Wavegarden Signs Contract to Build the World’s Largest Surfing Lagoon in South Korea
Development has begun on the world’s largest man-made surf park in Turtle Island, Siheung in the Gyeonggi province of South Korea. Scheduled to open in 2020, the announcement of this project was made official following the signing of a contract in November 2018 between Wavegarden and Daewon Plus Construction, one of South Korea’s largest real estate and theme park developers, in the presence of the Governor of the Province, Siheung’s City Mayor and the Secretary General of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Korea.
The formalization of this partnership comes after a year of intensive design and planning work between the two parties that led to Daewon Plus Construction being selected by the city as the preferred developer of the project in a highly competitive tender process.
Located just an hour away from Seoul, and constructed on land reclaimed from the ocean, Turtle Island is a new international waterfront destination, which will have different water and landside leisure facilities including hotels, convention centers and marinas. The centrepiece of the 2.1B€ avant-garde mixed-use development will be the Wavegarden Cove surfing lagoon. The Cove, with its enticing turquoise waters, is capable of producing up to 1000 ocean-like waves per hour, which unfurl across a range of different surfing areas. Each area offers waves of different size and power specifically designed to provide ideal conditions for everyone, from professional surfers to newcomers picking up a surfboard for the first time. Apart from riding waves, Turtle Island offers various other aquatic activities like kayaking, SUP and swimming in zones with and without waves.
Fernando Odriozola, Chief Commercial Officer of Wavegarden said: “We are delighted to be working with Daewon and to bring the incredible sport of surfing and beach lifestyle to South Korea. With consistent waves of different sizes and shapes, Turtle Island is going to be the new beach of Seoul and the place to surf for families, professional surfers, and everyone in between.”
With a beach spanning almost 1km, and the capability of hosting thousands of visitors, Turtle Island is set to become Korea’s premier surfing and water activity destination and a ‘must-visit’ for the large resident market and the 10.8m international tourists that visit the region annually.
An innovative project of this magnitude doesn’t come without highly complex challenges. Specialized technological solutions are required in wave generation, water treatment and civil works. However, after years of R&D at the demo center in Northern Spain, and having constructed many full-scale facilities, the team at Wavegarden has perfected all the essentials to design and implement a venture of this scale.
The state-of-the-art machinery can produce millions of waves per year and is designed to recover part of the energy used in the wave generation process to attain the lowest possible energy consumption.The innovative water treatment system, developed specifically for wave lagoons, will keep the water transparent and clean throughout the year. It’s intelligent design uses the energy of the waves to acquire the highest level of energy efficiency available nowadays for large recreational water bodies.
This exciting news comes at a time when two Wavegarden facilities are currently in construction in Melbourne, Australia and Bristol, England, with another 28 contracts signed and in various stages of development in 5 continents around the world.
The first WaveGarden in the US is here! NLand in Austin, Texas is open as of today! Check out the clip, looking pretty sick. For a deeper understanding of what the guys are trying to achieve dig in to the article below by Jose, the main man behind the tech and the company, he’s a cool dude that knows his onions…
Making Waves – Popular Science for Curious Surfers By Josema Odriozola, CEO & Founder, Wavegarden
In mid 2016 under the intense heat of the northern hemisphere sun, we began testing the waves at our second public facility, NLand, in Austin, Texas. The lucky test pilots included a handful of seasoned pros, a couple of frothing grommets, and a bunch of newcomers to the sport.
The silence surrounding the pristine Wavegarden lagoon at the NLand complex is broken by the sound of crashing waves, ranging between 0,5-1,9 m (1,5 -6,2 ft) in height. The crowning achievement is the main waves – known as the Reef Waves – which are high quality waves tailor-made for performance surfing. Breaking in synchronicity on opposing sides of the pier, the Reef Waves stand head high and unfurl for over 30 seconds.
