Lost Shore Surf Resort CEO Joe Frankel has this unnerving sixth sense of knowing where everyone is on site at any given moment. “Hey Joe, where’s Andy Hadden at? We’ve got an interview?” Joe would reply. “Oh, he’ll be coming out of the Canteen in about two minutes.” And sure enough, Andy would emerge, tea in hand.
Running Europe’s largest wave lagoon has its challenges. The site went from construction dust to open doors in a very short amount of time. Everything had to happen quickly. Within eight or nine days, they opened to the public, testing every link in their planning and training chain.
In our conversation with Joe, we peel back all the layers of learning that went on to make the facility function, including the ugly bits that make the process so incredibly human.
Tell us about your job here.
I’m the CEO. I’ve been involved in the project since 2021. I knew Andy Hadden from the surf scene on the East Coast here. A business I set up had been acquired, so I had some capital. I invested in this project and was genuinely excited about the opportunity for Scotland, for the location. I wanted to see a wave pool and thought it was a wonderful thing to be involved in. I was involved peripherally and watching from the outside. Then I joined the board in a non-exec role. A year ago, when the previous CEO left, I stepped into that role.
You mentioned investing in a wave pool. Why a wave pool? Did anyone tell you not to do it?
I just thought it sounded fantastic. I’d been to The Wave, so I was aware of the concept. It sounded like a tremendous asset. I knew it was a high-risk enterprise, but I was on board with that.
There’s so much work in opening one of these projects—land, logistics, expense. Where are you now, and what have you learned?
It was pretty extraordinary around opening time. I’ve been involved in high-growth businesses where you might double in a year, and that feels intense. But Tartan Leisure, while building Lost Shore, was just a very small team, maybe ten people, because we were managing a construction project. You need lawyers, cost consultants, surveyors, and contractors. But to be operational, I needed 110 people.
This place went from a building site to completion. The site was no longer in the hands of the construction company. It was over to the operating company. Suddenly, we had access, and everything had to happen quickly. Teams were trained, but not in this environment. Within eight or nine days, it opened to the public. That tested every element of our planning and training. The team did a fantastic job.
With all those learnings, what have been the most common challenges, like things you now realize are essential?
In life, you can guarantee things will go wrong. You can’t plan for everything. What matters is how you address it. The team has done an amazing job looking after customers and stakeholders. When things went wrong, we were there to fix them.
We also have a great advantage here; this wave pool is fundamentally a smile machine. You spend an hour in there, and you come out feeling good. So if your coffee takes a bit longer, you’re more likely to be patient. Week by week, we’ve gotten better. I think now we’re delivering the experience we want to offer.
That’s a good point—people tend to be happier here.
You’d hope so.
What’s been the biggest challenge moving from just opening to running the place day-to-day?
One of the early challenges was our systems. We didn’t deploy the right booking engine at the beginning. It had huge knock-on effects. It was hard to book, hard to manage, and hard to run a timetable. You want to be ahead of the curve in this business. In hindsight, if we’d had the right systems from the beginning, we’d have been more proactive.
Have you adjusted the booking system now?
Yes, we did a full migration in April 2025. It was a huge success. Our provider has been very supportive, and it’s working well. We’re on a really good digital roadmap.
For people reading this, it’s clear that just opening the doors isn’t the finish line. There’s a lot more. What advice would you give to someone opening a surf park?
One hundred percent, hire the team to run your surf park. Because now, we know what we’re doing. I’m not even joking.
Is Tartan Leisure going on to do more projects?
As of today, our focus is here. We’ve got this exceptional site, and we want to realize its potential. It’s all about home fires this year. But once we’ve built out the full proposition and we have a well-run operation, would we take on other parks? Absolutely.
What were some positive surprises when you opened? Something you weren’t expecting but turned out great?
Personally, having been here when this was just a quarry, I wasn’t expecting it to be quite as beautiful as it is. The environment and surroundings are sensational—there’s a beautiful cliff as the backdrop. The quality of the wave has blown everyone away. Universally, people say it’s one of the best surf experiences they’ve had.
Another thing has been the people. The community that’s building around the park. I hadn’t stopped to think about that, but now we see regulars and familiar faces. In the Canteen, it’s great seeing the crew here. We had such a gorgeous summer, kids, dogs, skateboards, warm weather. It felt otherworldly, like this wasn’t Edinburgh. And when the pool warmed up to 20 degrees, that was the warmest surf in the history of surfing in Scotland. Pretty extraordinary.
Can you tell me about the Canteen? Is it operating as expected? I’ve noticed a lot of people just hanging out, what Hazel Gary would call “dry hairs.”
Everyone’s welcome. This site has a history as a country park, and we want to encourage people to stroll in. When we were asked about access control and turnstiles, I said, “This is Scotland. We don’t want turnstiles. Just stroll in and get a coffee.” We’ve got local dog walkers, people coming in for food or a drink in the evening. It’s great to see. We’re working to spread that message. You don’t have to surf to enjoy this place—come get a coffee, have a sauna, or a massage.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
One thing people have commented on is that we’re a company run by surfers. That’s not meant to be exclusive—actually, the opposite. People here understand the surf journey and want to welcome others into it. We’ve already started weekend coaching camps for beginners and built amazing pathways to help anyone access the water, learn to surf, and develop their love of it. We want to help people progress and build confidence.
For more on the mechanics of running Lost Shore Surf Resort, check this link here for interviews, podcasts and more.
