Providing access to the growing surf market, for Hotels, Resorts, Waterparks, Municipalities, and mixed-use Developments.
What is a standing wave? Also known as a stationary wave or rapid wave, in surfing terms it is a wave with moving, surf-able water that contains the characteristics of a river rapid wave. Standing wave pools are human made stationary waves designed to produce a wide variety of rapid waves.
How do these waves differ from the surf in other wave pools? One distinction between “traveling wave” and “standing wave” is that one mimics ocean surfing and the other mimics river surfing. Kelly’s, Waco and the Cove are traveling waves where the rider traverses a measurable distance when riding. The Eisbach and Zambezi rivers are rapid waves where you can surf the same wave for several minutes and not travel any longitudinal distance. Although the rider remains in the same dedicated wave space, the movements are very similar to what one does on an ocean wave.Stationary waves are created when water passes at high velocity over a bottom contour that is shaped in such a way, and resides at such a depth, that it creates a wave. The characteristics of the wave can be controlled in a rapid wave pool.
Terminology: There are three names assigned to wave pools that mimic a river wave: standing, rapid and stationary. As the jury is still out on this one we’ll use all three interchangeably to mean the same thing.
Here are some benefits of standing wave pools
– Smaller footprint, so they work in areas with space limitations
– Standard surfboard equipment can be used instead of specialized craft
– Easier entry threshold to the sport of surfing as a training bar can be deployed
– Intimate environment. Spectators are close to the action which creates a group atmosphere
– Offers variety for wave parks with traditional wave pools, adding more surf options for visitors
Editor’s Note: For additional information about these companies see our August 2020 article Guide to the major standing wave pool technologies
Ka’ana Wave Co.
Invented by Canadian boarder Jamie Watson, the CM7 standing wave system from Ka’ana Wave Co is a bathymetry-agnostic design that produces a wide variety of wave types via a dock that can be installed in almost any pool size. Under the dock is a motor and drivetrain that forces water through a wave-shaping head.
Shaping heads protrude from the dock and into the pool bending the high-pressure flow into any one of a variety of waves. Wave type is changed by swapping out the shaping head on the machine. The CM7 differs from other rapid wave pools as it’s “bathymetry agnostic” – meaning there is not an underwater ramp that creates the wave. The interchangeable shaping heads produce everything from an Eisbach-like rapid to a barreling Zambezi river wave.
Intensity and shape of that wave are also altered by adjusting flow volumes and velocities of water. Further refinement can be achieved by articulating the pitch and plunge of the head. All adjustments are controlled through sophisticated software.Ka’ana’s CM7 Series wave machines will be available in five sizes, from a CM7-XS up to a CM7-XL. The company should have its first production CM7-Medium unit in a pool, shortly.
The Ka’ana system can also produce standard rapid (stationary) waves.
What size waves does the CM7 produce?
Most traveling wave pools average 2-to-6 feet.Initially, we are coming online with the CM7-Small and CM7-Medium. Eventually, there will be four CM7 sizes available. The CM7-small’s drivetrain is 9’ wide and delivers wave heights around 4’6”. The CM7-Medium is 12’ wide, with wave heights around 6’. The machine widths, while important, don’t tell the whole story as the shaping heads themselves can be much wider. We recently did a few wake head designs that, when scaled up to CM7-Medium size, are 15-16’ wide. That’s two times the width of a typical wake surf boat hull. The wake on that would be about 9’ tall.
Given that the wave heads can be scaled up or down, the above image simulates what the wave would look like relative to a 6-foot surfboard.
It sounds like you have a lot of variety. Which waves will we see first?
The first heads we’ll make available will be a left and right break; a classic wake so you can ride left and right with one head; and a hydraulic jump (standard rapid wave) which most people think of as a stationary wave. The CM7 produces bathymetry-agnostic waves so it’ll be neat to see the hydraulic jump with varying pitch. In testing, we’ve seen that the wave can get quite steep before it spills.
Surfer graphics are scaled up or down to show relative size to the potential waves.
What can we expect next?
We’re busy developing a catalog of wave shapes and should have our first production CM7-Medium unit in a pool, shortly.
Thanks for sharing details with us.
Thanks so much for taking the time, Bryan! Always a pleasure!
Last summer Ka’ana Wave Co fired up a prototype machine in this demo pool. Expect more in the coming months.
Last summer Ka’ana Wave Co fired up a prototype machine in this demo pool. Expect more in the coming months.
Providing access to the growing surf market, for Hotels, Resorts, Waterparks, Municipalities, and mixed-use Developments.