The Reef Waves are complimented by two other distinct breaks.The Bay Waves are perfect for new surfers and children while the Inside Wave is a waist-high powerhouse for all levels of surfers. These breaks provide waves for the full spectrum of NLand’s guests. The massive lagoon, spanning nine football fields and filled 100% with rainwater, is set in a beautiful natural landscape only 10 minutes east of Austin Bergstrom Airport. By any measure, it is an extremely inviting surf spot where overcrowding is not an issue as the park can safely cater for 120 or more surfers, at any one time in the different skill-based surf zones.
The long anticipated opening of NLand on October 7, 2016, falls several months after the one-year anniversary of Surf Snowdonia in North Wales, which, since its opening in 2015, has produced more than 195.000 waves. The accumulated length of these waves equates to a distance of 30.600 km (18.600 miles), which is approximately three quarters the circumference of the earth.
In recent months there has been a lot of talk about man-made waves, which has created some rather high expectations about the future of surfing outside of the ocean. Many media outlets have asked us to participate in this debate, but we have opted to maintain our silence, remaining focused on what we have accomplished and not on what we are theoretically capable of doing.
However, all surfers love the ocean and most like to know why waves are the way they are. So, in this article we share some key design features of the NLand Wavegarden in Austin and we hope you find our thoughts and insights interesting.
The Wavegarden Lagoon and its waves
The technology used at NLand is based on the movement of a blade, which we first developed in 2006 and call the wavefoil. Shuttling the wavefoil at a precise speed from one end of the lagoon to the other to create a swell that interacts with the customized bathymetry of the bottom to form breaking waves in the different surf zones, each with unique wave characteristics. The Reef Wave is bigger, faster, and more powerful; it offers sections with an almond shaped barrel, perfect for experienced surfers to practice their tube riding skills. Simultaneously, other waves break in various parts of the lagoon with less size and power, which provide long and fun rides before gently rolling onto the shoreline.
The Reef Wave
Apart from size, the verticality and peeling angle of a wave are two key characteristics that influence the type of ride a surfer is going to experience. Firstly, verticality refers to the steepness of a wave, which naturally depends on the depth of the water over which it breaks. Like the ocean, abrupt changes in the bathymetry of the bottom’s contour cause a wave to steepen as the wave’s energy surges forward. In a man-made facility, finding the optimal depth is meticulous work and has taken us years of research to understand and perfect. A change in water level, even by a few centimeters, can and does affect wave characteristics. Having a vertical face is therefore important as it affects the speed a surfer is able to generate as well as the potential of getting barreled. At the same time, too much verticality can make the wave difficult to ride, and, potentially, be even dangerous.
The peeling angle refers to the rate or speed at which the lip unfurls. A sharp peeling angle produces very quick waves and requires a surfer to maintain a high board speed so as to not get caught behind the section. The surf break in Bali, “Impossibles”, is a prime example of a wave with a fast peeling angle, and, more often than not, breaks too fast for the average surfer to keep up. In a wave park, the optimal peeling angle is a precise measure between the bathymetry and speed of the wavefoil. In the designs for NLand, our engineers that specialize in fluid dynamics have paid a great deal of attention to this detail, as it has been critical to get right from the very start. The final product is a powerful wave that allows users to develop and train their full range of skills, from racing down the line, to vertical turns, cutbacks, and even some quality tube time.
The predominant winds at NLand also play an important part in influencing the surf conditions. We have four waves with distinct characteristics due to the wind, which makes for an interesting variety.
The waves fanned by the offshore wind are clean and hollow, whereas the waves with the prevailing onshore wind have a rippable lip, perfect for big snaps, hacks and aerial maneuvers.
The size of the Reef Wave
In Austin, the Reef Wave stands at 1,9 m (6,23 ft), measured from trough to crest. It can be considered a shoulder to head-high wave and is sufficiently powerful when you surf it. Some may like it more than others, but nobody will complain about the lack of power.
So, why did we make the wave this size? Firstly, making bigger waves requires significantly more energy as well as a much greater volume of water. Both factors impact the resulting energy costs needed to power the machinery and water treatment system. On top of this, larger waves require a higher initial investment, a longer waiting period between waves, a bigger lagoon size, deeper water, and a faster wave speed. As a result, everything becomes be a little more complicated to run and more costly to the end user. Coincidently, this creates more difficult waves and elevates the risk of injury to surfers, particularly for newcomers. For this reason, we believe NLand offers what we consider to be the optimum size; the perfect and most democratic compromise between an awesome surf experience, functionality and cost-effectiveness.
