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Photo: Wavelength
Photo: SurferToday
Photo: Wavelength
Photo: Wavelength
Photo: Wavelength
Photo: Wavelength
The Wave Bristol
The First Commercial Wavegarden CoveAverage Reviews
Description
The Wave in Bristol made history when they opened to the public in October 2019 as the first public Wavegarden Cove facility. The wave pool (or lagoon) creates a variety of waves that appeal to all levels and types of surfing.
Wave Size, Shape and Frequency
The Wave in Bristol creates a variety of waves ranging from 2 feet to 6 feet in face height in a 1.7 hectare (4.4 acre) fresh water lagoon. The lagoon is organized into four areas: two “Reef” areas and two “Bays”. The Wave offers expert, advanced and intermediate sessions on the Reefs, while beginner sessions and lessons take place in the Bays.
The expert sessions take place on “The Reef” which refers to the areas marked as “advanced” on the map below. The expert waves will measure 6.5 feet on the face of the wave. Using the “T2”, “T3” and “B1” settings, the fast, powerful expert waves will have a long open face for high-performance turns and an entry level barrel that is “easy to navigate” according to The Wave website. The Wave produces expert lefts on one side of the pier and rights on the other, so surfers must chose to surf rights or lefts for the duration of their session (no switching mid-session). Beginner sessions will not run in the Bay when the expert session is running.
The advanced plus session waves will measure 6 feet high on the face of the wave. Using the T1 and T2 settings, the shape of the advanced plus wave will target high-performance surfing and the inside will offer a barrel section. Beginner sessions will not run in the Bay when the advanced plus session is running.
The advanced surf sessions will offer waves are up to 5-6 feet high on the face and offer rides of up to 13 seconds. The Wave produces advanced lefts on one side of the pier and rights on the other, so surfers must chose to surf rights or lefts for the duration of their session (no switching mid-session).
Because of the flexibility of the Wavegarden Cove technology, the wave shape varies throughout an advanced session. The waves shapes all come from the wave menu, which currently contains 15 different wave that vary in shape and size. For example, three of the waves (“Malibu 1”, 2 and 3) are designed to resemble Malibu, California waves. Each advanced session typically starts with a gentle open faced wave and gets progressively larger, steeper and more powerful, offering barrel opportunities at the end of the session. Professionals and contest participants will have access to an even larger selection including some of faster, heavier waves seen in the videos and images on this page.
The expert and advanced wave breaks in shallow water that is only a couple feet deep, so caution is advised and proper wave exit technique is taught by instructors.
Capacity and Frequency
In advanced and intermediate sessions, a maximum of 14 surfers take turns surfing in each advanced area on either side of the pier. Wavegarden Cove technology can generate a wave every eight seconds, but The Wave generates 200-300 waves per hour. That should give each surfer a shot at least 13 waves per session. If you paddle for a wave and miss it, you get a shot at the next one, but if you miss that second one, you’re sent back to the end of the queue.
The expert session allows up to 14 people on each side of the pool per session. The advanced plus allows up to 17 on each side of the pool. In both cases, customers can expect a shot at at least 10 waves per session.
The intermediate sessions also take place on the Reefs. The intermediate waves offer an open face 2-3 feet high that can be ridden up to 15 seconds. Like the advanced sessions, intermediate surfers have to pick the left or right side of the pier and surf left or right for the duration of their session. The intermediate wave is relatively soft and slow, so longboards and other high-volume shapes are the best call for the intermediate sessions. Each intermediate surfer should get a shot at at least 13 waves per session.
The beginner area, also known as “the Bay”, is dedicated to lessons for groups of 8 surfers. Beginners ride 1-2 foot white water leftovers from the intermediate and advanced waves. The ride lasts up to 15 seconds.
On each side of the pier, two lessons will take place every 1-hour session (4 lessons each session, total), which mean 16 beginners are taking turns on waves in each beginner area. Instructors will help two surfers (one from each lesson) ride each wave, so beginner surfers can expect to have a shot at a minimum of 12 waves per lesson.
Prices
The one-hour advanced and intermediate sessions cost £30-35 if you are a kid age 6-16, or £40-45 if you are older than that. That gets you just under 1 hour of time in the water.
Expert sessions cost £90 and intermediate sessions cost £60.
Two-hour lessons start are £45 if you are under 16 years old and include one hour of water time. If you are 16 or older, then that lesson will cost you £55-60. The lessons include wetsuit, booties, etc. and you must you their Softech boards for beginner lessons.
