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The future of surf park wave riding?
The future of surf park wave riding?

Attorney warns if wave pools don’t self-regulate, helmets and lifejackets will become de rigueur

Also, only belly rides.

But did you ever think that you’d be alive in surfing’s great surf pool era? Not only alive, either, but young enough, although just barely, to experience all the magic of manmade waves yourself? Tubs are a long drive or short flight away from any major world city, these days, with a variety of technologies providing a plethora of different joys. Violent barrels to wedgy air sections. Smooth walls to

Yes, it’s all wonderful but an attorney, who just so happens to surf, is sounding the alarm bells. Namely, if wave pool operators don’t self-regulate, regulations will be foisted upon them by agencies who neither know nor care about how important it is to look cool whilst surfing.

Taking to Wave Pool Mag, Michael Floissac says the tank industry is one major injury away from getting regulated and the best way forward would be to regulate itself before that happens. He cites three different cases to make his point.

Ziplining in Thailand, where folk died, the government stepped in and created a raft of rules that didn’t work.

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Parasailing in Bulgaria, where folk died, the government stepped in and created a raft of rules that nobody checked and then a kid died.

White water rafting in New Zealand, where folk died, the operators got together and created their own standards which the government adopted.

Bungy jumping in New Zealand, where rules and regulations were crafted by the founders before opening the first commercial bungy site thereby avoiding the folk-death-leading-to-action dynamic.

Floissac urges the wave pool industry to follow the En Zed bungy model which, I would argue, should provide one Raimana van Bastolear per novice but what are your thoughts?

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What, bare minimum, should be mandatory before folk enjoy that electric slide?

I visited a Flowrider in Dubai, once, and standing up was not allowed. I was permitted to get to my feet after my host explained that I was a very advanced surfer but I wish that I would have just stayed down, as I only enjoyed a short time in the tube before getting violently slammed to the deck.

Ouch.

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Strayan Cunt

I’ve always know Seppos are pretty fucking hopeless but sentencing some Sheila to death by lethal injection, pumping her full of the allocated drug then seeing her wake up fully alive and perfectly ok in the hozzy two weeks later is next level even for you crazy cunts hahaha

Knowing America she’ll probably now get pardoned, jag a massive payout and become some sort of instant online celebrity with her own reality tv show. Even better she becomes the next president after that fucking moron you cunts can’t stop voting in. In fairness she couldn’t be any worse haha

Sofa Surfer

That was outrageous. It will be interesting to see what happens next. Litigation I assume.

Strayan Cunt

Hahaha just said something concerning you to our lovely mate Dogsnuts. Yeh how fucking crazy mate and where does it go from here? Imagine being executed by the US government and then just waking up perfectly fine two weeks later?

Is she frothing on still being alive or just off it that she now has to go back to death row and do it all over again? Wildest emotions ever I imagine but then again she must be off her head to kill her classmate in the first place? Fucked if I know haha

Dogsnuts

Murica! Fuck Yeahhhh!
Cummin to save….the muthafuckin day yeah !!
Xox

Strayan Cunt

One of the funniest things about wave pools is the shit names they have for the different settings like slab mode or advanced tube riding level bahahahahahahahahaha. Youre riding a soft, piece of shit, man made, artificial 2 footer in a fucking chlorinated swimming for fucks sake. They should name the hardest setting massive sellout soft cunt mode and go down from there.

Then after yous get changed in the fancy locker room and and are drinking watered down overpriced beers or gay as healthy energy drinks in the soulless bar yous get presented with a t shirt by your fucking shit cunt “surf instructor”. On the front is shot of ya getting a tiny head dip and below is written “I got ripped off X amount dollars at such and such wave pool for this shit”

Only thing worse I can think of off the top of me head is being held at gun point and forced to listen to 3 hours of Barnycles absolute shithouse music collection hahaha

Dogsnuts

Brilliant, just so you know I got nudes poolside while punching darts.
Xox

Dogsnuts

Down carve slopey shoulder was my favourite setting.
Xox

longtom2.0

what a fuckign ball-ache that was.

could not get back in.

I get bounced again, I’m done

Last edited 23 days ago by longtom2.0
I am a Crayfish Popsicle

And are you actually Longtom?

doubt
I am a Crayfish Popsicle

You just cannot trust anyone these days

Jack John Johnson

True Surf.

