A new wave
Forget Hawaii. Deep in the Welsh countryside, a derelict smelting factory has been transformed into the UK's first man-made surfing lagoon
WRITER: JOHN C SILCOX
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEXANDER RHIND
Large mountains loom out of the clouds in the distance. The dark granite rock acts as a perfect backdrop, framing the complementary palette of greens, browns and greys that dominate the landscape we’re driving through.
Inside the cabin of our Audi Q5, everything is silent – even with four surfboards strapped to the roof. It’s the first time any of us have turned our backs to the sea and headed inland in search of waves. But that’s what’s so special about this trip – we’ve come to North Wales to try out Britain’s first ever surfing lagoon.
Surf Snowdonia is a privately backed £12 million project that has transformed a derelict aluminium smelting plant into the home of the longest man-made surfable waves on the planet. This lozenge-shaped lagoon is roughly the size of six football pitches but it’s not until we see it for ourselves that we grasp its impressive scale.
‘It’s over 300m long and contains 33,000 cubic metres of water,’ says Surf Snowdonia Operations Director Andy Ainscough. ‘And at the simple touch of a button, we can create a perfect wave that breaks for more than 150 metres.’
As if to demonstrate his words, we suddenly hear a low rumble and watch enthralled as the glass-like surface of the lake is disrupted. A barrelling wave rises from the deep, peeling its way down the lagoon on each side of a central partition.
‘In a nutshell, under the pier is a snow plough-shaped arm that we pull from one end to the other,’ Andy explains. ‘This pushes the water over a series of specially shaped reefs built into the lagoon’s bottom to create three different types of wave. There’s a 2-metre expert wave in the centre, a 1.2-metre wave on the sides, and beginner bays at each end.’
'At the simple touch of a button, we can create a perfect wave,'
Andy Ainscough, Surf Snowdonia Operations Director
The shape of the plough itself is a closely guarded secret – inventor Josema Odriozola and his Wavegarden team of surfers/engineers have spent more than 10 years developing it on a test site in northern Spain.
‘To make a big wave you need a lot of space,’ Josema explains. ‘But many other factors can affect its quality. Waves are sensitive: you can completely change their shape by adding 10cm to the water depth.’
But the biggest challenge is efficiency. ‘There’s no point in creating great waves that aren’t economically or environmentally sustainable,’ adds Josema. Which is why the lagoon’s location in Dolgarrog is no coincidence. It’s nestled between one of Wales’ largest reservoirs and the Conwy River, next to a large hydroelectric plant. All of the rainwater used in Surf Snowdonia’s lagoon also travels through the plant, helping to power 20,000 households each year.
So the statistics are impressive, but the real acid test lies in how good the waves are to surf. So we suit up and paddle out to the centre of the lagoon with Jo Dennison, Welsh National Surfing Champion and Head of the Surf Snowdonia Surf Academy.
‘Surfers can get a wave every 60 seconds,’ explains Jo. ‘This consistency is unparalleled in the sea, so you can practise the same manoeuvre over and over again. Surfing is shortlisted for the 2020 Olympics, and this technology could make the difference by creating a level playing field.’
'Surfers can get a wave every 60 seconds'
Jo Dennison, Welsh National Surfing Champion
We don’t pretend to have Olympic aspirations, but as a wall of water hurtles our way we all turn and paddle to catch it. Water suddenly surrounds me and I’m gliding across the face of a beautifully clean wave. In attempting to get up too early, I slip off my board and wipe out, but not before I glimpse a fellow surfer gracefully carving up and down the line. I need more practice, but I’m in the right place – and there’s another wave with my name on it coming in less than a minute.
