapman does not win Australian of the Year each and every one of them. I have never, in my life, seen such an Australian face in all my days. Perfect from middle part on longer auburn hair down to tip of molded chin. A wide, inquisitive visage that’s just waiting to ask if you’d like to have a “beeeeah” later on in the “arvo.” To say nothing about the name “Keanu Chapman.”
Just look at him.
Well, Chapman is currently advocating for a Rusty Plunger to be built in his home state in order to produce surfing talent that may, someday, rival Shane Dorian’s son Jackson whom he described as “outlandish.” You, of course, know that Australia boasts two commercial wave tanks. Both employ Wavegarden tech with one in Melbourne and the other in Sydney. The perpetual Australian of the Year wants a Surf Lakes, though, telling ABC, “If we can get that sort of innovation here in Queensland, then that breeds innovation all across Australia to produce similar wave pools. This is huge for the sport of surfing as well as the production of wave pools.”
Chapman is hoping that a Surf Lakes can be dropped into Brisbane ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games, allowing for Australian Jackson Dorians to flourish. “Being able to develop a wave pool where people can hone their abilities and explore in a controlled environment where they feel safe, they can be coached on proper technique and etiquette, that makes the margin to get into surfing a lot easier than being thrown into the ocean,” he gamely declared.
Chief executive of Capricorn Enterprises Mary Carroll nodded along, pointing to the popularity of Surf Lakes amongst the celebrity set including Chris Hemsworth. “While Surf Lakes has been a demo site, it’s hosted a number of celebrities and there is so much interest from our southern markets and international markets,” she said, adding, “There’s an incredibly large global audience that would descend on this region just for this product. The technology is one of a kind on the globe and it will mean when it’s constructed. It will be able to host 200 surfers at five skill levels. I’ve seen it in action many times and it’s quite mind blowing to watch.”
No doubt.
But do you think construction/energy costs will be overcome, allowing for the Mad Max Machine to flourish or… not?
More as the story develops.