Technically, we can build generators capable of making any size wave that our clients demand. We can also make these waves with our existing machinery designs, which are well tested and proven. We could, for example, make a steep barreling wave between 2,4 m and 3.5 m (8 ft and 11,5 ft) in height, without needing any further technical R&D. However, it’s highly unlikely that one of our clients would want to build a public installation with waves this size, simply because it would not be cost effective.
Wave quality and the influence of the wave frequency With all foil and blade technologies that move through the water, such as our wavefoil model, wave quality depends drastically on wave frequency. In Austin, with intervals of 2-2,5 minutes, we are able to make good quality waves. And, with a slightly longer period of 2,5-3 minutes, we can produce flawlessly perfect waves.
Our in-house team developed and patented dissipative shores eliminate backwash and currents. Without this new technology, it would be impossible to have such a short wave frequency. It would be more in the range of one wave every 5-6 minutes. However, if you generate only one wave every six minutes, this means the lagoon could only host one surfer per hour, catching a maximum of ten waves, which is not efficient.
A curious fact about artificial waves is the difference in the quality of the first and subsequent waves. When the water is completely still, it is possible for just about any wave generating technology to produce one perfect wave, especially with a light, offshore breeze. When we first started making waves on a small prototype in 2006, we recognized that the first wave was always ridiculously perfect, with a flawless transparent tube. However, subsequent waves were, well, not quite the same. This fact is due to the natural currents and backwash created during the ‘wave making’ process. The phenomenon of the first wave illustrates the full potential of artificial waves. However, we quickly realized that the science of consistently making good waves lies just as much in the dampening system to mitigate currents, as it does in the waves creation itself. Hence, we developed the dissipative shores that reduce, almost immediately, the waves energy after it passes.
Currents have a similar effect in the sea. The only difference is that they do not deteriorate the wave quality as much, simply due to the oceans immensity. In other words, in a smaller body of water such as a wave park, backwash and currents has a more pronounced effect on the stillness of the water, simply due their proximity to the waves. The Bay and Inside Waves
From the outset, Doug Coors, the founder and CEO of NLand, was clear about what kind of waves he wanted. In response, we created an area with a Waikiki- style slow moving whitewater Bay Wave at each end of the lagoon perfect for teaching the basics of surfing like padding and take-offs. A favorite is the Inside Wave, a long reeling point break with a consistent push that is enjoyed by pros and weekend surfers alike. This wave allows for all types of maneuvers such as rail-to-rail directional changes, whitewater floaters and mini cutbacks.
Finding the perfect depth to create Inside Wave was a big challenge. A fun wave that has a continuous push, with whitewater that builds and backs off as it moves forward, requires a precise relationship between the wave height and water depth. We were able to find the perfect mix of size and push, and these foamy sections could not have turned out better for practicing basic turns. A key aspect of Coor’s vision was to create a lagoon that provided all level of surfers the longest rides of their lives and a virtually unlimited amount of waves that broke softly onto the shore. The Inside Wave also provides the most opportunity for revenue. Why is this technology best suited to Austin? From an economic point of view, this technology is the most efficient for creating long waves. Surfing a head high wave for over 30 seconds is a rare pleasure, which is difficult to find in nature and something few surfers reading this would have ever experienced. In fact, few surf spots in the world offer waves of this length.
In Austin, the Reef Wave maintains its power and shape to allow one to take advantage of every second. If you have the physical condition to do it. This unusual treat is one we are sure every surfer worldwide will enjoy and appreciate, from intermediates to professional surfers. The technology used is suitable for generating long and sizeable waves, which match the different skill levels of the users in each of the lagoon’s distinct surf zones. The wave frequency also allows for synchronized timing between the movement of all surfers and waves in a way that each Bay & Inside Wave can be safely surfed by between 120-150 people at a time.