Dogsnuts

I asked for answers, why the change and for what benefit.
Just kept in the dark deafening silence.
Xox

I am a Crayfish Popsicle

I am here for fun, and all the stories that you all share?

Get back to fun .Sorry for getting involved

Strayan Cunt

Please don’t stress my dear bumhole fingering friend cuz you’re too lovely for that. We are all still here and being allowed to say whatever we want which is mental considering how fucked up the world is now so just try and enjoy it.

I’m over even thinking about what all the negative cunts have to say and am now gunna start chatting again to me lovely female mate Sofa and fuck all the softcocks who reckon I’m being a sleaze. She’s a highly intelligent and very funny and intelligent lady and I enjoy our virtual interactions and banter. I will not be judged by massive shit cunts so they can fuck emselves haha

@TheRealJackMeoff

Fuck you are a whiney little bitch sometimes.

deeks

Makes me sick of surfing. ..surf adjacent retardedness…surf channels…surf apparel…surf ” stories ” surf mugs….sexplore books about ” suurfing “…

Sean Connery (Disqus)

I don’t recommend getting a Stab mag premium membership then.

Sean Connery (Disqus)

He is getting worse with age isn’t he.

@TheRealJackMeoff

What’s his age again?

Sean Connery (Disqus)

Younger than Kelly but older than Erin Brooks I believe.

Strayan Cunt

I’m only joking Jack, stop taking everything I say so seriously mate

Sofa Surfer

I wasn’t aware you’d stopped talking to me!

Barnycle

Missed you, longtommy.

Just as you disappeared, JJF finally scored some waves on day 485 of his trip around the world. Martin Daly took him and Nathan to the wave in Micronesia. I thought the two events may have been connected in some sort of cosmic way.

Strayan Cunt

Good to see ya back me camo loving mate. Thought you might have been in G Land, gone for a wander in the jungle, got lost and no cunt could find ya

longtom2.0

nah, I wish. Just could not log on under old disqus handle.

Had a week off and got some great waves at …… and ….. and caught heaps of fish- so all good here, even if no late season Indo trip.

BograilCutback

Ocean or bust

I am a Crayfish Popsicle

What kind of bust are we dealing with here?

deeks

“the folk-death-leading-to-action dynamic.”
On fire today Mr Smith !!

Mindy

Sometimes i make customer wear helmet, but its ok not to if they sexy surfer!!

deeks

That’s not sand…that’s warts !!

Strayan Cunt

Hold up is that you my beloved Mindy, what the fuck are you doing on here? You better not give any of our sordid secrets away my love xx

Dogsnuts

This place isn’t the interaction based fun fest it once was and now I am sad.
Xox

@TheRealJackMeoff

What the hell are you taking about?
This place is better than ever, the new changes weeding out the weak.

Skol

The meek shall inherit the BTL

Mindy

Why all surfer sad?

Jack John Johnson

Some surfer mad. Other surfer sad. Most surfer madsad.

I am a Crayfish Popsicle

Click the JJJ

Need some more of that

JJJ

Last edited 23 days ago by I am a Crayfish Popsicle
Jack John Johnson

Why? So you can go emo and secretly start wearing My Chemical Romance patched shorts?

I am a Crayfish Popsicle

A great moment in time JJJ.

Jack John Johnson

That’s subjective.

I am a Crayfish Popsicle

Cool as fuck

Where is the write up?

Jack John Johnson

From which event? The Boardroom Show is in a few days.

I am a Crayfish Popsicle

Go fist bump Brutus

Jack John Johnson

Hopin’ to get a hug.

I am a Crayfish Popsicle

I reckon he would have no problem with that ahaha

Stick man

A Koala bear hug!

Jack John Johnson

🫶🏼

Last edited 23 days ago by Jack John Johnson
Blowin

Yes, it is. You’ve just got to open up your heart….and whatever else you fancy. Let the sun shine in
XOX

I am a Crayfish Popsicle

I am trying to just lurk, but I couldn’t help myself

HotDogsnuts
Rocks local

Just spent an hour at a Denver airport bar chatting up some kid from Wyoming who’s super into snowboarding. Perplexed by wave pools , although I tried to convince him that it was no different than a snowboard half pipe.

Concrete is hard , wearing a helmet isn’t the worst thing if it keeps the Val’s inland.

