Analysis of Land-Based Surf Amenity Technologies
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
City of Gold Coast | 2024–2025
Land-based surf amenity technology demonstrating controlled wave generation for surfing.
Planning for the Future of Surfing
As surfer populations grow and pressure mounts on the Gold Coast’s natural surfing resources, the City of Gold Coast engaged Intercoastal to review the rapidly advancing field of land-based surf amenity (LBSA) technologies.
Supporting the City’s world-first Surf Management Plan, the study identified and assessed the range of commercial wave-generation systems and considered their potential application within the Gold Coast context.
Project Highlights
Land-based surf amenity technologies
Review of commercial wave-generation systems
Multi-criteria assessment
Environmental, economic, social, regulatory and legal considerations
Case studies & innovation
Review of successful facilities, future trends and emerging technologies
Future development
Recommendations and site-selection guidelines for potential LBSA development
Assessing Land-Based Surf Technologies
Intercoastal identified and assessed the range of commercial technologies designed to facilitate surfing on land.
The study examined available wave-generation systems and applied a SWOT and multi-criteria assessment across environmental, economic, social, regulatory and legal factors relevant to the Gold Coast.
This provided a structured basis for considering the opportunities and constraints associated with different LBSA technologies.
Wave-generation technology considered as part of the assessment of land-based surf amenity systems.
Learning from Existing Surf Facilities
The study included successful case studies such as URBNSURF Sydney and Waco Surf, providing examples of how land-based surfing technologies have been implemented in practice.
Intercoastal also considered future trends and innovations within the rapidly developing LBSA sector, helping place existing commercial technologies within the broader direction of the industry.
Informing Future Land-Based Surf Amenity Development
The assessment was developed to support informed consideration of potential future LBSA development on the Gold Coast.
Intercoastal delivered recommendations and site-selection guidelines based on the technology review, case studies and assessment of environmental, economic, social, regulatory and legal factors.
The work contributes to the City’s broader Surf Management Plan by applying data, design and innovation to consideration of the future of surfing on the Gold Coast.
Intercoastal’s Role
Intercoastal assisted the City of Gold Coast to identify and assess technologies designed to facilitate surfing on land.
The work included assessment of commercial wave-generation technologies, SWOT and multi-criteria analysis, presentation of successful case studies and future trends and innovations, and development of recommendations and site-selection guidelines to inform potential future LBSA development.
Project Details
Client: City of Gold Coast
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Project period: 2024–2025
Services: Surf & Coastal Amenity
