STATUS: Received all approvals, ready to break ground
WAVES: Split peak or lefts and rights point break style
LOCATION: Werne, Germany
This is a double wave pool facility in Germany and will be constructed on the site of an abandoned coal mine. The Surfwrld facility along with two German universities (RWTH Aachen and TH Cologne) will use the surf tanks for hydraulic and civil research purposes in the off-season. The team behind the project includes experienced developers, hydraulic engineers, finance and marketing experts working under the management of Dr. Michael Detering.
Waves are generated using compressed air. Surfwrld didn’t specify whether that is with an air cannon type system like Argentina’s La Ola Group or through pneumatics. All technical details remain confidential at this time but renderings show wave pool that closely resembles and Endless Surf system like the wave pool in Munich.
Surfwrld says they are able to create waves of over three metres high and wave fronts stretching up to 150 metres wide, all within their 242-metre-long main basin. The second pool will be slightly smaller. The company says that benefits of having two separate pools is increased capacity and the ability to run advanced surfing and beginning surfing at the same time on site.
“Pool two is being developed a bit later,” Surfwrld told WavePoolMag. “We have the chance to make sure it reflects the latest innovations in wave tech and design. You could say we’re building for the future – starting with Pool One, and then moving on to Pool Two with everything we’ve learned and everything that’s emerging in the space.”
After securing the site of the former Zeche Werne in December 2024, construction is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2025. If everything goes to plan, the research facility will begin operations in early 2027, with the first surf season set to launch in spring 2027.
