Italo Ferreira putting on a show for the Rotterdam faithful. Amsterdam’s version is reportedly going to have a bigger wave face. Photo: Screenshot//YouTube
After the success of the urban wave pool in the canals of Rotterdam, Amsterdam is planning to install a canal pool of its own. According to documents obtained by Wave Pool Magazine, the pool would be located in Johan van Hasseltkanaal waterway north of the Dutch capital’s city center.
Like the Rotterdam pool, which opened in 2024, the Amsterdam proposal includes using Surf Loch’s pneumatic technology to create waves. However, unlike Rotterdam, the Amsterdam pool would offer lefts and rights across adjustable skill levels; Rotterdam only has rights.
At 2.2 meters, the Amsterdam wave would also be a tad higher than the 1.5-meter waves that Rotterdam can produce. The proposed Amsterdam pool would measure 152 by 36 meters and could handle 56 surfers at once. For comparison, the pool in Rotterdam is 125 by 25 meters.
“Our goal is to make surfing accessible to as many Amsterdammers as possible, regardless of background or budget,” said project spokesperson Jaap Kersten. “We believe that everyone deserves the chance to experience that first wave.”
The pool project slots in with a 2020 vote from the city’s municipal council to invest in the Buiksloterham area in northern Amsterdam. Along with plans to develop the waterfront space with hospitality and public facilities, the surf pool would be accompanied by sustainable real estate, surf-themed homes, a surf academy, office spaces, board-shaping facilities, and a surf shop.
According to Wave Pool Magazine founder and editor Bryan Dickerson, the Amsterdam proposal is a significant development for the proliferation of wave pools in the dense city centers of Europe, as opposed to building them on rural land.
“It is significant that Holland will have a second central urban wave pool,” said Dickerson. “Rotterdam took 11 years to complete, and now Amsterdam is benefiting from those learnings. The way that RiF010 transformed the downtown area (of Rotterdam) is impressive and could serve as a blueprint for other European cities, especially those with plenty of water features.”
Building in the Rotterdam city center (below) presented developers with challenges, such as complicated building requirements and lawsuits from neighbors. Additionally, building in Holland requires placing support poles deep in the muddy earth to reach solid ground. In Rotterdam, these poles had to reach depths of 30 meters.
The Amsterdam pool project acknowledges that the building area contains polluted soil, claiming that the material would be safely enclosed to create safe conditions for the pool.
