Firsthand: What’s It Like To Ride The Biggest Wave Pool Surf Ever?

Measuring wave height is very subjective. Estimations vary on whether you look at the face or the back of the wave and whether you come from Hawaii or Florida. How brave you are feeling that day also comes into play.

Surf Lakes, home to that big, lovable steampunk plunger named Bob, went extra this week and pushed out what we’re calling the biggest wave pool waves ever.

Engineers in Yeppoon got the waves up to a substantial height and then threw a handful of surfers like Sheldon Simkus, Dingo Morrison and Ben Player into the pond to pounce, drop-in, get barrelled and get slammed.

Gold Coast surfer/shaper and moustache wearer Coby Perkovich furthered his slab rep surfing in, of all things, wave pool. Strange times indeed. We spoke with Coby to find out a few things.

How scary was the slab?
The slab was definitely intimidating at first and the bottom just drops out and it’s proper heavy.

What was the bottom like and did you have any bad poundings?
Yeah had a couple of big slams got a few abrasions on my hip. This is a prototype so I’m not sure on the commercial bottom, but currently, it’s kinda like a soft concrete with a sandpaper feel to it.

What was the trickiest part?
The hardest is the takeoff if you aren’t in the right position you will get smoked. So ideally you want to be super deep and chip in from behind.