From: p-kun@blacklabel.Japan.Sun.COM (Kevin Parrington - Nihon Sun Logistics)
Newsgroups: alt.surfing
Subject: Artificial waves, Japan (disappointing) LONG
Date: 22 Jul 92 04:58:05 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mt. View, Ca.
NNTP-Posting-Host: blacklabel.japan.sun.com


	To all at a.s :

	Well, the fine folks at immigration found it in their hearts to
	let me remain in country after having overstayed my visa by
	seven months (long story).  I guess they figured if I had let
	it go for seven months and didn't realize it my story had to be
	true, which it was....SO, onward.........

	Wild Blue (bummer) Yokohama...okay, okay...it wasn't THAT bad
	but I was a little let down.  As with most entertainment/amusement
	facilities in Japan it was regimentally organized and depressingly
	crowded.  The park itself was impressive.  Five different water
	slides, "The Bay" which is the wave pool, a small area for the kids,
	a couple of restaurants, sauna, jacuzzi, and, since its inclosed,
	tanning beds !!!!!  Actually, the tanning beds, jacuzzi, etc, etc area
	was all done in rough grey/black stone...very pretty.

	But enough about Better Homes and Jacuzzi's...its THE BAY that you've
	all been waiting to hear about.....

	The wave is produced by the floor plate in the back of the pool
	(behind a rod-iron fence for safety)being raised and lowered
	Stick your hand out flat/palm up (thats the floor of the pool)
	now raise it and lower it back to level at your wrist....this
	is the way it was described to me because they wouldn't
	let me go "in the back" and see it for myself....f&*kin'
	like the Wizard of Oz, I said and they laughed....the 
	floor is "ribbed" about every meter starting at the fence.
	From the fence the depth is 3.5 meters and graduates to
	2.5, 1.5 etc.etc.  The pool itself is fan shaped. 
	According to the "dweeb" I spoke to the wave machine is 
	set to a "safe", "comfortable" level, however, it can
	be increased.  I saw a couple of mushy rollers about
	head high (faces)....so there is potential.

	I sat on the sand colored, padded concrete floor at the
	mouth of the pool to watch the wave form...once they got it
	cranked up the first two waves peeled beautifully acroos
	the pool, nice and hollow......then the third wave of the set 
	rolled in like a big thick blob of water, barely breaking...
	disappointment overcame me instantly..."surfing" time,
	meaning "spongers" only, no swimmers, is 20 minutes at 40
	past the hour, every hour..

	I made my way to the back of the pool for a surf...me and 50
	other people who "surf" about as often as I drive Formula 1 
	race cars.....two by two you are allowed into the wave pool.
	There I was trying to catch a wave while dodging these floundering
	souls without a clue...first wave, I got cut off by a screaming
	school girl, out of control, who was "taken" too late by the wave
	and thrown over the falls....second go round, shoulder hopper !!!!
	Again, screaming female, out of control, comes out of no where
	while I'm about to pull a 360 spin...she meets my knees at the 
	150 degree point !!!!!  I'm called down by the "lifeguards"
	(part time employees with whistles) for doulbing back to the 
	"line up" to catch another wave...NO SECONDS...GO BACK TO THE END
	OF THE LINE !!!!  Third go round...I now have the whole wave pool 
	thing wired...I get in, I sit on the outside and wait for a clean break
	to roll by.  The idea in the wave pool it to let the wave catch you
	not you catch the wave as normal in the ocean.  I'm on, I look around,
	the "wanna be's" have been washed ashore, I score a good,clean ride.
	Up and out I make a mad dash for the line.  Second wave, good, I pull a
	clean 360 spin !!!!  I'm very psyched now.....up, out, to the
	line...it's me and a real "surfer", the last two in....waiting we
	agree to L and R as to not screw up the others ride....perfection,
	for him...my friend said he pulled a clean barrel roll...I blew mine
	at the top and got wasted. 

	I had more fun on the slides than I did in the wave pool....I recall 
	I said something about sitting in an uncrowded line up surfing
	consistent waves....HA !!!!!  what a fool I was for thinking
	such a thing.  The only way this could be "fun" would be to crank
	the waves up a little more and have the place to yourself or with a 
	couple of friends....

	I won't be making any plans to go wave pooling again anytime soon...
	even with all the things I find to bitch about when I'm out in the
	ocean, I'll take the real, God given waves over wave pool waves
	any day of the week...(unless I'm suffering from a hellishly long
	flat spell)  As I said before, they have potential, but it's tought to
	beat the real thing.

	Well, thats about it.....I got out last SAt and Sun with good
	results and no bad effect on my back (I'ts now my habit to stretch
	ala yoga, for ten minutes +/-, in the morning and at night and
	before I surf).  Sat we experiences a Low pressure system which
	broughgt up the wave size but the wind worked against it (no
	wind with on shore gusts) so the waves were very thick rollers
	turning to "dumpers" (close outs) at low tide.  Sun day was a full
	blown, sunny, hot, great-day-for-the-beach day...but no waves and
	a steady on shore breeze.  I ended up playing in the shore break 
	for a couple of hours then hanging out on the CROWDED beach watching 
	bikini's and hi-cut one pieces.....!!!!!!!!!!! *8) 

	I'm starting to get the hang of this weather thing...I think.  
	Keep the info coming !!!!  It's appreciated.  Looking forward
	to really being able to surf in Bali...only 37 more days !!!!! ha/ha/ha

	Sorry for the long post with little in the way of technical data
	on the wave pool....s*&t happens.....!

kp

  
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