Wave pool 950236 223600641 2008-07-04T20:43:17Z Alpha Ralpha Boulevard 5662869 Adds wave tank to See also [[Image:Silverwood_wavepool1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The outdoor wave pool of Boulder Beach at [[Silverwood Theme Park]]]] A '''wave pool''' is a [[swimming pool]] in which are artificially generated reasonably large [[wave]]s, similar to the [[ocean]]'s. Wave pools are often a major feature of [[water park]]s. ==History== [[Image:Wave Pool at Water Park of America.JPG|left|thumb|200px|An indoor wave pool at the [[Water Park of America]] in [[Minnesota]]]] Several locations claim to have developed the first wave pool in the [[United States]], including [[Big Surf]] in [[Tempe, Arizona]], in 1969[http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/bestof/award.php?oid=oid:34871&section=oid:36467&year=2005], and [[Point Mallard Park]]'s [[Point Mallard Aquatic Center|Aquatic Center]], in the city of [[Decatur, Alabama|Decatur]], [[Alabama]]. But Palisades Amusement Park, a famed center atop the New Jersey Palisades across the Hudson River from New York City, had a salt-water wave pool during the 1940s. This was a huge pool whose waves were generated by a waterfall at one end. The pool in Point Mallard Park was developed in the early 1970s after Mayor Gilmer Blackburn saw enclosed "wave-making" swimming pools in [[Japan]] and thought one could be a tourist attraction in the [[United States]]. J. Austin Smith, an [[Ohio]] wave pool manufacturer, worked with the city of Decatur to design and install the wave pool in [[1970]]. == Operation == Wave pools replicate the movement of the ocean one of two ways, depending on the size of the pool and the size of wave desired. In small wave pools, [[pressurized]] [[air]] is blown onto the surface of the water, or a [[paddle]] creates force in the water, creating small [[ripple]]-like waves. Other techniques utilize an "accordion mechanism" which opens and closes in order to suck water into its belly (opening) and push it out (closing) to cause waves. However, in high-volume wave pools, a large amount of water is quickly allowed into the far end of the pool, forcing the water to even out, generating a sizeable wave. In these large wave pools, the excess water is removed by being channeled through a return canal where it can be used again to generate another wave. == Types and locations == Generally, wave pools are designed to use fresh water at inland locations, but some of the largest ones, near other seashore developments, use salt water. Wave pools are typically larger than other recreational swimming pools and for that reason are often in parks or other large, open areas. == Safety == Wave pools are more difficult to lifeguard than still pools, and there have been drownings in some. For example, the pool at [[New Jersey]]'s now-defunct [[Action Park]] took two lives, and kept the lifeguards busy rescuing patrons who overestimated their swimming ability. The moving water, sun glare, and other factors make them difficult for lifeguards. Computer automated [[drowning detection]] systems do not work in wave pools. Drowning prevention systems such as Swimguard use underwater cameras and might improve safety. == Further reading == *Carl Hoffman, "Endless summer", ''Wired'' 12.05 ==See also== *[[artificial wave]] *[[wave tank]] ==External links== *[http://science.howstuffworks.com/wave-pool.htm Howstuffworks.com- "How Wave Pools Work"] *[http://www.h2oparks.com/products/pools/wavepools.htm H<sub>2</sub>O Parks- "Background on wave pools and info on building your own."] [[Category:Swimming pools]] [[de:Wellenbad]]