Before all the current craziness of Covid-19 took over and forced the world to go ON HOLD. I was lucky enough to experience a boy hood dream of surfing a perfect wave, albeit a mechanical version. Before my trip to Melbourne I wasn’t exactly sure how to feel. I’d watched more Youtube footage of the pool than anyone I knew and I was frothing, but I did still have that question in my mind, is surfing in a pool really as good as surfing in the ocean?

My question was answered as soon as we arrived at the pool!

F*#% yeah it is! There’s a thousand reasons why I loved the wavepool but to keep it short I’ll give you my top 5 –

1. Consistency of waves

I’m the same standard of surfer as most people in Australia and around the world. I have my days where I think I’m ripping and I also have my days where I’m a flat out kook. To be able to surf in an environment where you know that if you do kook a turn or bog a rail, you know you’ll get another chance in roughly 2-3 minutes is a game changer. It also allows you to try some things that you might not try in the ocean. When you sit out at one of Australia’s more ‘crowded’ breaks, like Noosa for example…you might be waiting for up to an hour or more for a quality wave and hope to god you don’t get dropped in on by an overzealous local or a kook with no idea what they’re doing. You’re probably not going to try a big fin blow snap on your first turn are you?

2. Vibe

Surfers generally get along with other surfers but we all have experienced some lineups where you’d rather just keep your head down. It feels the exact opposite of this at URBNSurf Melbourne. Everyone is chatting between sets, hooting when the sets arrive, cheering each other on and just generally having a good time. They do have a surf guide out for each session too, so if you get that one hero that tries to cut the line or ‘assert his dominance’ he’ll be put in his place pretty quickly and sometimes sent in. 

3. Easy access

I’m from the Sunshine Coast so normally a surf trip starts with a long day of travel with various modes of transport. From where I live, its a drive to the airport, pay for parking, 1, 2 and sometimes 3 flights to where im going, followed by a overland or boat transfer.  For those living in Australia, the wavepool is a lot easier! I flew straight from the Sunshine Coast to Tullamarine airport. From there it was a 5 minute Uber and I was at URBNsurf ready to suit up and catch my first wave. We surfed 3 x 1 hour sessions on the first day on the right hander followed by another 3 x 1 hour sessions the next morning on the left hander. By early afternoon, I was on a plane back home completely surfed out like I’d been on a 10 day boat trip in Indonesia.

Total time away from home was roughly 30 hours, total waves caught roughly 90-100. Those numbers look pretty good to me!

4. Variety of waves

You’d think a wave set up with a concrete base and no possible way of shifting ‘banks’ like you would get at a beach break anywhere on the Australian coastline would not have so many wave varieties. However, the amount of variety in the waves that URBNSurf can make is mind blowing!

They currently have 3 ‘settings’ advanced, intermediate and beginner (expert to be released soon) but within these settings there are multiple sub-settings that can produce subtle differences in the power and shape of the wave.

They’ve got a ton of different advanced setting from heaving barrels, to mellow takeoff’s with a down the line drainer (Greenmount style), or take off under the lip, straight into the pit or long walls with 3 or 4 attackable sections. Because I was part of a public session, I had to surf the waves they set for the allocated time slots. But, if you want a particular setting or a free-range of the settings, you can book a group exclusively and the world is your oyster. 

5. Perfect tune-up to start your next overseas trip

We’ve all been there, it seems to happen on every surf trip I’ve ever been on. The best swell of the whole trip is on day 1 and 2. You’re rusty as shit, scared to throw yourself over the lip and barely have the paddle fitness to survive a long 3+ hour session. Of course, after day 3 and 4 you start to get back to your grommet days where you feel good. Confident and ripping, but the swell of the trip has been and gone and you missed it!

In my opinion there is no better warm up to your expensive surfing holiday than starting a trip at URBNSurf. It get’s you and your mates ready to go. Consistently breaking waves to critique your turns and your barrel stance. I went from being a shocking backhand barrel rider to pig-dogging with the best in a matter of waves (ok, maybe not)

World Surfaris are working with URBNSurf to create some epic packages to add on to the start of your trip. How much better does this sound, fly to Melbourne, surf 3 or 4 hours in the pool, stay the night nearby (or make a night of it in the city), surf another 2-3 hours the next day, fly straight out of Melbourne to your destination, swell is pulsing on day 1 of the trip and you’re ready to charge!

Packages to URBNSurf start from as little as $79 per 1 hour session. To enquire and speak to an expert about your next Wavepool experience, please click on the BOOK NOW button below.