A German company specializing in designing and building wake park features announced the creation of the world's first floating outdoor surf pool.
Cologne-based UNIT Parktech developed and patented a stationary wave pool ready to be installed in a natural environment like a river or lake.
The Unit Surf Pool produces a 4' wave for beginners and a 5'3'' wave for advanced surfers.
The deep water wave pool is available in five different width options: 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 meters, and takes advantage of the natural water flow to create shoulder-high rollers.
"We believe it's a revolution for landlocked surfers.
The Unit Surf Pool needs no chemical water treatments, and when in operation, processes 15,000 liters per second using less than 340 kW per hour," the company underlines.
The Unit Surf Pool is open to surfboards, bodyboards, stand-up paddleboards, and kayaks, and its white post-modern structure is made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE).
Gravity Works
After being ordered, the entire wave pool fits in standardized shipping containers and can be delivered anywhere in the world.
Once the client receives the product, it takes two weeks to assemble and get it fully functional.
But how does this portable plug-and-play surf park work? According to UNIT Parktech, the surf pool pumps fresh or salted water into the structure.
Then, gravity drives the water fast down a ramp into an area with still or slow-moving water. Finally, thanks to the hydraulic jump phenomenon, a stationary wave is born.
The world's first Unit Surf Pool opens in March 2018 in Langenfeld, Germany.