Barnycle

Poor use of the phrase “chatting up”, if it indeed was a kid.

1.33 for that comment.

But stoked that you’re heading to NorCal. Place is so beautiful when at the end of a dry season.

Rocks local

He was in his 20s, they all seem like kids these days. Norcal would be great except I’m headed to sac town on bidness so maybe not so much.

Barnycle

Only time I ever got close to there was on the 4 or 5 lane concrete highway, and the heat coming off the highway was freaking me out. Didn’t think that a road could reflect that much heat.

Hope you find fun shit to do anyway.

Big storm in the Gulf of Mex. All of a sudden I’m interested in seeing what kind of swell lands on the gulf states and the gulf coast. Also Cuba, Jamaica, etc.

Poor Cuba. They seem to be receiving the arse end of this administration. Venezuela used to keep them from hitting rock bottom, and it seems like they’re now there.

Skol

Sko Pokes!

Rich Marx

I’m assembling a team.

Surfing-lawyer-3
surfing-lawyer-2
Surfing-Lawyer
Rocks local

My lawyer buddies tell me the super lawyers thing is a scam run by big law firm marketing departments – maybe com can conflrm

RealPacificNorthPest

It’s an industry thing yes, but not meaningless. My wife is perennially a super lawyer, and she is correspondingly brilliantly good at her job. She also recently was awarded “Law Lion” by some industry publication – which was a lot of fun for me making the appropriate AI lion/wife mash ups.

deeks

I wanna sue JSC …for still being alive. Can she help. What are the rates.

RealPacificNorthPest

I think they bill her at over $3k an hour now? It’s hard to track, spirals up like the national debt clock

LIVE LIKE FOTO

I’m a trophy husband too.

Rocks local

I heartily recommend bad ass spouses. Ms rocks currently in Europe w/ her peons setting someone or other straight for a week or two.

RealPacificNorthPest

Nice, fierce wife is fun! As long as it’s pointed at someone else …

BograilCutback

You and Chas should get drinks

Rocks local

Chas voluntarily hung out with the taliban. He scares me more than ms rocks.

Blowin

I put it to you that it’s literally impossible to be scared by a man wearing lemon-coloured capri pants, loafers and no socks.

Last edited 23 days ago by Blowin
Rich Marx

I’m just saying I know a disproportionate number of surfers who have very successful wives and I’m included in this.

Mindy

I see many men like this

Rich Marx

Having a rich successful wife is surfings oldest profession.

Rich Marx

It’s largely seen as a joke among lawyers but it’s very effective for marketing.

Jack John Johnson

I ain’t gettin’ on no plane Murdoch.

mike m

Supertubos 0<1′ today.
0<1′ tomorrow.
0<1′ friday.

Hey Filipe, is that a roll of quarters in your pocket?

@surfads (Disqus)

Chas, did you and Derek hire a surf instructor? Because your pop ups are out of this world!

IMG_9127
Barnycle

@@surfads (Disqus) (Disqus) is the only person who still gets ads. Now I know how you got the moniker.

@surfads (Disqus)

I refuse to use ad blockers just for beachgrit. A solution should be found for me, not the other way around

Barnycle

I’m impressed by the level of self importance.

Got any good books that I can read that can teach me these skills?

LIVE LIKE FOTO

Hahaha

@TheRealJackMeoff

Yeah well that’s on you then.
Just go with DuckDuckGo.
No problems before and even more smooth now.

Last edited 23 days ago by @TheRealJackMeoff
@surfads (Disqus)

I think they should be mandatory for people surfing in the ocean too. Time to start a petition

Rocks local

Is this the real surfads? And if so, why did longtom disappear after the platform switch ?? Too much work for him to hit the big D at the top of the comment line???

@TheRealJackMeoff

And he prided himself as being a diehard BG commentator…

Blowin

He’s just waiting for the clamour demanding his return. The band doesn’t come back out unless the audience demands the encore.

Maybe he’s gone full Bribie local on a return home for the holidays and is parked up in some windowless tin beach shack cursing the happy laughter of the tourists gallivanting on his turf?

Last edited 23 days ago by Blowin
@surfads (Disqus)

It took a long time for me to transition as a digital native. I can only imagine what it was like for a bus-driving fisho

longtom2.0

wouldn’t let me back in as me- took a long time and much head butting.