Technical reliability
To put things in perspective, at Surf Snowdonia in 2016 alone, we have made 147.000 waves without any problems or interruptions. Right now, as waves are being made in Texas and Wales, the day-to-day performance of each component of every machine is being monitored remotely in real time by our technicians, and an automatic diagnostic report is produced every single day.
The project and a wave park’s complexity
Building a wave park requires many expert engineering proficiencies: fluid dynamics, mechanical, electrical, civil works, and water treatment engineering, amongst others. All this is necessary to create a business that is both reliable and financially sustainable. For our clients, like Doug Coors at NLand, the initial investment is significant enough that there is no room for improvisational testing or experimentation. That’s why our prototype in Spain is such a key element to our success, as each aspect of a new project is researched and tested prior to construction.
The technical background and expertise of our clients at NLand has played a crucial role in advancing the project to where it is today, coupled with their vision to prioritize wave quality and overall user experience. The result has been spectacular: an enormous lagoon filled with rainwater, in natural and open surroundings, ready for all surfers to enjoy. For us, it has been an absolute pleasure to be part of this project and we feel proud of the results. Needless to say, it has had its challenges. To an outsider, it may seem like it should be easy to design a lagoon. Things get a lot more complicated when you add waves; everything becomes a lot more complex. It has taken our team over 10 years and the creation of 5 lagoons to find the most efficient way to correctly build them and treat the water. With a strong environmental focus, Doug Coors was determined to harvest rainwater.to supply his lagoon. This seems like a brilliant, yet simple idea. However, in reality, it has required a lot of planning and ingenuity to collect the exact amounts, no more or less, to maintain the correct conditions year-round that respect and coexist with the surrounding ecosystem.
Innovating is always exciting, but never easy. At Wavegarden, we remain focused on overcoming the different challenges faced in creating the most efficient solutions necessary to drive the future of our sport. We live by the belief that surfing is for everyone and, as surfers and engineers, we are genuinely stoked to put smiles on the faces of new and experienced surfers every day, giving the gift of waves where there once were none.
For bookings & more information, go to: www.nlandsurfpark.com
For more information about Wavegarden please contact: Andy Higgins: [email protected] or
Back at the start of the summer Stanley Norman took a trip to the Surf Snowdonia Wavegarden facility with his coach Joel Gray and the rest of the Surf Solutions Grom Squad. It was a chance to work on some key technique movements, learn some new skills and have some fun in this new technology.
“It was so good once I worked out where the good end section was to do air reverses. The wave is so good, each one just exactly the same and so it’s easy to learn things. You can do carves, snaps and airs and the water was warm too” Stan Norman
“This is a great facility to train. As a coach you crave the opportunity to work in an environment that eliminates all the variables present in the ocean. We were able to get really specific from the get-go with goals and biomechanic themes. Stan and all the other groms really did improve in the short time we had there.” Joel Gray, Surf Solutions
You wait ages for a Wavegarden and then three turn up at once… According to the Mid Devon Gazette there’s another slice of lake based wave sliding in the planning for junction 27 of the M5. Otherwise known as the Tiverton Parkway turn off. Which is going to froth the Exeter, mid-Devon and Dorset/Somerset crew out when it’s like totes flat. The plans look pretty ambitious and we don’t know if planning permission etc has been got yet. We’ll keep an eye on developments.
***UPDATE 12.30 8/7/14 Apparently this release should never have been issued, and this WaveGarden won’t happen. People eh. Rumours are circling of another one in the south west…
Here’s a look at our exclusive mag trip to the test facility in the Basque mountains last year, the Wales and Bristol sites in development are planning a significantly taller wave, the test site is limited by geography in the size of the lake and hence waves they can produce.
Thought it timely to post this now the WaveGarden in Snowdonia is happening.
A worldwide exclusive magazine trip to the Wavegarden test facility in the Basque country. A man-made lake deep in the mountains where the artificial wave revolution is quietly in progress. Alan Stokes, Ben Skinner, Toby Donachie and Harry Timson had rare full day access to get the measure of the beast.
