Paradise in a Concrete Jungle

WORDS: David Simons PHOTOGRAPHY Brian Usher - [email protected] And Supplied

Surfers live in constant anticipation, like being addicted to something but you can only get it when the connection happens. Wind, ocean, access and crowds contribute to the anxiety of surfing. Here on the Gold Coast, the never-ending growth means you can’t even get a car park, especially when the surf is on. The wave park concept has been around for some time but only recently has the technology advanced to such an extent that the wave is real. It removes the anxiety because it’s always pumping.

Wave Garden technology has brought the waves to the suburbs, and the city. It doesn’t require huge land banks and its efficiency is such that it pumps out over 100 waves per hour. The thing I love about it is the fact that it’s for everyone – as I enter Urbnsurf, groups of people who are obviously not surfers are beaming with joy as they get a taste of surfing. The eclectic group of Melbourne’s urban culture are in wetsuits for the first time in their lives, and rubber board technology combined with gentle water movement makes it safe, controlled and accessible for anyone.

The amazing element is the capacity to adjust the settings to extremes, jacking it up from gentle lapping waves to heaving barrels with the turn of a switch. Safety is paramount in the pool with lifeguards patrolling and keeping the mechanical line-up safe. No sharks, no jellyfish and an abundance of waves make it all very attractive.

Our surfers Jake and Hunter are very talented athletes – footballers through winter, they drop the ball for surfing in summer. With northerlies blowing on the Gold Coast and a tiny swell, it was time to go in search of something completely different. The search ended with Urbnsurf.

We land at Tullamarine airport on a cold windy morning and we go straight to our hotel, Mantra Tullamarine, a minute’s drive from the pool. We check in and we have two hours before we head to the pool. Beautifully appointed rooms with a fresh new fit-out made for a cosy start. As we get to the Urbnsurf the setting is on “Beginner”, and clean crisp perfect little waves give us our first taste. We then went to lunch at Three Blue Ducks overlooking the pool, and hooked into steaks, kingfish and cheeseburgers – what a meal!

On day one we have four hours of surfing with over 20 waves a session. The boys are both exhausted and full of adrenaline with the last surf finishing at 9:00 pm under lights. With multiple settings the pool is for everyone, the bay offers gentle white-water take-offs and I was completely blown away by the people who were having a go at it. A European mother with her daughter who have never been to the beach before, but here they are at Urbnsurf. A beautiful Chinese family with four daughters, who are so excited to be trying surfing for the first time. It’s a theme park with the best ride ever. It’s not a gimmick roller coaster, it’s a real wave, just generated by a machine – and with lessons and free board hire, it’s perfect for beginners.

The thing with surfing is that it’s not that easy and it takes years to master, so while you’re learning you are battling the elements as well as other surfers. In the pool there is no ego, everyone is equal, and everyone is welcomed by a team of extraordinary, experienced surf guides and coaches.

Our first session is “Advanced”, so we are straight into barrels and what a tube it is. The mechanism allows you to hone your skills on perfect mechanical waves. The takeoff and tubes are very Snapper-like – open, round, clean and glassy as the wind has little effect on the wave itself. Wave after wave both Jake and Hunter share the waves with an eclectic group of surfers, no drop-ins, no hassles for inside positions and a friendly, chatty atmosphere. The lifeguards patrol diligently as 12 surfers surf on the right-hander and 10 on the left. Safety briefings and an easy paddle out in the current, the weather is perfect, and our first session is a great success leaving Hunter and Jake in an exhilarated state. The next session is in two hours, so they jump in one of two spa baths and burn off a couple of hours before doing it again.

After a rest and a feed, it’s onto the “Advanced Turns” session. On this setting, the wave is steep but not barrelling, and it’s a perfect opportunity to perfect cutbacks, re-entries and bottom turns, as well as being great practice for the all-important takeoff. We are on the left for this session so Jake and Hunter, being natural footers are on a backhand attack. This is their first taste of the left and they both hook into some nice solid hacks. Hunter goes over the falls and gets a taste of the bottom, but it’s not that bad – the pool is designed so that the wave doesn’t slam you into the bottom, but he learns a lesson and doesn’t do it again. Hunter and Jake clock up 22 waves each and hit the beach beaming. Did I say beach? Well, it’s kind of a beach but there is no sand (concrete and green grass), and to polish it off we have our own cabana with couches, power, tables and storage. Lots of shade, two big hot tubs and Three Blue Ducks, the restaurant. It’s a very comfortable experience for surfers and spectators.