Rocks local

Pinchy stole my username so had some fits too early on. You can actually still use disqus, have to hit the D icon (but have to be logged out completely to see it so if you had that much trouble getting in maybe don’t log out again??)

Blowin

But I just got my hair done

Strayan Cunt

Just when I thought wave pools couldn’t get any more gay. Ah well fuck it, looks like we’re all gunna die of the plague soon anyways. We just can’t seem to catch a break at the moment ay cunts

Barnycle

Hey, Scunt. If you’re looking for any punk rock heroes for your kid to look up to then I suggest Eddie Vedder, as he’s core as fuck.

But if your simple biases get in the way then I understand and suggest that you play her the music of Hayley Williams, lead singer of Paramore, who told a government spokesperson to suck her fat dick because she’s not apologising for saying “Fuck ICE”. Very anti authoritarian. Very cool.

IMG_0658
Sofa Surfer

🤘🏼

Tony robbbins

How fat can a clit get?

Blowin

Q / How many wrinkles has a cunt got?

A / You smile and I’ll count them

LIVE LIKE FOTO

Hahahahahaha

LIVE LIKE FOTO

Satire I hope…

Barnycle

Always. I try not to say anything serious here, unless it’s making fun of magats and bootlickers.

LIVE LIKE FOTO

Vedder viewed as a Punk rocker ….is like thinking green day is Punk . Pop punk maybe ..I was Punk Rock in the 80s . Black flag , GBH, EXPLOITED, MINOR THREAT..and so forth . No were does vedder fall into that era.

Last edited 23 days ago by LIVE LIKE FOTO
LIVE LIKE FOTO
Mindy

Oh my buddha, no way thzts not satire

Sean Connery (Disqus)

Strayan is a huge Oasis fan bud. Nobody likes a whinge more than Liam and Noel. So he relates to them

Barnycle

Don’t forget about the Chick-V in china, as well. That shit will wreck you.

LIVE LIKE FOTO

Will Da Hui expand to wave pools ? Are Core Lords in black shorts posting up as surf enforcement groups on the horizon ? Liability release forms?..$tay tuned ..

Last edited 23 days ago by LIVE LIKE FOTO
mike m

Like bouncers at a bar.

DSS&S

SoCal surf news: ALL Beaches closed due to incessantly high, king tides, beach erosion, sewage releases, tar on beach, unlawful surf schools, random shark sightings, strong rip tides, and lifeguard blackball flags…and Paramount merging with Skydance!

more local news on the hour.

(Hint: catastropic news is published at the advisery and PR dept of The Magic Kingdom and Oz is behind the curtain! Book your D-Cruise Liner THERE)

Tom House

Anything that hastens the end of wave pools sounds good to me

Strayan Cunt

Fucking oath cunt

Rocks local

Need more of them to keep the Val’s out of the ocean

Barnycle

Same. Need to change this shit to Curmudgeon Grit. Who gives a fuck about wave pools? Either surf them or forget about them. No idea why anyone would care to shut them down or prevent more from opening up. Other than the kids may get freakishly good at airs and start busting them all over the place.

Blowin

I think there’s an under appreciated truth behind what you’re saying. It was always the hedged future vision for wavepools ; Would they create legions of fake-wave bred dilettantes or would they act as a magnet for the weak-hearted and convenience addicted?

Seems the outcome might be more the latter at this stage.

Im regularly hearing stories of bunches of mates going to the wavepool when in past times they’d more than likely shoot up or down the coast to inflict themselves on a small beach town somewhere.

Got to grab those small victories where you can.

Last edited 23 days ago by Blowin
longtom2.0

not my experience

longtom2.0

they create crowds, not dissipate them

Blowin

Think of all the dozens and dozens of group pool trips you’ve heard of.

If it wasn’t for the pool these groups would have prowled the coast or gone to Indo.

That’s a big win.

longtom2.0

far more dozens and dozens of people learning to surf in them showing up at the ocean with their new skills and zero idea of etiquette.

Blowin

i haven’t met a single person that’s learnt in a wavepool

Stick man

what would you even learn? count to twenty before the next non-breaking straight comes out of the wall… pop-up, stand there. Yay.

Rocks local

Honestly curious about this. Don’t think I’ve ever run across someone in ocean who learned in a wave pool. But maybe I’m not at the right spots.

