Apparatus for producing artificial wave

Abstract

An apparatus for producing an artificial wave, which comprises: an embankment provided in the sea in parallel to a shore so that the upper portion thereof is exposed above the sea, the embankment having on the off-shore side thereof a slope for causing sea water to crawl up over the embankment in the form of a wave, and on the inshore side thereof a vertical surfaces; a tank, having an open upper end, fitted to the embankment so as to be vertically movable along the vertical surface thereof, the tank having a capacity sufficient to receive sea water having crawled up over the slope of the embankment a plurality of times through the open upper end, a side wall on the inshore side of the tank being capable of being opened and closed; a main buoy, fixed onto a bottom wall of the tank, having buoyancy sufficient to cause substantially the entire of the tank to float up above the sea; and a tank supporting mechanism having a function of supporting the tank at a prescribed position above the sea, the tank supporting mechanism releasing the above-mentioned function thereof when the tank is filled up with sea water and the side wall on the inshore side of the tank being opened; whereby the tank filled up with sea water falls down on the sea along the vertical surface of the embankment and sea water received in the tank is discharged, thereby producing an artificial wave suitable for surfing toward the shore.