The received wisdom is this:
• Artificial waves are naff.
• You can’t reproduce the majesty of the ocean in a swimming pool (not in any sensible way that doesn’t cost the earth at least).
That there received wisdom is like totes wrong. The Wavegarden is about to change everything.
Artificial waves aren’t new. Various ones have been tried. From Typhoon Lagoon through the Japanese Ocean Dome, Siam Park in Thailand, made famous by Stab Mag jet-ski tow-at sesh, and the Tenerife park. The recent star is the Wadi wave pool in the Middle East. The trouble with all these places is cost. They cost a mint to build, in excess of twenty million Euros and use huge amounts of energy: pumping water up in to tanks to be dropped to make the wave. The reset time is slow. So one surfer gets to ride one wave every five minutes. If they fluff the drop that’s a real pain. It’s also not an operation that will ever cover its costs. The huge Japanese one went bust a few years back and the rest remain as pools for tourists to play in 99 percent of the time. Nothing more than a curiosity for the magazines and brands to play with when they’re cranked up to the max. The quality and size however is good. Anyone that’s seen Dion Agius or Reubyn Ash’s clips from the Wadi park can’t deny they’re perfect for progressive high-performance surfing.
The other concept that’s yet to evolve past the small scale model phase is the disputed ‘doughnut ring’ shaped Slater/Webber model. Supposedly there are plans to build many but none as yet are confirmed (Gold Coast project recently shelved) and there are issues with the concept I’ll delve into later.
Which leads us to the Wavegarden. The runt of the litter. The Basque curiosity which first emerged two years ago and went viral very quickly. The small, but perfectly formed, DIY left in what looked like a farmer’s field captured the world’s imagination. It looked like a water feature Charlie Dimmock had knocked up after a few too many mojitos. A rudimentary hole in the ground lined with black pond liner that somehow had this mesmerising hollow left running it’s length. The smattering of tour pro’s that sampled V1.0 were impressed. The verdict was the same: the concept is a definite runner … it just needs to be bigger.
Two years later in June this year and another video dropped on Vimeo. The first look at Wavegarden v2.0. Again a who’s who of the world’s pro contingent starred. Dane, Medina and more who did things on the substantially bigger, and now also doubled up, white lined, all together more professional looking installation. Just over a month later it’s had 400,000+ views.
The Basque test facility is just that. It’s their mad scientist lab for working on, improving, and occasionally breaking the concept. It’s where they can turn things up to 11 and see what happens. It won’t ever be open to the public. V2.0 is built on the same land as V1.0. They just made the hole bigger. But there’s the rub. The remote mountain valley that is their Bond villain style lair for world wave domination is limited for space. On one side a steep pasture and the other drops down sharply in to a river. They’ve pushed it as long and as wide as they can. But the science remains the same. The planned commercial operations, which number in the double digits, will be sited on land with more room. So the lakes can be wider and longer. Which means the waves can be bigger. Right now the test site is the ultimate grom/junior training ground. Sure grown up surfers can smash it but it’s a bit too small to go proper nuts. When they make the wave proper overhead it’s going to be a sight to see. Which, being British, we’ll be the first to witness. The Bristol and North Wales developments lead the pack and should be the first commercial operations open to the public in the world. Which is pretty flipping rad.
‘What about the cost and the energy use?’ you cry. Well kids here’s the thing. Not only does the garden produce a sweet left and right running long enough to knock off six turns every wave once at the end the magic tech that makes the wave does some fancy stuff and is ready to go back the other way. Yep. You read that right. So you surf a left one way. Wait three minutes (at the moment, they’re working on a one minute turnaround for the public versions) and surf a right back again. Imagine that. Getting a wave so long you can do six turns, really work on the kinks in your technique, frontside and then repeat backside. With two people riding simultaneously either side of the lake. So the wave count is good. The energy use minimal. Once up to speed the wave generator, the tech of which we’ll leave you to marvel about, suffice to say it doesn’t involve gravity dumping water like the established parks, uses little energy. And here’s the kicker: a basic Wavegarden is yours for €4,000,000 euros. Yep. Less than a fifth of the cost of other schemes and able to sate many more surfers a day. The expression is: #winning. And for more cash you can go bigger and longer. If you had the land and the money you could build one a mile long, hell, if you’re an oil sheik, ten miles long. The tech is that clever. The next step in research is sections, ‘just needs something to hit at the end’ is the main response from pro’s. While the majority of us will be happy as is.