With three hours until Hunter and Jake go again, I thought I might get wet – and here’s where things get interesting. For nine months I have nursed a shoulder injury that has put me out of the water until that moment. Surfers know that a shoulder injury is our worst enemy. Anyway, I went to the hire shop, got myself a 5/3 steamer (I was roasting), picked up a 7’6″ soft board and paddled out on the left, my first paddle since last Christmas when I dislocated my shoulder renovating my house. Here I am in a controlled environment back to square one. I wasn’t sure if my shoulder would hold up, but I felt it was time to challenge my rehab – had I done enough to prepare myself for this moment of truth? So far so good as I paddle to the take-off area. Ten other surfers sit waiting with me as the setting is on “Intermediate”. I’m third in line and I watch as the other surfers paddle into a beautiful three-foot wave – a  wave that if it was your local beach break you would not be able to contain yourself. As I paddle, I find myself walking in water and flopping my first wave. It kind of makes me happy, because my shoulder is dealing with everything, I feel stiff from having the time off surfing but I’m back baby!

As I paddle around for my second wave I give myself a big uppercut: “Come on Dave, concentrate!” It’s my turn, I take three strokes and I’m up – my first wave in nine months and the beginning of my new surf odyssey. So now I’m beaming, Jake and Hunter are prepped for the next “Advanced” session, I’m all suited up so what better time to don the flippers and take some water shots on the GoPro Hero. This is a highlight of my trip, and although I would love to be pulling into these heavenly tubes, having box seats was something I will always remember. Hunter and Jake snapped under the lip, right in my face – click, I get the shot, the extraordinary current is designed to suck you inside to get you out of the way, so I would get the shot but then I would get a taste of the power in the vortex; I was in the impact zone.

We returned to our cabana laughing and frothing to see what we had created. We chill, have a hot shower and prep for dinner, and our next session is under lights. Three Blue Ducks offer up a gourmet feast and then we are ready for the night session. Well to be honest, I was ready for bed, but Hunter and Jake were not going to let a full belly and fatigue faze them. The night sessions are quite special – the water is glistening, the tubes are all lit up, and it has a magical feeling.

Having Three Blue Ducks restaurant right there is dangerous – the food is delicious and we always leave full, they serve ice-cold craft beers and the meals are a blend of delicious creations: lamb rump, steaks and a very full cheeseburger. I walk away from the restaurant with a full belly and ready for bed, but we have business to take care of. Jake and Hunter enter the water for their night session. Shiny tubes and glistening water turn the park into a wonderland. A place where dreams come true, wave after wave the boys have got it wired now.

I need to get some sleep. We retire to the Mantra, it’s only two football fields from Urbnsurf as Essendon AFL football club sits between the park and the hotel. The hotel offers a very comfortable home while you enjoy Urbnsurf. Apart from our nice rooms, there is a health club and a beautiful swimming pool, and the buffet breakfast and a pizza at lunch were all delicious. I see this as a perfect venue for a conference, go to Urbnsurf and then come back to the Mantra for your conference. We all enjoyed our rooms – big king beds, plenty of room and the views out over the West were quite expansive.

After a good night’s sleep, we are up early again at Urbnsurf and it’s our last day. Three sessions, two on the left and then a final session on the right – it’s 30 degrees today and the pool is warm, and of course the waves are perfect. After another 70 waves each, finally, the boys are surfed out and ready for home. On the way home we look at our photos and Jake says to Hunter, “I could live there, that was unreal.” Hunter agrees and they start planning their next trip to Melbourne. As Urbnsurf expands, the next adventure will be to the new Sydney Urbnsurf setup at Olympic Park, and we all just can’t wait – the anticipation is killing us!

 

Check Out Urbnsurf Visit: www.urbnsurf.com