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Interview with Bruce McFarland, President & Founder
During our coverage of IAAPA Attractions Show 2011 in Orlando, we met the president and founder of American Wave Machines, Bruce McFarland.
Headquartered in Solana Beach, California, American Wave Machines develops artificial wave technology for applications in the aquatics, amusement and resort industries. The company launched few years ago the patented SurfStream® - the world’s first standing wave machine - before looking at waves pools and surf pools with a wave generator called PerfectSwell™.
NewsParcs : Could you explain us the story behind the creation of American Wave Machines?
Bruce McFarland : I have been in the amusement industry since about 1990 and at that time, the idea of surfing was popular. There were some surf pools but it wasn’t really a business yet. There was also a surf simulator on the market which was marketed as surfing but the experience was different because of the execution of the technology. The product was successful - and I helped to develop it - but it was pretty clear that it was still not as fun as surfing. Moreover, the business didn’t have the shine of the surfing industry which in itself is almost as big as the amusement industry with its own brands, gear and celebrities.
At that time, I discovered through a business associate the idea of surfing on river waves. There were some rivers where people were able to surf on standing waves. They were riding surf boards with fins and so the movements were just about exactly the same as riding a wave in the ocean. But you weren't travelling anywhere, you were staying in the same spot with the river underneath you.
NP : So you decided to develop a more realistic surfing simulator inspired by river waves?
BM : Absolutely, we set out to develop a machine version of those river waves but with the use of pumped water instead of a natural water flow. We put multiple shapes into a stream of water to make a standing wave pop up. This machine could be built in a pool with the same technology, surfaces and design so that people could surf safely in a small footprint and get a ride of almost unlimited length. Finally, we ended up at the IAAPA trade show in 2005 with our SurfStream concept and we got our first customer!
NP : What were the differences between SurfStream and the other surf simulators at that time?
BM : What our first customer liked about SurfStream was that the ride was very gentle in deep water. It means that when people fell, the deeper water absorbed the impact impact instead of the rider hitting the surface of the machine through a sheet of shallow flow. Also if you have a shallow water level, you can’t use fins... and the board doesn’t have the same stability. The experience doesn’t feel like surfing, it is something else! Surfing is a real smooth and very powerful sport, if you have smooth, deep water, you can recreate the same moves that you would create in a real surfing experience and get that powerful feeling that you have when surfing! SurfStream produces a deep cushion of water that can be carved using real surfboards, fins and all!
NP : The first step was the standing wave, but that was just a beginning for SurfStream!
BM : Yes! After having developed the standing wave, we added the barreling wave which was a natural progression. We did it in a way that the owner of the machine can add the option to create an advanced wave. By controlling the water and our stream channel we can make very stable beginner waves, very natural standing waves which are deeper and more challenging, and the ultimate barreling waves – rights, lefts, or both at once. So now, the same machine satisfies both a beginner and an advanced surfer!
NP : This multiple waves system also provides more business potential for operators?
BM : We found out that it was this idea of real surfing and the intensity of it that kept people coming back... because they were gaining a skill. Also SurfStream immediately gave the operators the ability to hold events, where they could invite experienced surfers and organize contests or demonstrations with lights and music. And so the same machine satisfying a resort also became an event machine, a show! SurfStream also met the interests of the surf industry, so the operators got good sponsorships, brands and product support!
This makes the business model very good, the return on investment for a SurfStream is greater than 30%. So that’s a turnkey business surrounding the unique activity of surfing is a unique activity whether indoor or outdoor.
NP: And then you started to develop another surfing concept?
BM : A couple years ago, weset out to create a better travelling wave generator and developed our first wave pool, on how to create a better travelling wave generator. If a SurfStream fits in maybe 2000 square feet (185 square meters), we talk about a surf pool being something in the area of about 30.000 square feet (2800 square meters), it’s a completely different item! The existing surf pools make maybe one wave per minute. So the business model for the operators is a little bit challenging to get people to pay and have to wait. We came out with technology that allowed us to make a very good wave every 6 to 10 seconds which includes some rest periods for the equipment and the pool. That’s almost more waves than you needed!
The trademarked technology is called PerfectSwell™ which means a perfect shaped swell like in the ocean. Just like SurfStream, we went back to nature to see how it's done and why it’s still better than what has been done before.
NP : How does it work?
We discovered that the fundamental property of ocean waves was missing in the technology of all the current suppliers. The reason was that wind ocean waves should move in a circular particle motion and the old technology was only creating the top half of the wave. A wave motion is more than what you see, because what’s going on under the water is completely different! And the old technology created problems because they literally dumped water into the pool. Thistranslates to cost advantages in a large pool.
PerfectSwell adds no water to the pool for each wave, it takes out as much water as it has in each wave. So it’s a net zero water balance that gives the underwater level part of the wave the motion which is critical to have it break. There’s a certain amount of power needed for a full size wave. You can make the pool bigger and we are able to migrate the power to where it’s needed, where the wave is being made. So if you want a very long wave, it’s the same amount of power as for a wave half as long but we just migrate down the pool. It’s a cost advantage on a big pool, so now we can use ocean waves series to design our pools and it works perfectly.
NP : What’s the American Wave Machine’s difference?
BM : The difference is our technology, all of our attractions are patented in multiple countries. It’s the execution of that technology and the delivery of practical skills for the buyer whose business plan needs to make money.
The other difference is authenticity, we do not want to market a wave size or a sport that we don’t deliver on. We are only interested in good business relationships with our customers and our suppliers. We are not here to make the highest margin possible, we are here to make the best installations, the best resort attractions, the best surf parks possible, that’s what gets us business for future projects!
NP: Could you tell us about your latest projects?
BM : In January 2011, we opened our biggest SurfStream in a mall in Lima (Boulevard de Asia), Peru. This project was based on the request of the buyer, because he wanted to have the biggest true surfing machine in the world! The attraction got great reviews all over South America, it attracted the national surfing team and even US celebrities have travelled down there. They run a very big events business with this, they have attracted some top brands and they organize parties almost every week.
NP : How was the IAAPA Attractions Expo 2011 for your company?
BM : IAAPA tradeshow went well, we have a unique product and it attracts a lot of interest from operators: waterparks, resorts or individual entrepreneurs. Each year, we are showing more and more of what the year before promised us was coming. It’s great for us now because we no longer get asked the question “Will it work?” People now say "OK, it’s working, here's what I want!" Then we do all our engineering and design in-house, and we work with the customer, architects and builders in order to give them the best possible solution.
At IAAPA, we have seen more long-term projects. People know now that it certainly can take a couple of years to get a project of this size open to the public. They know they can come to us initially to start working with their team to get the right design for their projects. We are looking forward to the future!
NP : Thanks a lot for answering all our questions!
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Our Industry Roundup is a summary of the latest major news related to the theme park industry worldwide. We report news specifically on operators, owners, trade associations and related organizations, including trends, attendance...
NewsParcs will do a full coverage of the IAAPA Attractions Expo 2013 in Orlando to have a look at the latest trends and developments of the global theme park industry.
