Beyond the Ocean – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Wavegarden is a leader in the surf park space, with multiple facilities currently open and operating with dozens more in the works.

Seán Young, Wavegarden’s Head of Development Projects, joins episode 19 of Beyond the Ocean. Young discusses his role in helping parks go from concept to reality and the steps new surf parks must take to create a successful surfing experience. He also looks at what’s to come for Wavegarden and the surf park industry as a whole.

In an honest conversation about finances, costs, and other factors in making surf parks a reality, we hear from Ryder Thomas with Pro Swell in episode 18 of Beyond the Ocean. Thomas shares what makes surf parks jump from the sketch pad to a viable business and what blocks so many parks from ever opening in the first place.

In this episode, Thomas discusses the industry's growth and how it has become a huge investment center today, as well as where the industry is heading with park ownership as expansion continues.

On this episode of Beyond the Ocean we are joined by Fred Hemmings, a living surfing legend deemed the "Father of Professional Surfing" and co-founder of the World Surf League. Fred and Beyond the Ocean host, Chris Kluesener, take a trip through the history of surf culture as they look towards the future growth of the culture with regard to the impact brought by surf parks. Fred offers his first-hand accounts and behind the scene insights of iconic and defining surf culture moments as he draws comparisons and differences to what he sees happening now with the rapid development of human-made waves. 

Shane Beschen, former professional surfer and surf park entrepreneur, sits down with Surf Park Central’s Chris Kluesener and Jess Ponting to chat surf parks. Shane provides insight into Wai Kai, an upcoming surf park he is helping to develop in Hawaii that features Citywave technology. Shane also shares more about another new development that he is involved in, RevelSurf, located in Mesa, AZ, which uses Swell MFG technology. It's exciting to see how quickly these projects are moving, and the unique new locations such as Arizona! 

Beyond the Ocean podcast is back after a short, snowboarding-rich hiatus with Episode 7, featuring Ross Hale. Ross is a technology leader, coder, and lifelong surfer with creative and thoughtful ideas on how digital can help shape the future of surf parks.
About Ross: A veteran technologist with more than 15 years of experience, including multiple CTO positions, Ross has worked in both high-growth venture-backed startups and in partnerships with major enterprise companies. Before founding Artium, he helped take Pivotal from startup to IPO and ran multiple Pivotal Labs regions, including its flagship office in San Francisco.  He is currently based out of Santa Monica, CA where he lives and surfs with his wife and two children. Website and LinkedIn page 

We're back with Beyond the Ocean joined by Patti Paniccia (pa-nee’-cha), Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center. Patti joins us to share insights on the history of surfing and gender discrimination to help inform the next (and more inclusive) generation of surfing in surf parks. Patti was one of the top-ranked surfers during the 70s and early 80s, and was one of six women who competed on the first women’s world pro tour in 1976. She is a co-founder of pro-surfing, working as Director of the Women’s Division, alongside Fred Hemmings and Randy Rarick, to launch International Professional Surfing (IPS) which was a precursor to ASP and today’s WSL. A former CNN correspondent, Patti is also an adjunct law professor at Pepperdine Law School in Malibu where she teaches First Amendment Law, Employment Discrimination, and Gender and the Law. To learn more about the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center head to www.shacc.org

Paul Chutter is the Chief Commercial Officers at Whitewater West, and serves on the executive team. He oversees WhiteWater’s global business development efforts and functions, including Sales, Marketing, and Pre-Contract groups, as well as Corporate Development. As co-founder and President of Endless Surf, Paul has been a key player in the development, launch, and rapid growth of the surf park brand within the past year. Launched in May 2020, Endless Surf brings the next generation of inland surf experiences to the world. With its proven and reliable pneumatic wave technology, paired with the brightest, most innovative minds in the industry, Endless Surf offers the most efficiently designed surf pool on the market that provides surf parks with unrivaled return on investment opportunities. www.endlesssurf.com. 

We're back with Beyond the Ocean featuring Randy Rarick, CoFounder of the World Surf League (WSL)! Randy Served as Executive Director of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing for 38 years, and has run more professional surfing contests than nearly anyone on the planet. Randy Rarick has been involved with the surf industry and surf parks for over 60 years.  Sometimes referred to as the “Forest Gump of Surfing”, he has witnessed or had a hand in nearly every major cultural shift in the sport over the past five decades.  Hawaii State Surfing Champion, World Title contestant, shaper, contest promoter, world traveler.  In 1975 he co-founded the World Pro Tour (WSL), was Executive Director of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing and produced every event on the North Shore, for thirty-eight years, before retirement in 2015.  Produced the Hawaiian Islands Vintage Surf Auction for ten years and is consultant to various vintage auctions on both the West and East coasts.  Considered one of the best surfboard historians and restoration specialists in the World.  Has traveled extensively to over 170 countries and surfed in over 60 of them.  Resides at Sunset Beach on the North Shore of Oahu and still surfs on a daily basis.

Episode 3 is ACTION PACKED with Tony Finn, one of the original inventors of wakeboarding, co-founder of Liquid Force Wakeboards, surf park consultant to BSR Surf Resort, and exclusive North American leader for UNIT Surf Pools.

About Tony:
Tony Finn is widely recognized as one of the most innovative and successful Action Sports Executives of the last three decades. Tony was instrumental in getting the sport of wakeboarding off the ground and traveled around the globe multiple times promoting the sport. He has had a remarkable career promoting the sport he developed across varying brands and platforms and has successfully integrated into multiple ownership groups.  He was an ESPN announcer for many years and did the X Games, Gravity Games, Hot Summer Nights and multiple other shows. He has developed multiple brands, unique marketing strategies, produced and broadcasted events, and has managed multiple acquisitions and mergers. He is renowned for the outstanding work he has done for the sport of wakeboarding as the Founder of Liquid Force Wakeboards and is now an avid member and contributor to the Surf Park community as the US Distributor for UNIT Surf Pools. His background includes: Founder, Skurfer; Co-Founder, Liquid Force Wakeboards; General Manager, Arbor Snowboards; Sales and Marketing Consultant, BSR Surf Resort; Board Member, WSIA; Advisory Board Member, Sales and Marketing Consultant Events.com, Board Member, San Diego Sports Innovators (SDSI); Co-Founder, UNIT Surf Pools North America.

We're back with our next episode, featuring Ian "Kanga" Cairns who is a former champion professional surfer, expert coach, and professional contest director. Ian has toured many of the leading surf parks, and discusses with our host Chris Kluesener how surf parks fit into an athletes' repertoire. In addition to winning dozens of professional surfing events in his career, Ian was incredibly influential in establishing the world professional surfing circuit as we know it today including formation of the Association for Surfing Professionals (ASP). One of Ian's roles was to develop a rating and scoring system for surf events. Ian's role today is helping to democratize access to surfing via new projects we talk about in the show, like surfing.com.