Tom Lochtefeld has been in the manmade wave industry for decades, beginning with the FlowRider standing wave deathtrap in San Diego. Every time I visited that place, before it closed a handful of years back, someone either broke an arm, got clocked in the face, or dislocated their shoulder. Mostly it was the latter; I saw a lot of those.
But Lochtefeld has continued on his journey to bring manmade waves to the masses, such as The Palm Springs Surf Club and RiF010 Urban Surf in the canals of Rotterdam.
And now, Lochtefeld has something new up his sleeve – more like an upgrade, rather than an entirely new design – and he’s calling it the “Wavebender.” And what is it exactly? Well, keep scrolling and we’ll tell you all you need to know about the new tech.
First of all, what is it? Per a press release: “Wavebender™ delivers ocean-like power and a uniquely sculptured wave face that bends toward the surfer creating a surfer’s dream wave. At the heart of Wavebender™ lies patented wave-bending technology that dynamically warps the wave toward the surfer, mirroring the physics of natural reef pass breaks.”
Specifically, it focuses on a few different areas of manmade surfing experiences, with the most exciting, perhaps, being “superior wave quality,” which makes sure that “every ride delivers the performance surfers expect from hollow barrels to epic sections for airs.”
“It is the culmination of 40 years of innovation,” said Lochtefeld. “The easy road was a straight line—but that’s not the best wave in nature. The vision was creating a tropical reef pass, a wave that is constantly bending in at you. Curves are constantly changing, and the nonlinear math for solving the Navier-Stokes equations is not trivial. But Surf Loch succeeded, and Wavebender™ was born.”
So, when will we see this new, revolutionary tech? Per the presser:
“Surf Loch is proud to announce that Wavebender™ is already under contract and in construction development in the US, Brazil, and Australia. Additional Wavebender™ digital renderings will be available publicly in 2026 or with completion of an NDA.”
Stay tuned.
Related: First Look: 40-Acre Wave Pool Coming Soon to Arizona (Video)
