Okay, here’s my blog post about building the “world’s biggest wave pool,” written from a personal, hands-on perspective:
So, I got this crazy idea stuck in my head: I wanted to build the biggest wave pool anyone had ever seen. Not one of those wimpy things at a water park, but something truly massive. I’m no engineer, but I’m pretty handy, and I figured, how hard could it really be? (Famous last words, right?)
I started by digging. And digging. And digging some more. I rented a backhoe – that was a learning experience in itself! – and basically carved out a giant hole in my backyard. My neighbors probably thought I was insane. Maybe I was. But I kept picturing that perfect, rolling wave.
Next up was lining the hole. I went with this super-thick, industrial-grade pond liner. It came on a HUGE roll, and it took like, five of my buddies and a whole lot of swearing to get it unfolded and smoothed out. We secured it with tons of rocks and sand around the edges. Felt like wrestling a giant, slippery whale.
- Liner: Seriously, get the thickest stuff you can find.
- Rocks: You’ll need way more than you think.
- Sand: to protect the liner from the rock.
- Friends: Bribe them with pizza. You’ll need them.
Then came the plumbing. Oh boy, the plumbing. I’m still not entirely sure how I managed this part. I got a bunch of massive pumps – the kind they use for, like, irrigation or something – and a whole network of pipes. I watched a lot of YouTube videos. A LOT. There was some trial and error (and a few minor floods) involved.
Filling it up was the next big hurdle. It took DAYS. I had to run my garden hose constantly, and I’m pretty sure I single-handedly lowered the water level in the local reservoir. My water bill that month was… something else.
The Moment of Truth
Finally, it was time to test it out. I flipped the switch on the pumps, held my breath, and… nothing. Well, not nothing. There was a sad little ripple. Disappointment city. I messed around with the pump settings, the pipe configurations, everything. More trial and error. More minor floods.
Eventually, after a lot of tinkering and a few near-meltdowns, I got… a wave! It wasn’t exactly Mavericks, but it was a WAVE! A respectable, ridable, four-foot wave, right there in my backyard. It was probably the most ridiculous, and most satisfying, thing I’ve ever built.
Did I succeed building the “world’s biggest wave pool”? Well, No, it’s not technically the world’s biggest. But it’s my biggest. And for a while there, it was pretty epic. Now It is a lot of work, but I am so proud of myself.
