"Everyone from competitors, organisers, judges, broadcasters, sponsors and even a delegation of the sport's founders are on hand to witness the technology that will have a dramatic effect on the future of surfing's evolution.
Essentially saying, their current business model isn't working, professional surfing really needs a new cash-cow or at the very least, more people to sell it to. Are wave pools the answer? On that the jury's still out, regardless, it looked like one hell of a party.
What we can say is, a freshwater competition of this magnitude has never been done before, it was an unknown, an unmarketable entity, but not anymore. Highlights from the competition are yet to be released, however, the hoots and hollas' coming from what we have seen, cannot be denied. The best surfers in the world were in a state of ecstasy, social media lit up, for many of them, today was the stuff of their childhood dreams. There isn't a surfer in the world that hasn't romanticised the idea of perfect waves on tap.
As sets of perfect waves, full of endless potential, made their way down the lagoon, surfing reached a whole new level of accessibility. Whether you're a pro or you've never even touched a surfboard, whether you live in the Auckland CBD or on the points at Raglan, there's something in this for everyone.