A quick word about the Kelly/Webber/doughnut concept. The WG guys have been working on this for 15 years. If there’s a way of making waves they’ve run the physics through the ‘puters and modelled until their brains overheated. The ring concept they’ve theorised, considered and discounted. The short version is: it won’t work. Well. It will work. But only if the pool is ridiculously big. Like a mile wide. Otherwise it’ll be backwash central. So they’re quietly confident that the Wavegarden, of all the competing technologies, is the one with the beans to actually make it commercially.
Suffice to say we were all blown away. Any doubts we had about the concept evaporated the second we saw that first sheet glass barrel reel down the garden. It’s legit. So legit it ain’t funny. Stoker, Skindog, Toby and Hazza frothed all day. It was a day of non-stop laughter, good times and more waves than you can shake a stick at. The next day they all slept until midday so broken were they by the beast. Read their opinions on the beast at the the end of the feature.
Cynics will sneer ‘these kook pools are just going to clog the real oceanic line-ups with lake learned grockles’. Well heads up Mr Grumpy: the Wavegarden ain’t for beginners. If you can’t paddle into a wave and stand up then you’re not going anywhere. It’s for intermediates and advanced surfers who will, to a human, froth on it til they can froth no more and will go home exhausted beaming from ear to ear. Any cynic won’t be once they’ve had a go.
The wider lagoons at each end are perfect for people to learn how to stand on foamies in a safe controlled environment but the fact remains a lake and the sea are completely different. Learning to surf in a lake won’t get you very far in the sea. It’s like all surfing should be: it’s about having fun.
In closing we’ll be watching progress at Bristol and Wales very closely. Next summer is the proposed opening for Wales at least. We can’t wait. We’ll be amongst the long list of people wanting to help ‘test’.
Huge thanks to: Josema, Felip, Jaime and crew at the Wavegarden for following their dreams and for giving in and hooking us up when they’ve got the whole world wanting a go. A more warm, humble, stoked crew you’ll never meet.
Also big thanks to Paul and Michelle at Shifting Sands in Labenne, France (shiftingsandssurfhouse.com). An ace surf friendly home stay with comfy beds, home made bread and an epic crew. If you’re off to Hossegor and want a chilled place to stay hit them up.
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THE PRO Q&A
Our test pilots featured through out had a solid eight hour shift at the park. We were supposed to have two whole days but the weather was proper poop the second day and they didn’t want to operate the garden in the middle of a wild mountain storm. Here’s the crews views on the whole dealio.
Seeing it for the first time was the Wavegarden anything like you imagined it to be?
Stoker: Well I’d seen the video that Wavegarden had released with Medina, Dane and Taj but the first thing that was surprising was how big the pool was, it’s hard to get a scale until you see it first hand.
Toby: I was surprised when I first saw the size, it’s so much bigger in real life then on the videos.
Ben: It was incredible to see it for the first time, it’s surroundings are breathtaking! I couldn’t get my head around it at all before we got there, and when we got there, the excitement over ruled any thoughts. Just started frothing!
Harry: Not at all! I thought it would be more like a Flowrider, where it’s not exactly like surfing but it’s so much like a real waves it’s incredible!
How weird was seeing that first wave?
Stoker: So strange to see a wave in such a bizarre environment. It’s so quiet and surreal in those valleys surrounded by forest at the edge of a turquoise pool of calm water then this wave pops up from nowhere it’s like you’re in some kind of dream. When they pumped the first wave alarm bells started ringing in my head and I was watching this perfect barrelling wave for 200 yards. I was then thinking okay the potential here is mind blowing.
