ORLANDO — StarGuard ELITE, LLC (SGE) and URBNSURF are excited to announce a strategic partnership to develop the world’s first international Surf Park Safety program. By combining SGE’s industry leading aquatic safety training programs and risk prevention services with URBNSURF’s proven surf park expertise and operational best practices, the partnership will create a technology agnostic safety program for surf parks globally providing training standards, certifications, and operational best practices.

The surf park industry is an exciting era marked by rapid technological advancements and unprecedented worldwide expansion. The considerable growth within the industry includes the evolution of both dynamic wave venues, characterized by expansive surf areas, and stationary wave facilities that use a small footprint to offer standing waves or sheet wave technologies. Each surf venue offers a distinct surf experience.

Amidst this dynamic landscape, the Surf Park Safety program will provide training programs, operational safety standards, and best practices for any surf venue to foster an effective safety culture that will enhance the customer experience. Consistency will be a key focus of the program, ensuring surf parks deliver safe and memorable experiences while being equipped to respond swiftly and effectively in case of any emergency. As governing bodies will undoubtedly seek to create regulations for surf venues, the program will provide a blueprint for these bodies to create informed regulation.

“This partnership represents a watershed moment for surf park safety. By combining SGE’s evidence-driven safety programs with URBNSURF’s expertise as a proven operator, along with other surf park safety experts, we envision a standardized safety program that will provide Surf Parks the foundation to deliver a safe experience and elevates industry benchmarks. As more facilities rapidly open globally and more people embrace the sport of surfing, it is imperative that all surf venues operate safely to maintain consumer confidence and avoid overreaching or reactionary regulations. The waterpark industry has done an excellent job of finding this balance over the past 40 years and I’m confident we can do the same for surf parks.” said Wess Long, President at StarGuard ELITE.

URBNSURF General Manager, Shaun Hutchinson says ‘’We’re stoked to be partnering with StarGuard to pioneer safety and operations within the industry. Both organisations are experts and have extensive experience in our respective areas and by joining forces we look forward to guiding the industry through this rapid expansion period. URBNSURF have successfully operated Melbourne now for nearly four years and it was a steep aquatic safety learning curve in the early days. It was a natural next step for URBNSURF to become a research and development site for StarGuard Elite. StarGuard Elite has amassed a variety of experience within the aquatic industry, and with their dynamic approach to surf park safety, it will ensure a practicable standard that every surf park can follow.”

Notable elements of this collaboration will include:

• Development of tailored training programs and safety protocols with internationally recognized certifications for surf park professionals.
• Development of operational best practices with supporting resources for surf parks.
• Integration of SGE’s industry-leading aquatic safety training programs for pools, waterparks, and open-water.
• Integration of SGE’s proprietary online portal into surf park operations for digital training management, blended learning, daily operations management, and safety audits.
• Custom consulting and advisory services for design, operations, safety, regulatory compliance, and third-party commissioning.
• A commitment to advancing safety standards within the surf park industry.

The Surf Park Safety program is anticipated to be launched in the first quarter of 2024.

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