Com Turren

this guy also works for a company that provides risk assessment services for wave pools, so of course he’s going to say stuff that will encourage people to hire his company.

if we start seeing mandatory helmets at wave pools, it won’t be because of government regulation—it will be because someone dies of a traumatic brain injury and a wave pool cops and eight figure wrongful death judgment against it

Picard Madeoff

While it doesn’t make it right, some might suggest that managing to the lowest common denominator is corporate de rigueur cost of defense and risk management 101. The insurers and lawyers will win in this dynamic

@TheRealJackMeoff

People get seriously injured and die on the regular at ski resorts with no discernable changes made to mitigate it, so how do they do that?
Should pools follow suit, maybe even offer an insurance plan?
Let’s be real it’s not if but when someone gets seriously hurt.

Picard Madeoff

Agreed! I’ll leave the legal commentary to those who, unlike me, are qualified. My understanding is that over the years, ski areas have pushed for legal protection from lawsuits related to their inherent risks while gaining damage caps and what I’ll call reduced operator negligence thresholds. That said, Vail seems to have avoided a number of recent serious liabilities including the possibly avoidable avalanche death of a teenager and a really good kid. I’m not one to pass judgment as that death, while avoidable speaks to the inherent risks of skiing inbounds or out of bounds.

Back to the wave pool Q, I’ve surfed two, Waco and Revel while noticing the unforgiving bottom that demands one to TRY to know how to fall off a board. Great in theory, harder in practice. Will I go to a wave pool again? Possibly for the bizarre experience while I understand the risks just as with any dynamic activity. But there is a subset of humans who always want to blame others regardless of the circumstances, so this article points to the realities of the challenges business owners face daily and the associated costs to manage those risks.

@TheRealJackMeoff

Sorry about that kid, who you must have known.
This year looking to be an avalanche of avalanches

Picard Madeoff

Didn’t know him but knew of him as my kids were racers and he was free skier in the club. Sad event.

Rocks local

Had a shock first time I hit bottom at Waco just stepping off after a wave. You forget it’s real concrete down there.

Jack John Johnson

I once scraped my back on the bottom of the wave pool at Raging Waters and have never forgot it.

Blowin

I wasn’t taller than the clown at Knoxberry Farm and missed out on the best rides when I was a kid.

Reckon I’ve got a legal recourse for denial of fun?

Jack John Johnson

Ya Reckon?

Picard Madeoff

Possibly better than some of the rocks at SanO?

Stick man

sign the wave-r!

RealPacificNorthPest

The ski industry is an interesting case. They have pooled together and never settle, always fight nearly every claim to the bitter end. They do however occasionally lose because sometimes negligence is so absolutely over the top it effectively doesn’t matter what you agreed to when you signed for your pass. Lately that has looked like lift operation crews abandoning their posts and people getting gravely injured by the lift they are supposed to be there to stop. Liability insurance for ski areas is becoming more and more expensive.

I feel like ski areas are in a hard situation – they can’t always control what their stoney teenage employees do, but they are liable for it. On the other hand, they could pay a living wage and hire people who behave professionally.

@TheRealJackMeoff

I ate it getting off a lift and had the chair behind me clock me in the head trying to get away, lucky for me I had a helmet.
Fucking lift kid sitting there with a dumb look on his face…

Last edited 23 days ago by @TheRealJackMeoff
Picard Madeoff

Some might accuse you of being a snowboarder, but not me!

Rich Marx

Ski resorts are very dangerous places that injure and kill a lot of people but we’ve apparently figured out a way to balance everything. Wave pools just need the same liability scheme where the pool is only liable for gross negligence.

When Ian Calderon was in state government he was pushing for a bill like this but I don’t remember seeing any follow up.

Rocks local

The VB wave pool already requires helmets for the expert barrel session only.

Tony robbbins

Good idea, especially after a few VBs

Blowin

Imagine the antics and vibe at a Vic Bitter wave pool. That I would pay to see.

Stick man

Vero Beach?

Rocks local

You’re back !!! Best news in a while. We used to call vero ‘zero beach’ back in the day. My grandmother lived there.

Picard Madeoff

Did I ever see you at Dodgertown with Bump Holman and Mr O’Malley back in the 70s?

RealPacificNorthPest

Yeah same pattern as skate parks


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