Ka’ana Wave Co: the bathymetry-agnostic wave pool
Ka’ana Wave Co. is an innovative wave pool concept with interchangeable wave-shaping heads.
Created in North Vancouver, Canada, Ka’ana Wave Co. started like many other wave-generation dreams – with trial, error, and improvements.
The artificial standing wave market is highly competitive. Companies like Flowrider and citywave have dominated the scene with several installations worldwide.
Nevertheless, there’s always room for groundbreaking innovations and increments of value here and there.
Ka’ana Wave Co. wants a share of this ever-growing market. It took a decade to get from the early tests to the final product.
Around 2022/2023, the Canadian startup launched CM7, a wave machine that can be deployed or integrated into an existing pool, lake, or lagoon.
Also, it does require a specific pool floor, slope, or contour to generate rideable waves.
So, how does Ka’ana Wave Co. create the artificial wave and its shape?
The secret lies in the device that pumps water into the water basin.
The Interchangeable Wave Shaping Heads
According to the patent submitted in 2021 and granted in 2023, Ka’ana Wave Co. provides a method and device for making waves in water by changing the water flow as it moves through an inlet, shaped passage, and outlet.
For example, the main flow of water is changed so that one or more smaller flows are created at different angles to the main flow direction.
The outcome is a stationary, deep-water barreling wave coming out in three different shapes.
Thanks to the three shaping heads, which can be changed quickly and easily.
The first is the river jump wave, the most common type of stationary wave for surfing. It’s designed for all ages and experience levels.
Then, there’s the classic wake wave, which resembles the ripples generated by wakeboarding boats. It’s a left and right wave that is harder to master and can be adjusted while the rider is surfing.
Finally, there’s the right-breaking barrel that is challenging enough for advanced surfers and also provides a simple entry for beginners.
Customize Your Wave and Press “Save”
The wipeouts are low impact and safe and there’s even a side channel with a current for a paddle back experience.
The riding times are adjustable, and the waiting times are kept short.
The size of the waves can also be adjusted in real time.
For instance, it’s possible to customize a ride by setting different wave face height and pitch preferences.
By controlling the flow volumes across the width of a wave, users can shape asymmetric waves to match a surfer’s session choices.
The central computer saves custom wave shapes with timed transitions to create repeatable dynamic waves, control ride duration, guarantee throughput, and reduce power consumption.
Drainage, Laird Hamilton, and Einstein
The history of Ka’ana Wave Co. goes back to 2012 when its founder, James Alexander Watson, noticed water forming a barrel in a dogleg gearbox-like drain in Peru during a rainstorm.
Two years later, the entrepreneur, inspired by Laird Hamilton’s Millennium Wave shot by Tim McKenna and a story about Albert Einstein and relativity, wondered whether a continuous, barreling, bathymetry-agnostic, stationary wave could be a reality.
So, in 2016, the first model scale version of CM7 saw the light of day.
By 2019, the theoretical design becomes a reality and is validated through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tests.
In 2021, Ka’ana Wave Co. sets up a wave pool for a two-week pilot on its smallest surfable model scale.
One year later, the first pop-up surf park using the Canadian technology is successfully tested over two months at Britannia Beach, British Columbia.
The company’s inaugural surf park and Nordic Spa opens in 2025 in Bridal Falls, British Columbia.
Words by Luís MP | Founder of SurferToday.com