Toby: Mind blowing. Staring at a flat lake and suddenly it just appears. So glassy and flawless that you almost cant see the almond barrel winding down the bank perfectly.
Ben: Well, myself and Stokesy went on the first wave of the day, I hadn’t even seen a wave break yet, it was just a lake with a pontoon in the middle, until this small lump moved towards us, and Stokesy said, ’This is it. Paddle!’ Before I knew it, I was stuck behind the section watching a glassy chest high wave barrel off in front of me.
Harry: Crazy, and seeing as the water was calm its barrelled the whole way and pretty much was like a dream come true!
How freaky was surfing your first wave?
Stoker: The first wave that they create at the start of each day is so glassy and perfect you kind of don’t know how to surf it. We say it’s ‘glassed off’ in ocean conditions but this is something else. This is so perfectly still that you can’t really see the wave; pretty trippy. But that first wave is top to bottom barrelling glass perfection. Can you even imagine how that’s going to look when its overhead? I think I will actually cry.
Toby: It was so intimidating sat there then all of a sudden just seeing a tiny lump shape up out of nowhere and begin to break.
Ben: Very. I completely kooked it!
Harry: First wave was a bit weird trying to get used to surfing a waves that doesn’t have one drop of water out of place!
How many waves did it take before you had it figured out?
Stoker: Three waves in and I was feeling a lot more comfortable with the dynamics of the wave. Think shallow sand point with an essence of river current standing wave running through it.
Toby: I’d say it took it two goes round until I worked out where to hit the pocket to come back out with speed, because it’s a perfect wave, but it’s not like an ocean wave it felt more like a river bore.
Ben: Quite a few waves, it is a combination of a real wave and a bore wave. So it takes a while to figure out the way the wave moves and where you can turn, noseride, etc.
Harry: Not sure exactly but definitely took a fair few!
Was surfing in the middle of the Basque mountains the strangest thing?
Stoker: So strange. It’s like they have created some kind of surfing Utopia. It’s all made even more enjoyable because the Basque people are so warm and friendly.
Toby: Unbelievable being in such a contrasting place. The mountains were stunning, even though we didn’t get the best weather, it was incredible. There were even Shetland ponies running about!
Ben: It certainly was, it felt like the experience of a lifetime. It felt so strange driving into the mountains for a surf. But when you see it for the first time, you can’t help but to be blown away.
Harry: The background around it is so crazy and it’s even weirder when you remember you’re surfing in the middle of a grassy valley with huge trees!
Do you see it as a legit tool for improving your surfing?
Stoker: As it stands right now it already is legit. You can improve your technique in a few waves and if you’re a grom you can get barrelled. It’s head high and perfect for groms and that’s awesome. The wave its self is actually quite powerful for the size but we need bigger, longer waves to give it that ‘wow’ factor. Over the next year or so we are going to see some crazy waves produced by this technology.
Toby: 100 percent in my opinion. This is the biggest step forward in the surfing revolution for a long time, it will help surfers improve faster due to the consistency of the waves and the frequency of how often they come. After just one day of surfing the Wavegarden I personally already feel faster and fitter.
Ben: 100 percent. I think it’s going to be great for surfing in a lot of aspects, but coaching in particular, this is next level.
Harry: Yeah for sure seeing as now the whole of Europe is pretty much flat!
Would you pay to use one?
Stoker: If it’s overhead and barrelling who wouldn’t? It’s the gold at the end of the rainbow if you’re a surfer. The other thing that I thought was really cool about the experience was the social aspect it brought. The ability to talk about your waves with your friends that are riding a wave at the same time plus having an environment with people watching and cheering from the close shoreline or the boardwalk above the wave.
Toby: Definitely.
Ben: Yes.
Are you excited for the Bristol/Wales ones?
Stoker: I’m super excited to see these projects happen here in the UK. I think it will be great for up and coming talent. It also has a huge advantage for people with disabilities: it’s a safe and controllable environment which means people that maybe haven’t have the opportunity to try surfing now can … that alone is super rad.
