The Wave (company) facts for kids

The Wave is a special company in England. It builds amazing pools that make artificial waves for surfing. The first one, called The Wave: Bristol, opened in 2019. It's located just outside the city. There are also plans for a second location, The Wave: London.

How The Wave Started

The idea for The Wave came from a person named Nick Hounsfield. In 2012, the project was first called "The Wave: Bristol." They first looked at a spot near the Portway in Bristol. But this place was too small for their big plans.

So, in 2013, they chose a new, much larger area. It was a 70-acre (about 28 hectares) farm in Easter Compton. The special technology to make the waves comes from a Spanish company called Wavegarden. A plan to make The Wave friendly to the environment was created by Chris Hines.

In August 2017, the local government, South Gloucestershire Council, said "yes" to the project. This big plan cost £20 million. It was designed to be very good for the environment. The building work was finished in October 2019.

What You'll Find at The Wave

The Wave offers many different kinds of waves. This means surfers of all skill levels can have fun. You can find small, gentle white water waves, about 0.5 meters high. Or, you can try bigger, barrelling waves that are up to 2 meters high.

The pool is split into two parts: a right side and a left side. The waves break in opposite directions on each side. This allows more people to surf at once.

The wave pool can create as many as 1,000 waves every hour! Up to eighty people can use the pool at the same time. The pool is very large, measuring 300 meters long and 100 meters wide. It is about 1.5 meters deep.

Besides the main wave pool, there are other cool things to do. You can find a clubhouse, a lake, and a restaurant. There's also a camping area, walking paths through woodlands, and pretty gardens.

Powering The Wave with Nature

In 2023, The Wave added a special solar power system. This system uses the sun's energy to make electricity. The company says it makes enough power to run the entire facility. This means the waves themselves are made using only clean, sustainable energy.

More Places to Surf

• Surf Snowdonia
• Lost Shore Surf resort

Find Out More