Giant wavepool mooted for Durban
A PROPOSAL to install a huge wave generating machine in the ocean between New Pier and North Beach has been tabled with the eThekwini City Council in a move to improve the quality of surf for Durban surfers.
The salt water wave pool is expected to produce perfect one to two metre waves that peel perfectly across the entire 300m distance between the piers and will not be affected by offshore or onshore winds thanks to the 6m high walls around the facility.
The beach side of the pool will include tiered seating for up to 3000 people who will be able to watch surfing from dawn until midnight each day with the evening sessions floodlit by high tech lighting powered by six wind generators constructed on 30 metre pylons next to the outer wall.
“The New Pier Wavepool is designed to put Durban back on the global stage as a surfing destination where anyone can ride the perfect wave, all day, every day,” says Lirpa Loof of April One Productions who are investing R100-million in the project.
“Surfers will be charged a nominal fee, expected to be around R500 per hour, and the ticket priority system will ensure that they can ride at least five waves during each session.”
Enquiries for season tickets can be made any time after April Fool’s day. BOOMING surf that saw hardcore big wave chargers pulling into gaping 10m barrels on the outside reefs greeted the world’s top 36 ranked surfers on the opening day of the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro in Western Australia on Wednesday.
Organisers of the second stop of 11 stops on the 2017 WSL Championship Tour (CT) opted to run the opening day of the event at North Point, which had never previously been used as a contest venue, where inconsistent but excellent 2m to 3m hollow rights were on offer.
Durban’s Jordy Smith, the third seed, used his previous free-surfing experience at North Point to find a couple of the better waves and won his opening heat to advance directly to round three where he will meet wildcard Jesse Mendes of Brazil.
Bianca Buitendag, who dropped out of the top 18 ranked women last year, was allocated a spot in the event as a replacement for an injured Laura Enever but finished runner-up behind six-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore of Australia in round one before being ousted from the event in equal 13th place when she was outpointed by Tatiana Weston-Webb of Hawaii
All the action at Margaret River can be followed live on www.worldsurfleague.com, the WSL App or on Facebook Live on the WSL page