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Welcome to The Wave: Bristol. Photo courtesy of Pete Van Zandt

Welcome to The Wave: Bristol. Photo courtesy of Pete Van-Zandt


The Inertia

The waiting period has begun. Not for the latest competition, but for the first surfing specific wave in the United Kingdom. The Wave: Bristol.

I, for one, am exited about this. I don’t live close to Bristol, in the Southwest of England, and so may not be one of the first in line with a an eager grin at a waterpark. But for surfing in the UK, this could be huge.

I took a look at the website  and still had a few questions. I emailed Nick Hounsfield, one of the project directors, who was more than happy to answer a few of my questions.

Why a wavepark? Is it needed?

We had a vision at the beginning of creating a place where we could bring old people and young people together to work, learn, exercise and relax. We believe many of the social issues we have in the UK stem from young people being ignored and old people being forgotten. We also believe strongly that the outdoors, water and exercise are good for the body and soul. Tobin and I are passionate surfers and when we learned of Wavegarden technology, we felt it was just the centerpiece that we needed to be able to build a project around. By putting a surfing lake amongst gardens, an education center, outdoor activities, healthy food…we could potentially create a venue that would be cool, fun, engaging and purposeful.

Why was Bristol chosen as the location for the Wavegarden?

Bristol is faced with many social issues but also has a large community of people who love being in nature and is a transport gateway to the best beaches in the UK. Therefore, it is a perfect place to build a Wavegarden.

How is the project progressing and when can we expect the Wavegarden to be open for public use?

We have submitted our planning application and wait for a result at the end of March. We hope to begin building this year and open 2015.

What technology is being used, and does it differ from other sites?

We are using Wavegarden technology, the same as the demo lake, but 30 cm higher and the lake is longer and wider. The Wave: Bristol will be 1.6m height waves every 60-90 seconds.

In summary, we want to create amazing centers for high-performance surfing and training but balance it with a great place for beginners to start the sport. We place sustainability in the core of our project from a financial, environmental and social perspective.

We are also passionate about making it accessible for people from all ages, backgrounds and abilities. We feel surfing is a great sport as it does bridge generations and could be a powerful tool to make waves of change.

People can support and comment on the planning application from our website. There are more frequent updates about the pending Wavegarden at our Facebook, Twitter and blog.

With change comes resistance. Will surfing in the UK no longer be seen as elite now that it will be more freely available?

Will this breed a new crop of homegrown UK talent?

Will the UK become more of an accepted surf destination?

Will surfers travel to the UK for big waves off the coast of Ireland but use the Wavegarden as a stop-off point before exploring the varied and plentiful breaks that we have to offer? These are not only restricted to the better-known southwest, but also the coasts of Wales, Yorkshire and the South Coast. Heck, Scotland has more than plenty to offer as well.

There are plenty of looming questions, but my primary hope is that The Wave: Bristol puts the UK on the map for surfers, as it turns out the perfect wave which we often look overseas for is soon to be on our doorstep.

 
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