What Makes a Great Guest Experience? Lee Wood at Lost Shore
In this episode, we dive into an educational conversation with Lost Shore's Surf & Hospitality Director Lee Wood. Raised on the rugged Scottish coast and shaped by two decades in Ireland’s surf scene, Lee shares how he built an entire team for the surf park in just four short weeks, customized coaching techniques specific for wave pool conditions, tweaked beginner-friendly settings and heaps more. Plus, you'll find out what Lee looks for in new hires to help guests stay happy. Tune in for a soulful, salty, and entertaining look at Scotland’s surf future.
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What It Took to Launch Revel Surf: Matt Gunn’s Big Reveal
Before their grand opening, Revel Surf had to get sign-off from agencies who’d never even seen a surf park. What if inspectors expect a flat-bottom pool—but your tech depends on complex, surf-specific bathymetry? Welcome to the world of Matt Gunn, co-inventor of SwellMFG, the wave tech behind Revel Surf.Matt’s classic Californian: chill on the outside, no matter the chaos inside. If he was freaking out over Maricopa County not understanding wave pool bathymetry, he wouldn’t show it. And when Canon Beach breaks ground in Texas on the group’s second project, he’ll face a whole new set of county regs.We caught up with Matt as Revel Surf kicks into high season to see how his nerves are holding up after betting millions—and his brand-new tech—on a single day of inspection. Spoiler: they passed. They’re open and thriving.We also dig into the mechanics behind SwellMFG, Arizona’s budding surf scene, and how to build community around your project.
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Amy Hunt of Waco Surf Dishes About the Skills Needed to Run a Surf Park
Does anyone remember those Bartender school commercials they used to run on daytime TV? It was a specific school for a specific task - serving drinks. The wave pool world does not have a university program. Surfing does, but not surf parks. Those who excel in this space tend to have a background cobbled from hospitality, resort and adventure tourism experience. And then there are some people who just have a sensibility that allows them to excel at whatever they decide to apply themselves to. Amy Hunt is such a person. The level of knowledge and moxie to deal with the many layers, nuances and chaos control to run a surf park, Amy has in spades. And this is something I’m finding out as we talk to more wave pool operators around the world. The skills needed aren’t so much about having a wave pool-specific background, although in some years there will be a certificate for that - the skill set combines qualities like unicorn communication abilities along with creative problem solving meshed with hyper attention to detail. I discovered this thread during our conversation with Amy. She learns quickly, cares about the details and works tirelessly. The wave pool at Waco Surf is just one, small component to a 500-acre ranch that includes a cable park, lazy river, water slides, cabins, ponds, an island with lemurs and more. In this conversation we are gifted keen insights as she drills down the details of operation at what is today, America’s favorite surf park.
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Building a Wave Pool in the Middle of a European City with Tom Lochtefeld
We were lucky enough to catch Tom Lochtefeld at the RiF010 wave pool in central Rotterdam. Tom shared with us how this unique project came into being and why it took 11 long years to complete.
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Flowstate: Revolutionizing Experience with Luke Wallace
Bryan talks with Luke Wallace, CEO and Co-Founder of Flowstate, the premium AI-powered camera system reshaping how surf parks capture and deliver video content. Luke explains how Flowstate automates video recording, detects maneuvers like snaps and barrels, enables surf competitions, and enhances the coaching experience. He also shares how the team is expanding from wave pools into snow and beach environments through their mobile broadcast solution.
Veteran surf journalist Bryan Dickerson turns the mic to those at the center of the wave pool universe as WavePoolMag shines a light on the engineers, entrepreneurs, pros and the hand-picked few who have a wave pool story to tell. The questions are pointed and the answers range from the sublime to the illuminating, hitting all flashpoints in between. Dig in to hear from the minds designing, building and surfing the world’s wave pools.
South Africa