Solana Beach, Calif.–based American Wave Machines, which designs and builds surf pools and wave systems, aims to simulate an authentic surfing experience even at shopping centers and other unlikely places. To date, the company, founded in 2000 by engineer-surfer Bruce McFarland, operates such systems at 15 venues in shopping centers, water parks and resorts in nine countries: the U.S., Canada, Peru, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Sweden, Turkey, Russia, Taiwan and China. The company is set to open 10 additional systems this year and next.
Since contracting with its first surf-park operator, in Lima, Peru, near the Boulevard de Asia outdoor mall in 2011, American Wave Machines has drawn the interest of several shopping center owners. Owners are contracting with surf operators as tenants and also working with American Wave Machines directly. Edmonton, Alberta–based Triple Five Group is set to introduce both the SurfStream and PerfectSwell systems at the American Dream Meadowlands mall, in New Jersey, which is set to open next summer.
“Our belief is that surfing is the most aspirational sport in the world, because it appeals to such a varied demographic, from little kids all the way up to grandfathers and high-performance surfers,” said Marie McFarland, a company principal along with husband Bruce.
The SurfStream system, smaller than the PerfectSwell, is a wave machine that delivers a stationary, deep-water surfing experience on real surfboards. The machine is about the size of a tennis court. A 10,000-square-foot space will accommodate the machine, plus changing rooms, retail shops and a bar or restaurant, says Marie. The PerfectSwell system is considerably larger — about the size of a football field. This technology simulates what a surfer encounters out in the ocean.
