The buzz is growing as we get closer to the grand opening of Shubee Flowrider – Panama City Beach’s newest attraction! For those of you who don’t know, Shubee Flowrider is an indoor, man-made surfable wave – and it’s set to become one of Panama City Beach’s most exciting additions! There are more than 50 Flowriders across the globe, located mainly in water parks and resorts, and a popular feature on Royal Caribbean cruise ships. The Flowrider uses an array of high-output water pumps to produce a stationary sheet of water that flows over a fixed, foam-padded surface. It’s a safe, fun way for both experienced surfers and novices to feel the thrill of riding a wave without even dipping a toe in the ocean.
The project is coming along beautifully and hopefully it won’t be too much longer before the doors open and the water starts flowing. The project actually started off a little slower than expected, but it’s moving along at a much faster pace now. The exterior walls are up, and the roof is on. Shubee Flowrider is located on the Miracle Strip at Hutchinson Blvd and Front Beach Road – check it out next time you drive by! Christina Hammer from Shubee Flowrider explains: “The reason we decided to put a Flowrider here in Panama City Beach is because there isn’t much for locals to do that’s exciting, fun, and different, especially for the kids. We will pride ourselves on being a safe and fun place where the local kids will love to hang out.”
Judging from Flowrider’s massive popularity in other areas, this attraction will prove to be a very welcome addition to our community. Every Flowrider participates in a flowboarding contest circuit, and Shubee in Panama City Beach will be no exception. The contest allows competitive flowboarders the opportunity to travel and compete with other flowboarders in different areas. Classes will be available at the location for those interested in learning more about this thrilling sport. Another exciting aspect of the attraction is its potential for hosting special events. Christina Hammer predicts this will play a huge role – thanks in part to two full size party rooms and a variety of packages to choose from. There’s also going to be an exciting retail section, where visitors will be able to shop for the hottest west coast brands that are harder to find here in Florida. Brands like RVCA, MATIX, JEDIDIAH, REEF, RIPCURL, FOX, and many more will be available, making Shubee Flowrider’s selection a little different than some of the beach’s existing surf outlets.
For those interested in working for Shubee, there will be a job fair on August 5th from 8:00am to 5:00pm, and August 6th from 3:00pm to 9:00pm. Anyone who is interested in a job can come during those times and fill out an application.
Check out the official website and watch this space for updates!
Ok, so I know that we just did something on this, but I wanted to get something up that had more information, since there seemed to be some questions.
- Shubee will be the name of this Flowrider, but Flowrider is the name of an actual “ride”. A Flowrider is a proprietary name that describes an attraction that is essentially a man-made, surfable wave. The way it works is basically a jet-engine blasts a flattened stream of water at around 30,000 gallons a minute up a padded slope to create a wave. More can be found here, although something seems to be wrong with their web site as google was telling me its been blocked.
- The Flowrider surface is a padded material that has a plastic feeling with the slope gradual at first, then increases. I’ve been told by younger people that falling on it feels like you are falling on a cloud. We’ll see how my 30 year old body takes it.
- Steel structure is up, and has been for over a week. Next step? The roof.
- The Flowrider equipment and machinery will be installed once a roof is on the place. I’m unsure at this time whether they will have the building “dried-in” before this happens, or if they’ll have to leave the walls open. There wasn’t anyone there that knew the size of the equipment pieces before installation.
- The expected open time has been pushed back to August. There was a longer than expected cure time on the actual structure that houses the Flowrider, but everything should begin moving fairly quick.
- Most of the inventory is in, they’re just waiting for the roof and walls to start moving stuff in.
Located off of Miracle Strip Loop in Panama City Beach, the new Flowrider attraction we’ve all been waiting for is coming closer to opening each day. Miracle Strip Loop is right across from Wal-Mart on the Beach and the Shubee Flowrider is in the center of the “loop.” The Flowrider is a stationary structure that is shaped with a smooth slope that provides the ideal surf conditions with a special board as water is thrusted over the shape.
Ok, so maybe “weeks” is a little of a stretch, but the projected open date should come end of June, depending on the weather.
Just late last week the concrete form was poored for the Flowrider structure. 12 feet tall at the back, the structure goes about 6 feet into the ground and will house the monstrous equipment that is responsible for pumping 75,000 gallons of water each and every minute over a shape that is said to form a perfect wave. The material is a “composite membrane riding surface” that is “soft and flexible like a trampoline,” padding your fall, should you feel the need to. I read the water travels over the surface at 25 to 35 mph.
Reading around, it would seem that the Flowrider puts surfers, skaters, snowboarders and skimmers on “equal” ground, er- water. The board is different than a skim or surf board, picture a larger skateboard, with no wheels or trucks and not as much curvature on the nose or tail.
The Flowrider being installed here will be a “double” Flowrider, with a capacity of 55,000 gallons.
The concrete form that will house the Flowrider requires a larger than usual cure time and should be ready next week sometime. When its ready, they’ll pour the rest of the concrete and the steel building should go up pretty quick.
No word on pricing yet, but I did hear talk of 24 hour marathon runs during peak high seasons and hints at some competitions. You can be sure that you’ll find all the updates here. This will definitely be a cool addition to our growing area.
The buzz is growing as we get closer to the grand opening of Shubee Flowrider – Panama City Beach’s newest attraction! For those of you who don’t know, Shubee Flowrider is an indoor, man-made surfable wave – and it’s set to become one of Panama City Beach’s most exciting additions! There are more than 50 Flowriders across the globe, located mainly in water parks and resorts, and a popular feature on Royal Caribbean cruise ships. The Flowrider uses an array of high-output water pumps to produce a stationary sheet of water that flows over a fixed, foam-padded surface. It’s a safe, fun way for both experienced surfers and novices to feel the thrill of riding a wave without even dipping a toe in the ocean.
Judging from Flowrider’s massive popularity in other areas, this attraction will prove to be a very welcome addition to our community. Every Flowrider participates in a flowboarding contest circuit, and Shubee in Panama City Beach will be no exception. The contest allows competitive flowboarders the opportunity to travel and compete with other flowboarders in different areas. Classes will be available at the location for those interested in learning more about this thrilling sport. Another exciting aspect of the attraction is its potential for hosting special events. Christina Hammer predicts this will play a huge role – thanks in part to two full size party rooms and a variety of packages to choose from. There’s also going to be an exciting retail section, where visitors will be able to shop for the hottest west coast brands that are harder to find here in Florida. Brands like RVCA, MATIX, JEDIDIAH, REEF, RIPCURL, FOX, and many more will be available, making Shubee Flowrider’s selection a little different than some of the beach’s existing surf outlets.
