Survival of the fittest? Surf-vival? Most pools were designed for water park use during the day and offered surf sessions after hours. Both Adventure Parc Snowdonia and NLand took a risk building wave pools dedicated to surfing, and both have since closed and now rest in surf park peace.
I’d be lying if I said I thought these wave pools would last a lifetime while wading in the pool water for the next set. The writing was on the wall when the Surf Ranch leaked that famous first wave surfed by Kelly Slater in December 2015. That said, these few took a risk opening some of the first surf-focused commercial wave pools in the world.
Fond Memories
I am grateful to have surfed both of these wave pools before they became history. Each offered experiences as a customer I have yet to replicate at any modern day surf park, mainly due to the aggressive growth of the space. Then, the world of wave pools, surf pools, surf parks or wave parks – whatever your preferred terminology – was so new and widely undiscovered. The surf park frontier. At the time these parks opened, surfing wave pools was still considered a novelty, and non-core for the OG surf purists bickering about human-made waves being soulless. For myself, these wave pools represented the possibility of a better ride. A possible trick I could practice over and over until I landed it even once. Especially for someone who obsessed over surfing, but grew up in Baltimore, Maryland for his first 12 years of progression (or lack of).
NLand Surf Park opened in the fall of 2016 in Austin, Texas and was the second commercial surf park to buy into the first-generation Wavegarden lagoon (plow) technology. The surf park setup was modest, but tasteful. The necessities cornered the surf lagoon, featuring an admission booth, brewery, restaurant, restrooms, locker rooms, juice bar, surf shop and event lawn. The surf experience offered a check-In station, first aid area, training center (giant tent) and surf shack for rentals.
NLand was wave pool number two for me (out of 27 to-date) and was not planned. As I moved to the east coast from California (after 8.5 years), one of my road trip rest stops was Texas. I vaguely recalled a surfing wave pool in Austin from social media and thought, “What the heck?” I scurried to find a local photographer to capture my one-hour session at this random wave pool and booked when I arrived onsite – with no concern of it being full. Crazy in hindsight.
At the time, I had only surfed one wave pool, Typhoon Lagoon, and I had no expectations. I missed several waves not understanding the concept of paddling in the opposite direction of the wave breaking in order to catch it. I even got yelled at a couple times for trying to surf the smaller inside waves in between my turns. And I only had the opportunity for 8-9 waves in the hour session that cost $90 USD back in 2018.
It was a truly special experience for me. The novelty factor was real surfing shoulder high waves on-demand in inland Texas, with a farm silo and vast land in the background. They might not have been powerful or barreling, but I got guaranteed surf in Austin! Mind blown.
The Backup Plan
I had no plans of venturing to Wales to surf Adventure Parc Snowdonia, until I had to cancel my visit to Alaïa Bay six days before flying out due to their pool closure in 2022. My Swiss adventure turned into a UK wave pool tour featuring Adventure Parc Snowdonia in Wales and The Wave in Bristol.
Originally named “Surf Snowdonia,” the venue was cited as being the world’s first public surf lagoon in 2015 and the very first location to invest in Wavegarden wave-making technology.
Booking sessions at Adventure Parc Snowdonia was a breeze, but accessibility was a challenge for visitors traveling without a car. Planes, trains and automobiles were required to make it to this surf park located in the Welsh mountains. Situated in a small village with no rideshare options, it had an extremely limited bus route and food options you can count on one hand.
The wave wasn’t powerful, but fun enough to get a couple turns in before trying a chop-hop or 360 at the end. When the lagoon wasn’t pushing waves back and forth with the plow, stand-up paddleboards would cruise around or crossfit classes could swim by. What made this surf park unforgettable for me was the grandiose backdrop of giant green valleys.
Glen Williams, who worked reception and as an in-house photographer, explained, “Surf Snowdonia/Adventure Parc Snowdonia was one of the most special places I’ve ever worked at –– the valley it was based in had its own microclimate and so did the culture of the park itself. All of the staff members got on well with each other, from the engineers to the surf instructors to the receptionists. We all recognised we worked somewhere exceptional and were proud of it. Finishing work and then going surfing with your colleagues every week in the mountains of Wales is a pretty special and unique experience.”
