Surf Snowdonia is now a part of the UK Pro Surf Tour.
Wave pools are becoming part of competitive surfing. Whether you love it or hate it, it’s happening. And it’s all starting with the UK Pro Surf Tour’s recent inclusion of Surf Snowdonia.
It does, at least from a competitive standpoint–make sense. A level playing field, guaranteed waves, etcetera. You’ve heard all the talking points, probably ad nauseum. You’ve also heard all the complaints, probably even more ad nauseum: “there’s no soul in a wave pool! Pay someone to surf?!” the complainers scream as they’re shelling out for surfboards and trunks and wetsuits and wax. “Over my dead body!” The fact is, we all pay to surf in one way or another. And you’ve got a choice–don’t want to surf in a wave pool? Simple. Don’t surf in a wave pool.
Now, the UK Pro Surf Tour isn’t exactly the World Surf League. It is, though, a harbinger of sorts. With six stops in total, it includes most of the United Kingdom’s best surfers. They compete at places like Thurso and Newquay, and now Surf Snowdonia. The Tour hits the wave pool in late October, and there’s no need for a waiting period and no need for luck, which is impossible to judge anyway.
“This event will be a major step forward in competitive surfing,” said Dave Reed, director of UK Pro Surf Tour said. “Surf Snowdonia will provide a unique platform: with each wave guaranteed and identical the luck factor is eliminated from the competition. The result will be purely based on a surfer’s ability. With predictable, consistent conditions this venue could be a fast-track for any surfer who wishes to rapidly improve their skills.”
Surf Snowdonia, of course, hasn’t had the smoothest of rides. Despite the fact that they do indeed have a completely rideable wave, when Kelly’s pool hit the internet, all eyes shifted to Lemoore. Surfers who, if they were to see a wave like Surf Snowdonia’s at their local spot would surely sprint out to the lineup, widely condemned. Snowdonia’s also had a few hiccups with mechanical failures and disgruntled locals, but they’ve also held a successful Red Bull event and (not sure if this is good or not) been named by the International Surf Association as being instrumental in surfing’s successful bid to get into the Olympics.
“As a world-first and world-class facility, we are stoked to be – once again – breaking new ground for the sport of surfing,” said Andy Ainscough, managing director at Surf Snowdonia. “Being asked to feature on the UK Pro Surf Tour is a fantastic privilege and a great milestone for the sport. The Surf Snowdonia Pro Surf Challenge competition day will be an enormously exciting opportunity for our crowd to witness some of the best surfing and surfers this country has to offer.”
This isn’t the first time that wave pools have been in competitive surfing. In fact, back in 1985, Tom Carroll won something called the World Inland Championship in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Surfers from all over the world attended the event to surf on chlorine-filled mush, but it was a large step in the slow moving journey towards contestable surf in a controlled environment. In 1997, Kelly Slater won the Typhoon Lagoon event, a place that had the best waves out of the ocean. Rip Curl has held events at Sunway Lagoon in Malaysia. The Japanese opened the Ocean Dome in Miyazaki, which eventually closed due to budgetary concerns. At the time, it was widely considered to be the best indoor wave in the world.
After the news broke that the WSL acquired the majority of shareholdings to Kelly Slater Wave Co, rumors flew, and for good reason. There can be no other possible need for the WSL to own Kelly’s wave unless they plan on using it. After a few tweaks here and there, a few more years of development, and a few test cases like the UK Pro Tour’s addition, the future of competitive surfing will arrive–and it will be in a wave pool.
