Wavegarden Allows Surfers to Catch a Wave Hundreds of Miles from an Ocean

Later this year, surf junkies and beginners from Austin, Texas, will be able to catch a perfect wave any time of the year—notwithstanding the fact that the closest ocean is roughly 150 miles from them. That is because Wavegarden, a Spanish-based company founded in 2005, will be completing its second artificial wave pool facility in the Texas town. Its first, located in the Wales, has altered the landscape for surfers around the world. No longer do these athletes need to live by bodies of water that produce large waves. Now, thanks to the technology produced by Basque engineer Josema Odriozola and German sports economist Karin Frisch, surfers can enjoy the pleasures of the sport on high-quality waves generated by a massive high-tech machine that can regulate the size and speed of the swells. Ultimately, this allows the experience to be engaging for all different skill levels.

“Our objectives for Wavegarden were simple,” says cofounder Karin Frisch, “to develop a new type of wave technology that provided visitors the real sensation they would get in an ocean while improving on those unfavorable conditions found in an actual ocean, such as the occasional poor quality of waves and overcrowded waters.”

An advanced surfer catches a perfectly simulated wave.

Wavegarden facilities are able to produce perfect and at times powerful waves that can rise over six feet, with rides that last up to 35 seconds. “For the past ten years, we worked hard to find a means to systematically produce a breaking wave, just as you’d have one over a reef or sandbar in the ocean, that could replicate itself over and over again,” says Frisch.

By using fresh and saltwater (with the possibility of incorporating water from nearby rivers, lakes, dams, or municipal supplies), Wavegarden builds its facilities to ensure maximum eco-friendliness. “We do our best to maximize user capacity and experience,” says Frisch. “This means that, depending on the lagoon size, one wave may be ridden by as many as 120 to 150 surfers.”

Beginners learning how to surf at the Wavegarden in Wales.

By the end of this year, there will be two Wavegarden facilities in the world (Wales and Texas), and there are another 22 planned facilities worldwide, from Australia to Africa. “We anticipate having two dozen or more facilities open to the public over the next ten to 15 years,” notes Frisch. Which can mean only one thing: Surf’s up!