The Beach World, a village where sliding sports are practiced
If the Boot Düsseldorf is not close to the sea, this does not prevent visitors from taking part in snow sports. The organizers of the German boat show have developed a real sliding village (Hall 8 a) to practice their passion, even under neige?! Windsurfing, Optimist, Yoga Paddle, Skimboard and even wakeboard, the choice is vaste?! It is an excellent opportunity to discover many sports and perhaps inspire new vocations.
But what impresses above all is this great surf spot - The Wave -, installed at the heart of this boat show. The pros come to compete in competitions organized to the delight of the public.
The Wave, an indoor artificial wave
The Wave is therefore a wave simulator. There are several technologies, this one reproduces quite accurately a river wave. A thick waterbed accelerates on an incline before encountering a pool where the speed slows sharply, creating a hydraulic jump that is used to surf.
Only a few years ago indoor surfing was anecdotal, but nowadays, projects are flourishing all over the world, so this is an opportunity to test this concept. Even if I practice a little surfing in the Breton waves, it seems a little more complicated considering the falls and the rolling of the riders. I'll try to hold on for more than three seconds.
We wet the maillot?!
First of all, to hope to test the wave, you have to register. And know that it is better to book a slot on the Boot Düsseldorf website in advance. Let's face it, a press card helped us a little bit to get a place at the last minute.
So, I have a small slot just after a demonstration by the river surfing pros. Indeed, the Wave Master Düsseldorf competition has just taken place in the middle of the boat show. A little pressure is building up..
The logistics are perfect, everything is at your disposal: boards of all sizes, neoprene suits and even helmets for those who want them.
Then we approach the pool to get in line. The instructors are there to give tips on how to successfully surf this atypical wave. For the take-off (it is the act of standing upright on the board), you sit on the edge of the pool. The instructor holds the board and gives some advice on how to position the feet.
At first, you stand upright while leaning on the edge of the pool. In surfing 2.0, there is no need to row, neither for the take-off nor to pass the bar (the breakers) to reach the peak (waiting area for the "good" wave).
Discover new landmarks
The first sensations are really disturbing, because everything seems to be reversed. Indeed, a powerful jet of water flows under the board while in natural surfing the slope of a wave that moves on almost static water is lowered. The markers are distorted, or rather, it is necessary to create new surfing references. The sensations are closer to wakesurfing (towed by a motor boat) than surfing. And visually, it's rather strange to see a wall encircling a wave.
But whatever, the pleasure, the challenge, the good sensations are there and we have fun taking many waves. The progression is extremely accelerated compared to natural surfing.
Enjoying it
So to avoid the debate on "for or against artificial waves", let's compare this wave simulator to an automatic tennis ball launcher or an artificial climbing wall. It doesn't replace reality, but it comes close enough to it to have a lot of fun and progress in a sport.
Surfing is constantly gaining new fans. In summer, the spots are saturated and in winter, the practice is sometimes difficult. In a world where we like to be able to consume leisure on demand, it is very likely that artificial waves will find their audience and develop.
