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Mesa Artspace: A creative community of artists
THE SUNDAY
Tribune
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Gilbert Edition
Leibowitz: We lost Prince, but we never really had him PAGE 19 Sunday, April 24, 2016
INSIDE THIS WEEK NEWS | Jobs 11
Most EV growth will be for high-school graduates
COMMUNITY | Volunteer 14
A man and his dog bring comfort to many
FAITH |
Spiritual Side 29
After a month of mourning, loss remains
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ................... 3 OPINION ...................18 FAITH/FAMILY..........29 CLASSIFIED ................31
Trevor Hancock and Dave Manning still enjoy Big Surf. Hancock and Manning have been surfing at the water park since the 1970s. [David Jolkovski/Tribune]
COVER STORY
Dreams of waves in the desert
BY DAWSON FEARNOW TRIBUNE CONTRIBUTOR
FASHION | Intersection of fashion and art exhibit brings history to life EVENT | Mingle and sip at liquor fest’s new Ocotillo location
A
lready months behind schedule and nearly half a million dollars over budget, the sneak peek of the new Big Surf in Tempe seemed to go picture-perfect as press photographers captured images of the attractive young co-eds in bikinis and swim trunks, surfing in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. Against the backdrop of a towering “lava rock” wall overflowing with thundering waterfalls, the college kids from nearby Arizona State University were joined by world surfing champion Fred Hemmings Jr., who was photographed grinning from earto-ear while effortlessly balancing a 20-yearold brunette on his surfboard. The palm trees were planted and the trucks had filled the beach with 23,000 tons
Memories of Big Surf in the ’70s
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of sandy gravel. Surely it was only a matter of days before the world’s first inland ocean opened to the general public. Or at least it would be, if Phil Dexter and his team of engineers could figure out how to prevent the force of the waves from ripping up the floor of Big Surf ’s signature attraction. Summer was almost over, and Dexter’s dream of the world’s first “surfable” wave pool was, yet again, going down the drain, all 2.5 million gallons of it.
One constant in 47 years Fast forward nearly one-half century. Now
preparing to open for its 47th season on May 7, Big Surf has changed a lot since the late 1960s, but one thing remains constant. “Our signature attraction is still Waikiki Beach, which remains the third largest wave pool in America,” says Big Surf event coordinator, Joe Shannon. “It takes about a week and a half to fill that attraction alone. Then, at the end of the season, the water is filtered and sent back to the city of Tempe for treatment and to be recycled back into the city’s water supply.” Speaking of recycling, “We still use Phil Dexter’s original equipment every day,” says maintenance supervisor Rhett Peña of Mesa. “The wave equipment is pretty much all original. The same Caterpillar motors still run the water pumps, and the original hydraulics operate the underwater gates. Of course, it was all custom built, so when we See BIG SURF on page 4