Patent ID: 8375477

Claim:
A wave pool comprising: a bottom, a first substantially vertical pool side, and a second substantially vertical pool side, the wave pool containing a body of water having proximal and distal portions; wherein, the bottom and first and second pool sides form a substantially dissipative beach disposed at the distal portion of the body of water; a wave generator disposed at the proximal portion of the body of water and configured to produce waves in the body of water and configured to produce waves in the body of water that move from the proximal portion to the distal portion; a reef contour disposed substantially laterally in the bottom intermediate the wave generator and the dissipative beach; first and second islands disposed in the bottom defining, respectively, first and second integrated diversion channels having a depth substantially greater than that of the reef contour and dissipative beach, wherein each of the first and second integrated diversion channels further comprises an inner side formed by a respective one of said first and second islands, an outer side formed by a respective one of said first and second pool sides, a wave entrance disposed in the distal portion and facing open at least in part to the proximal portion, and a wave discharge disposed in the proximal portion and facing open to the distal portion, the outer sides being substantially non-dissipative, and wherein the reef contour and the diversion channels are configured to capture a high energy portion of the waves within the diversion channel and to redirect the captured portion of the waves from the distal portion of the body of water to the proximal portion of the body of water, with the captured portion of the wave exiting the wave discharge and moving in a proximal to distal direction; wherein the first and second integrated diversion channels, reef, and first and second islands are configured so as to enable at least one of the first and second integrated diversion channels to capture and maintain a sufficiently high energy portion of the waves so as to move a person from the distal portion of the body of water to the proximal portion of the body of water.