New Zealand researchers have devised a shape-shifting rubber reef that can be fitted to the floor of a swimming pool and, with the help of a wave machine, generates four types of wave – Australian, Hawaiian, Indonesian and Californian.
Versareef, developed by ASR and Surf Pools, works as follows: computer-controlled pneumatic jacks lie beneath a tough rubber mat, subtly altering its shape so that a rush of water, sent by a wave machine similar to those already in use in swimming pools, is moulded into a powerful, curling surf wave.
The first three surfing reefs will open at a Florida surfing park next year, creating a ride of up to 70 metres on waves as high as three metres, making it the biggest wave facility in the world.