Toby: So pumped, I wonder which one will get done first?
Ben: Really excited! How good is it that the UK will be the home of the first open to public one in the world!
Harry: Yeah can’t wait flat summers will never happen again! Also you wont get any kooks in the way.
Considering they could produce bigger/longer waves do you think proper barrels are possible?
Stoker: They can make this wave as big as you want, you just need the pool and the power. Think about that mental perfect grinders on tap?!
Toby: After having a conversation with the engineer at the end of the day, it truly seems possibly I don’t know about stand up barrels but definitely be able to get a few visions especially for the groms.
Ben: If it was two metres high you would be getting barrelled all day long!
Harry: Yeah for sure after surfing the one in Spain the potential for it is insane. Easily get barrels and I’m sure they will find more crazy stuff to do!
Did that one day session improves your surfing in any way?
Stoker: Well I’ve had a sneaky few goes now it’s definitely made my legs stronger. At the end of the day you’ve ridden more waves and done more turns than you would ever do at the beach. The repetitive aspect and being able to go back to the exact same section on the wave and do the same again helps your surfing in a massive way. The first thing I thought was: ‘So this is how skateboarders or snowboarders have it.’ It was very weird to be waiting for the exact same wave again!
Toby: For sure. My surfing feels quicker and more fluid, I’m stoked and I want to get back out there to surf it again soon!
Ben: I definitely felt quicker in my reactions when I got home and back in the surf, so yes.
Harry: Afterwards you seem to feel a lot quicker however you don’t normally get a wave that lets you do eight turns with the same section every time!
How much did you ache the day after?
Stoker: Lots! Haha, I was on full froth out turned up to 11.
Toby: The day after I couldn’t even bend my knees, thought I’d proper hurt myself but it seems to have been just really tight quads … needed to do more stretching!
Ben: I felt pretty tired in my legs, we caught a lot of waves!
Harry: So much! Felt like the most hardcore workout!
When did you last have a session where you did six turns a wave all day?
Stoker: Maybe Snapper once or Maccas in the Ments.
Toby: A very very long time ago. So long I cant even remember!
Harry: Last night in my dream somewhere!
What are the downsides?
Stoker: It’s a perfect man made barrelling wave that’s only going to get bigger and longer. It’s hard to find any negatives. I’m sure if you dig deep enough you could but that’s the same with everything. I reckon the positives far out way the negatives. I’m sold for sure.
Toby: It’s slightly weaker then an ocean wave and due to it not having sections it was slightly difficult to get any projection upwards out of the lip on airs.
Ben: I can’t see any. It will never replace ocean surfing, it’s just going to add to the experience.
Harry: Not a lot but if you wanted to be picky I guess the only thing I can think of is the time you have to wait between waves.
Seems to me it’s the ultimate thing for intermediates and advance surfers to work on their technique. What do you say to people that reckon there will heaps of new beginner surfers clogging the line-ups?
Stoker: I would say get over your selves. Stop worrying. Life’s way too short. Get out there and get amongst it and claim it like your Da Souza.
Toby: Well there is the possibility of surfing getting increasingly crowded but thats happening naturally anyway. If you’re willing to get up early or go searching then you can always find a quiet spot to get your kicks too.
Ben: Well, there are a lot of beaches in the UK, find one without a crowd if that’s what you want, don’t stop our sport growing.
Harry: They can have the line-ups and I’ll surf the Wavegarden! Haha!
Are you going to take the WG dudes up on their offer of ‘popping back if you’re in the area’ in the summer?
Stoker: I’m already booked in haha!
Toby: Yes! As I have mentioned previous in these questions because I’m just so damn excited about it!
Ben: HELL YEAH!
Harry: Without a doubt!
If you won the Euromillions would you get one for the garden?
Stoker: If I won the Euromillions I would get one for the top of my boat.
Toby: Damn right! I would get one in my garden, the biggest one I could fit!
Ben: Do you need me to answer that?!
Harry: What kind of a question is that?! You’d have to be stupid not to get one!
