Crest Surf Clubs Brings Proven CFD Precision to the Next Era of Surfing

Press Release from Crest Surf Clubs:

Crest Surf Clubs, the first platform of vertically integrated private membership-based surf clubs in the U.S., is spotlighting the critical role of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in its proprietary wave system — a scientifically validated approach that delivers unmatched design precision, performance, and reliability.

CFD, or Computational Fluid Dynamics, is a cutting-edge computer-based tool that engineers use to model how air, water, or other fluids move. It’s a mainstay across industries like Formula 1, high-performance sailing, and aerospace — fields where precision and performance are non-negotiable.

At Crest, the same scientific rigor is applied to wave design. The company’s CTO and Partner, Alex Poirot — one of the original engineers behind the iconic Kelly Slater Surf Ranch — has spent over a decade advancing CFD design for surf parks. “CFD isn’t just an artistic rendering — it’s an extremely powerful engineering tool that computes the fluid mechanics of a flow at any scale,” says Poirot. “It’s trusted in F1, aerospace, sailing — and now, surfing.”

During his 11-year tenure at Kelly Slater Wave Co. (KSWC), Poirot ran more than 2,000 simulations, proving that well-modeled digital waves can match real-world waves with remarkable accuracy. Building on that foundation, Crest has completed more than 400 simulations in the last three years alone — each validated by full-scale prototyping.

“For every design iteration, our prototype confirmed exactly what CFD predicted,” Poirot adds. “That’s why we have confidence that what our we see in the CFD results is what our members will surf in real life.”

Backed by physical scale modeling and real-world prototype testing, Crest’s approach ensures that no wave is left to chance. By combining engineering, science, and unmatched wave-making expertise, Crest delivers a surf experience rooted in precision and reliability — pushing the sport into a new era where proven science meets the stoke of surfing.