Dedicated customers would be well-advised to buy the Early Rider Membership Pass for £149. That allows you to book sessions seven days before sessions go on sale to the general public. It also includes a surf coaching session, free spectator access and some gear.
People who want to watch the action and use the other facilities have to pay a minimal fee for entry. Adults pay £5, 6 to 16-year olds pay £2.50, and kids under 6 get in for free.
Nuts and Bolts
The waves are generating using Wavegarden’s Cove technology, which uses paddles to push swell out from either side of a pier that runs through the middle of the lagoon.
The Wave in Bristol filled the 26 million liter lagoon with municipal tap water. Then they use a state-of-the-art, four-stage water treatment facility to keep the water crystal clear and clean. The water goes through a series of filters, be treated with UV light, ozone and a very small dose of chlorine.
On-site Experience
Prior to your trip to The Wave in Bristol, it’s highly recommended that you make reservations.
Customers should plan on arriving at least one hour prior to your first session for orientation and safety brief, but consider arriving even earlier so you can watch surfers in the sessions prior to yours.
The Wave in Bristol is 70 acres of mostly open space centered on the surf lagoon, which is 4.4 acres (1.8 hectares) meters. Upon arriving, guests park and head to the Gatehouse to check in and receive their wrist band. Then guests make their way down to the Clubhouse and head the Surf Desk where they pick up their wetsuit (if they didn’t bring their own), get changed and receive their safety briefing. Then they head to the surfboard storage units, pick up a surfboard (if they rented one) and meet their coach (if they are having a lesson). If they are surfing without a lesson, intermediate guests will be assigned to one side of the lagoon. Advanced surfers are directed to whatever side of the lagoon they elected to surf when the made their reservation.
Customers taking lessons will be directed to one of the two surf school areas for their dry land lesson before getting into the water for their in-water coaching. After one hour in the water, they will get changed and return their wetsuits, before they head back into the Clubhouse to enjoy the cafe, browse the shop or watch other surfers from the terraces.
The Wave in Bristol is open from 7am to 8pm year round, but surfing hours vary.
| Time Frame | Surfing Hours |
| October 2019 | 9 am to 6 pm |
| November 2019 | 8 am to 4 pm |
| Dec 2019 to Mid Feb 2020 | 9 am to 4 pm |
| Mid Feb 2020 to April 2020 | 8 am to 5 pm |
You can bring your own board and wetsuit, but you don’t have to: The Wave in Bristol includes a board and wetsuit rental. They offer a wide variety of Softech soft tops, Skindog Surfboards and Toy Factory Froth boards for rental.
Lessons are available for beginner or intermediate surfers and they take place on the beginner or or intermediate waves. Each lesson lasts 2 hours including one hour of water time. Adult (17+ years old) lessons are £55 and Junior lessons are £45.
The Wave in Bristol also includes a restaurant that offers a wide variety of “naturally fast food” that varies seasonally. They cater to a variety of tastes and budgets.
There are plenty of activities offered outside the lagoon as well, including trails and gardens. For those who just want to go watch the action happen in the lagoon, it costs £5 if you are over 16 years old, £2.50 if you are 6-16 years old. Kids under 6 are free. The Wave in Bristol also offers a “Locals Pass”, which gives people in nearby postal codes access to the gardens, grounds, cafe and shop, for £5-15 depending on age.
History
Nick Hounsfield and Craig Stoddart started thinking about the lagoon in 2010 with a focus on the potential health and wellbeing benefits.
They started their project focused on a site in Portway (in Bristol), but that site turned out to be too small. In 2013, the team then re-focused on some farmland in Easter Compton.
Around that same time, the team selected Wavegarden to supply their Lagoon wave creation technology. However, in June 2015 the team switched vendors to Surf Loch and pushed the opening date back to 2016. Reportedly, the switch had to do with the required wait time between waves and fast and unnatural feel he experienced at the Wavegarden Lagoon test site.
In November of 2016, Nick visited Wavegarden again to see their prototype of the Cove technology. The team then switched back to Wavegarden in mid-2017. The South Gloucestershire Council reviewed the revised plan and approved in late 2017.
The team opened the tap and started filling the lagoon in September 2019 and opened to the public in October 2019.
The £25m required to build the facility came from private investors via Jar Capital Limited.
Sources: The Wave Bristol, SurferToday, Wikipedia, Surfparkcentral, Wired, Wavelength