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Features & Innovations
Safety Features

Safety is our utmost priority - happy and healthy riders lead to repeat business and positive word of mouth. We have a number of features on our attractions that are industry firsts:

NO ENTRAPMENT HAZARDS   

Our padded ride surface technology does not have any entrapment hazards where body parts may get caught. 

ANGLED SIDEWALLS 

Angled sidewalls lead to much softer impacts whenever a rider exits the wave on the sides. Plus you get the added benefit of noise reduction. Decibels levels measured between 75-85 dBs.

PADDED TOP TRANSITION SECTION 

Additional two (2) feet of padding, creating a top transition section to ensure a smooth soft path to the rear recovery. No metal roller bars on our attractions so nothing hard to hit when you fall at the top of the wave. 

20 FT LONG REAR RECOVERY SECTION  

Twenty (20) feet of length for the rear recovery section minimizes rider impacts with the back wall. 

Two feet of padded transition

Patented Features

Pacific Surf Designs® holds three patents: 

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US 9,044,685 - Water Attractions Involving a Flowing Body of Water, click here for full document

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US 9,302,189 - Water Attractions Involving a Flowing Body of Water, click here for full document

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US 9,592,433 - Nozzle Shapes and Configurations for Water Attractions Involving a Flowing Body of Water, click here for full document

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Our patented designs and features were developed to bring new ideas to the water amusement industry which is ready for the next big thing. We have a number of additional novel concepts to undergo the patent application process and continue our commitment to the advancement of the sport of flowboarding.

Safety Testing

We take safety extremely seriously. Our design process involves a thorough evaluation of the entire sheet wave environment. We are particularly proud of our proprietary ride surface system which is comprised of a specially selected vinyl, developed to minimize the effects of chlorine and UV, adhered to foam padding which carries a head impact rating up to a 2 meter fall height. The surface manufacturing process is proprietary and has been proven in the field from hot Dubai summers to harsh New England winters. Underneath is a stainless steel substrate of expanded metal.

 

In March 2015, a third party testing company rigorously tested the safety of our ride surface padding. They concluded the following: 

 

For all waves tested, the ride surface is generally the same from a head impact safety perspective with average G force measurements between 60-64 Gs. 

 

...with one exception: the roller bar sections of waves that have tension surfaces.

As D. Crossman, CTO of Impakt Protective, stated:

 

"The testing identified areas on each of the ride types that are potentially hazardous to a rider and include matting, float areas and the bar superstructure [roller bar] and it should be considered that a rider can vary their movement on the surf ride away from normal surfaces and onto hazard areas."

 

The outside testing company conducted a series of tests at four different locations featuring sheet waves, including our ProFlow and three separate waves manufactured by another company which featured a tension surface.

Padding Systems

After years of experience gained from installing, repairing and replacing poorly designed padding systems which fail repeatedly, the founders at Pacific Surf Designs believe that existing solutions may have been based on antiquated systems utilizing unproven design concepts. There is a better way! By working with architects specializing in waterproofing skyscrapers, we came up with a number of solutions that we can show you that create a more robust, safer and easier to maintain system compared to any other system in the industry.

 

ADVANCED MEMBRANE MATERIALS – starting with the membrane material itself, we reviewed and tested dozens of different materials until we found a material with the desired properties and characteristics specific to these types of rides. We understand this field and have come up with a system using the best membrane materials available.

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NO FRAYING – on many existing sheet wave water attractions, seams tend to fray over time due to constant exposure to accelerated water flow and the elements. If your seams are flawed from the start by selecting the wrong materials, there is no way to avoid fraying unless you replace the entire system (we do offer to replace any padding system installed by another company as a service). This is a problem that arises due to a number of reasons, and we have worked with our team of experts on a system designed not to fray no matter the conditions.
 

MORE STRUCTURAL STABILITY – As many sheet wave water attractions are installed in outdoor environments (and those installed indoors face similar issues), we believe it makes sense to use materials that are the most structurally stable available on the market in order to combat the wide range of fluctuating operating conditions. Unfortunately, many existing membrane systems are based upon using materials which expand and contract considerably due to temperature fluctuations when compared to our membrane solutions. What solution are we providing? When a membrane expands and contracts, the bond line between the membrane and the padding material is stressed due to this expansion and contraction. This phenomenon known as cyclical fatigue will eventually fatigue the material at the bond line, and much like a paper clip you bend over and over again, the bond line will fail. Due to the nature of membrane padding systems, the addition of a patch is the best way to repair a failed area. We have come up with a solution that minimizes cyclical fatigue using a combination of superior materials and methods, therefore leading to a more robust system designed to last.

 

What does this all mean? You will have a better looking attraction that has less downtime and fewer maintenance costs.

R&D Test Tank

Pacific Surf Designs' R&D test tank in San Diego, CA. 25 feet wide x 55 feet long. 1,375 square feet. 35,000+ gallons of water. Easily the largest sheet wave research and development tank in the world. We use it to test new ideas and concepts to bring you new ride experiences.

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A lot of time, effort and expense, but this is what we are all about. Our features and innovations are designed to make our waves better - NOT to reduce our costs and increase our profit margins.

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Whenever you see a "feature" on any wave out there, ask yourself whether it makes your life better or easier or brings you joy, OR does it reduce costs for the supplier. If it's the latter, then guess what? It's not driving our sport forward.

Guinness World Record Holder

The folks at the Guinness Book of World Records have given the Supertube located at Splashworld Provence in the South of France the distinction of being the world's tallest flowboarding wave. We at Pacific Surf Designs are incredibly proud of this accomplish and will continue to break barriers and innovate in the sheet wave industry.

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