Each and every wave pool technology to hit the market in the past decade-plus has had its own angle to separate itself from the rest of the pack. Ten years ago, brands would claim the best tube section, or the most impressive size, or the most energy efficient to attract investors; or the highest volume of waves in an hour, so they could pack our wave-starved bodies into a lagoon like sardines and cash in. Do It Yourself feels like the current rage, and one Finnish company has been flying somewhat under the radar with a design that really does feel like the everyman’s way to have their own wave pool.
Artwave Surf is not new. They’ve been in the game for a minute, but with so many different people pumping out different waves it’s difficult to keep track of them all. Artwave Surf’s claim to fame doesn’t seem like it will be the quality of the waves but the ease of creating them, because their entire system doesn’t need a specially built pool at all. It can be dropped into “urban shorelines, rivers, lakes, ponds and resorts with many simultaneous waves,” reads the company description.
“Our solution is entirely mobile. Once we leave, there is no permanent trace in nature. Only positive impact as waves renew oxygen in water by keeping it moving and refreshed. This is called water aeration, which also prevents algae blooms.”
The minimalist, low-impact wave-making machine works with a system of pulleys tugging underwater wings. As of 2023, Wavepool Magazine reported that the system just needed a body of water with a depth of at least four-six meters. It could be installed in three days and then be broken down and removed within 24 hours.
“Wave pools (in their current form) are not minimal interference. They require huge concrete pools. Our principles are to leave no trace – be as sustainable as possible. That’s what makes us different. In concrete terms we don’t even need the pool, we need open water. Removing the pool lowers the investment cost dramatically,” the company’s CEO said. And their big selling point for future buyers: it could all be done at 10 percent of the cost of other leading wave pool technologies.
View this post on Instagram