Here's Why Surf-Mad Australia Only Has Two Wave Pools So Far

Wave pools are a surfing luxury popping up all over the world.

Arizona's getting its first next spring, and wave pool giant Aventuur is bringing them to 11 more destinations in the United States and Mexico.

Then there's 11-time world champ Kelly Slater, who's managed to get the Surf Ranch and Surf Abu Dhabi up and running in under a decade.

But Australia's a little behind the times when it comes to wave pools.

In the news segment above, the Australian Broadcasting Station (ABC) explains why.

ABC captioned the post above yesterday:

"What's stopped wave surfing pools in Australia?

"Wave pools are popping up everywhere — even in the Middle East — but there is still just one in surfing-mad Australia. Designers and developers say it's not for lack of trying."

So far, Australia has Urban Surf in Melbourne which is open to the public, and Surf Lakes in Central Queensland which is still an invite-only "prototype."

Aaron Trevis, Surf Lakes founder and CEO, is trying to change that.

"I had no idea how hard it was going to be," he told ABC.

Trevis calls Surf Lakes a "prototype" that so far, only "a handful of celebrities and professionals have surfed."

According to reporter Mackenzie Colahan, it all comes down to money.

"Proving it works is just the beginning, the hard part is convincing investors they can generate enough revenue to justify the eye-watering price tag," he said.

But Australia does have big wave pool dreams that include:

Another Urban Surf in Sydney, a $100 million wave pool in Perth, one on the Gold Coast, and two on the Sunshine Coast.

But, says Colahan, "The problem is they're expensive to build, costly to run, and the biggest challenge is finding somewhere to put them."

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