Artificial wave pools have been on the rise since Kelly Slater unveiled his first prototype. The Cove is set to arrive in Perth, Australia between 2018 and 2019 and NLand Surf Park in Texas has recently reopened to the public. But while the Northwest coast has not traditionally been popular for surfing, advances in wet suit technology and the creation of a standing river wave in Oregon have resulted in quite the buzz. To add to the hype, it was recently announced that Issaquah, Washington will be getting its own standing wave this summer — called CitySurf Seattle.
The proposed CitySurf Seattle will feature a 32-foot-wide pool with a deep-water, standing wave that has been aptly dubbed the Rogue Wave. The machine moves 240,000 gallons of water per minute to form the standing wave, which can reach up to 5 feet in height. A video posted on the park’s website offers a closer look at the patent-pending technology.
Founders Trisha and John Hoss have designed the Rogue Wave in a variety of sizes, emphasizing the importance of being able to accommodate the wave pool within as little as a 2,000-square-foot space, ideal for small urban places, so that it could be possible to bring this technology to larger cities.
The project is currently in the permitting phase, but the founders are aiming for a 2018 summer opening. CitySurf recently received a site development permit from the City of Issaquah to begin construction of its 10,180-square-foot building on a 1.24-acre site. The complex will be located on the southwest corner of 10th Avenue Northeast and Northeast Falls Drive. With the location only 18 miles from Seattle and three hours from Portland, the wave complex is sure to attract an avid crowd.
In addition to the standing wave, which will be the highlight attraction, the complex will include a fast-casual restaurant and bar. “Once just a region for the truly committed, or occasional venue for wetsuit R&D,” stated Surfer about the area, “the eerie lineups of our nation’s hippest, granola-loving-est region are now home to the country’s most popular surf boom. Surf schools and shops have proliferated across the region.”
CitySurf Seattle will offer different sessions geared toward surfers of all ages and abilities, each lasting around an hour and a half and priced at $30.
