New Era In Surf Parks Coming Thanks To Crew Of Pro Surfers And Athlete Investors
When the surf park revolution kicked off several years ago, the primary focus was figuring out the wave-making technology. And now, with perfection on tap with the click of a mouse, a company called Aventuur is endeavoring to bring their vision of a full, holistic surfing experience to life—and they have a savvy pack of athlete investors behind them. The all-star crew includes Championship Tour veterans Conner Coffin, Ace Buchan and Glenn “Micro” Hall, along with current world number five Molly Picklum, NBA star and Olympic gold medalist Patty Mills, and rugby icon and All Blacks legend Sir John Kirwan.
“It’s an incredible group of like-minded people that all bring something very special to the table,” Aventuur’s Co-Founder and CEO Nicholas Edelman explains. “Our vision is much bigger than just building surf parks, we’re focused on increasing access to all of surfing’s benefits – whether that’s progressing your ability, using it to improve your health and wellbeing, or just getting together with friends and sharing the feeling. We want to support and enrich surfing culture, and create unique destinations that are authentic to the communities we inhabit."
In the barrel, under the lights, Coffin living that surf park fantasy half a world away from his home in Santa Barbara, California.
Freshwater or salt, sight of a perfect wave of any kind is always going to make surfers pause and wonder.
A former Championship Tour competitor and now coach to some of the top talent around the world, Hall will be developing pathways to progression for the Aventuur facilities.
Tube testing. Part of the reason Coffin, Buchan and Hall were on hand in South Korea was to help program the waves and iron out any inconsistencies.
Tail blows into the lights. Buchan's been involved in the Aventuur projects since his time on tour ended and has a clear-eyed vision of what the future can look like.
Sometimes you just can't get your fins in fast enough.
Local stylist Hee-Jae Palmiano is among a new generation of South Korean surfers that are thriving in the man-made waves and creating their own twist on surf culture.
The Aventuur crew is big on sustainability. Maybe someday they'll be able to use a Conner Coffin forehand carve to power the pool?
Micro approves.
When it comes to surfing training in a facility like the Wavegarden, every bit of technique and style can be scrutinized and dialed in. Buchan's a little ahead of the curve in both respects.
At the end of the day, no matter where in the world the wave is or what created the swell, there really is nothing better than scoring with friends.
Get ready to start seeing Aventuur’s name a lot more. They are currently developing two projects, one in Perth, Australia, as well as one in Auckland, New Zealand. The company has partnered with European-based Wavegarden to provide the wave-making technology. A potent collaboration, Aventuur has secured exclusive rights to use Wavegarden's “Cove” tech in nine U.S. cities, including Dallas, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Austin, Jacksonville and Nashville. They have also locked down the Wavegarden Cove rights for Australia (excluding Sydney and Melbourne), New Zealand, Fiji and Singapore.
“We appreciate approach and the relationships they have established with iconic figures like Ace Buchan, Glenn Micro Hall, Conner Coffin and Molly Pickum,” says Wavegarden’s Andy Higgins. “These individuals have not only had amazing competitive careers, each performing at the highest level, but also share our mindset of advancing the sport of surfing as it currently stands and into the future. Aventuur could not have selected better people to help spearhead their plans to develop Wavegardens that offer surfers an amazing and authentic experience.”
Each athlete will play a different role for Aventuur. Buchan joined the company as its Director of Surf and Sustainability in 2022. Hall and his Micro Surf Academy is developing a high-performance surf coaching and training program, while Picklum, Mills and Kirwan will use their influence and stardom to raise awareness for mental and physical health issues, as well as diversity and inclusion.
“As soon as my time on tour was over, I pretty much started talking with Nick and the crew at Aventuur. Sustainability is a big part of it, but I think that word gets overused sometimes,” Buchan says. “We want to have as minimal an environmental footprint as possible, of course, but more than that, we want these to celebrate genuine surf culture and embody the locations they are being created.”
For Buchan, Edelman and company, that means rewilding and naturescaping Aventuur developments with local flora and fauna. It means recognizing, honoring and celebrating local indigenous cultures and first nations people. And it means supporting communities through surf therapy programs focused around the concept of “blue health.”
“We’re not just building wave pools,” clarifies Edelman. “Our team is full of so many great ideas to maximize the guest experience at our parks, drawing inspiration from their experiences traveling to iconic surfing destinations around the world to create something unique for each destination.”
“It’s not about replacing surfing in the ocean,” adds Coffin. “It’s about being additive and enhancing that experience. It’s about the overall environment, the vibe, and the community, not just the wave.”
And while it may not be ALL about the wave, the Wavegarden Cove technology is pretty remarkable. Having been developed and tested at the company’s R&D facility in the Basque Country, the tech is able to produce an eye-popping 1,000 waves an hour. Powering it uses about the same amount of electricity as a single quad chairlift at a ski resort, while the water usage is similar to maintaining three holes on a golf course.
“It’s so exciting to be part of the Aventuur movement. There are a lot of surf parks being developed around the world, but the vision for and thoroughness of Aventuur’s projects, from the technology, to the design of the venue and guest experience, to all of the health and wellness aspects, and Micro’s pathways to progression, I think they really are going to offer something special to surfers of all abilities,” Coffin surmises. “At the end of the day it’s about getting out there, riding waves and having fun with your friends, and that’s exactly what Aventuur are looking to support.”
Watch: AI, Facial Recognition Tech Coming To A Surf Park Near You
With more than 25 years of writing about surfing, the ocean and action sports, Jake Howard continues to share stories, profiles and issues that shape the surfing world. One of the premier subject-matter experts in the field today, he's savvy in the ways of print, digital and social media, his breadth of work is expansive. Getting his start writing Surfline surf reports and recording the phone reports for 976-SURF in the late '90s, Jake served as the managing editor for Surfer Magazine in the early 2000s before moving on to launch RedBullSurfing.com and cover surfing for ESPN and the X Games. Over the years, Jake has also enjoyed time behind the edit desk at The Surfer's Journal, as well as the World Surf League, where he worked as the Senior Editor for a number of years. Beyond producing editorial content, Jake has served as a digital marketer and copywriter for iconic surf brands such as Quiksilver, Roxy and Rip Curl. Writing thousands of pages of copy for Surfline, he has deep SEO experience as well. The surf columnist for the San Clemente Times, Jake continues to dedicate himself to the culture and history of the sport through his involvement with the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in San Clemente.