Stay informed.
Get a weekly of the latest news and research about making waves.
Photo: La Bergerie
Image: La Bergerie
Image: La Bergerie
Photo: Thierry Bercault
Photo: La Bergerie
Photo: Ridersmatch
Photo: La Bergerie
Photo: Ridersmatch
Photo: Ridersmatch
Le Bergerie Surf Camp
Average Reviews
Description
Le Bergerie Surf Camp is a wave pool planned for the west of France. The wave pool will use American Wave Machine Perfect Swell® technology, similar to BSR in Waco, to produce waves for beginner, intermediate and advanced surfers that can be ridden for up to 20 seconds. The waves will vary in shape and size, ranging from .5 – 2.5m (2-8 feet) high on the face of the wave.
In one-hour sessions, advanced and intermediate surfers will get to go left and right on waves that have barrel, turn and air sections. Beginners will surf 2′ whitewater rollers.
The 200m x 85m wave pool will cover 17,000m² (4.2 acres), about the size of the pool in Waco. However, with 32 wave-creating chambers at Le Bergerie (vs 24 at Waco), the rides will be longer: up to 20 seconds total.
With up to 30 surfers in the water for every session, each surfer should be able to get up to 18 waves per hour.
In addition to surfing, the pool will be open to bodyboarding, bodysurf, stand up paddle, skimboard and coastal rescue practice.
Additional Facilities and Services
Outside of the water, Le Bergerie Surf Camp will host a restaurant, bar, meeting room and an 8 room hotel/hostel that sleeps 28 people. A surf shop will sell and rent surfboards and other surfing gear.
La Bergerie will be a home base for a local surf club affiliated with the French Federation of Surfing, who are vocal supporters of the project.
The team expects to attract around 100,000 visitors each year. The facility will create 15-35 full time jobs, depending on the season.
The American Wave Machine Perfect Swell technology creates waves using air chambers that push energy into water in various sequences to create various types of waves. The Le Bergerie wave pool will use 32 chambers conveniently controlled via an iPad application with a “playlist” of 100+ different waves.
The thoughtful team behind La Bergerie is making environmental protection a priority. The architecture is eco-friendly and allows complete deconstruction in case abandonment of the project, returning the land to its previous state. The land plan devotes half of the 20-acre (8 hectare) property to natural pastures maintained by a sheep and other small agricultural projects. They also chose the American Wave Machines Perfect Swell® technology partially based on its low energy consumption. According to the La Bergerie team, it takes on average only 1kW to generate a wave. Solar panels will provide some of the power for the wave and other facilities.
Existing infrastructure will supply the water (no new wells, etc.). The water will be cleaned and filtered naturally, with no chemicals.
The cost to create La Bergerie Surf Camp is $16M USD (or €15M Euros).
Opposition
The project is subject to strong opposition from an activist group called Terre Communes (“Common Ground”), who focus on the preservation of agricultural land in France. The activists have, who’ve adopted the slogan “Zap the wave”, have occupied the proposed La Bergerie site and campaigned at the town hall in Saint-Père-en-Retz. They’ve also have a Facebook page dedicated to their cause.
However, the local farmer’s group has spoke out in support of La Bergerie. When the supporters and activists crossed paths in July, some heated exchanges led to violence and several people were wounded. Tensions in the town of Saint-Pere-en-Retz are high.
History
In 2014, the team started planning and met the local and territorial partners. They also had an initial meeting with the French Federation of Surfing to discuss their intentions.
The company behind La Bergerie was official formed in 2015. They partnered with architects, planners, design offices to refine their vision. The team presented the idea to local elected officials, representatives of the region and the French Federation of Surf. The team also assessed the economic feasibility of the project.
The La Bergerie team also started meeting with the wave pool technology companies in 2015.
In 2016, the team performed additional technical studies, regulatory and financial analysis of the project.
In 2017, the La Bergerie team met with engineers from American Wave Machines and tested the Perfect Swell technology at BSR Surf Ranch in Waco. The town of Saint-Pere-en-Retz also modified of the classification of the land from an agricultural to a recreational area.
In 2018, Pays de la Loire (the host county) identified the project as one of the three most structured touristic projects. The La Bergerie team also held a public inquiry for the PLU (the local urban plan) and won a favorable opinion from the Investigation Commissioner. The South Estuary Community Council also validated the PLU.
In 2019, the team finalized the project name: La Bergerie Surf Camp. Funding statement and 2nd funding and building deposit.
The La Bergerie team claims to have approval from all components of the government required to begin construction. They are planning to start construction in 2020. The team plans to open La Bergerie Surf Camp to the public in 2022.
Sources: La Bergerie Surf Camp, Waves, Ouest France, Ridersmatch