I feel privileged to have surfed such a breathtaking wave pool, even if the wave itself wasn’t the longest, most powerful or barreling.
Leading the Industry
Adventure Parc Snowdonia and NLand were pioneers of the surf park industry. Not only did they take a huge financial risk investing in a new (at the time) and expensive wave-making technology, but they had to keep customers onsite. Safety protocols, environmental considerations, surf shops, rental programs, food & beverage all the way to non-surf ancillary activities had to be planned. On top of these surf parks needing to plan the customer journey, they had to staff the facility to ensure smooth operations.
NLand Surf Park in Austin will always hold a special place in my life. It wasn’t just an incredible place, it was the people who made it truly special. The team there was something rare: passionate, hardworking, and genuinely connected. I loved every minute of my time there. It’s also where I learned to surf.”
– Blake Hess, NLand Surf Park Manager 2016-2018
Regardless of their ultimate fate, Adventure Parc Snowdonia and NLand helped lay the foundation for all the thriving wave pools we surf today. Someone had to push forward in building a wave pool dedicated to surfing. With that came new surfers, improved surfers, exciting activations, events, competitions and case studies that demonstrate how these attractions can build community. They also surfaced challenges that surf park developers don’t blink an eye at today.
Surf Snowdonia founder Andy Ainscough shared that because there weren’t many commercial surfing lagoons in operation, it was difficult to draw lessons and experience. Now, however, with more than 20 surfing wavepools worldwide, it’s easier to gain data and draw conclusions.
Surf Snowdonia didn’t happen overnight. Ainscough describes stumbling onto a unique piece of land in North Wales that had once served an industrial purpose and needed regenerating. It sat beside a hydro power station and carried both local and national support to be converted into a leisure site — fundamentals that made the concept feasible from the outset. He came to the project as a landlocked surfer turned outdoor adventure instructor, and when Wavegarden emerged, he saw something genuinely different. “Seeing those waves for the first time was mesmerising,” he says, “and it felt like an opportunity to take surfing, which we know is so unpredictable, and bring it into a controlled, accessible environment.”
From the start, the vision extended beyond the lagoon itself. Ainscough wanted a destination — the right mix of food and drink, accommodation, and complementary activities built authentically around the wave as an anchor. He explored alternatives including artificial whitewater and non-water attractions before landing on surfing as the clear choice. “It has a unique pull, both in terms of participation and aspiration,” he says, “and we felt it gave us the strongest foundation to build a compelling and sustainable business.”
“We’ve definitely learned a lot. With the way our Wavegarden lagoon was set up, we knew the volume for the business sat in the beginner bays, while the advanced wave capacity was limited to around six surfers, so that booked out very quickly,” Ainscough says. “Because of that, the facility and marketing effort had to focus on driving strong occupancy in the beginner bays, ensuring the lagoon and surrounding facilities, including F&B and accommodation, were welcoming and accessible to all, while still remaining true to surfers.”
Being first meant learning not just from success, but from the risks no playbook had prepared them for.
Evolving Risks
Some risks are more obvious than others – more from a developer/operator perspective than a customer view. But the impact is felt by the paying customers and can lead to the decrease in business or ultimate demise of a surf park.
Improved technology
There is no shortage of new wave-making technologies surfacing each year. Some theoretical, others put to practice in a test or commercial setting. Energy efficiencies, power consumption, durability, wave size, wave power, wave shape, wave frequency and wave capacity are only a few considerations that play a part in which technology developers are choosing.
Snowdonia and NLand both invested in a first-generation wave-making technology that eventually became obsolete compared to improved higher output options. Even Wavegarden, the company that created the lagoon plow tech featured at both these surf parks, developed a significantly more efficient machine + pool shape known as the Wavegarden Cove. For the everyday surfer choosing to spend their hard-earned money at a surf park, it would be difficult to go with the less powerful wave when there’s a more exciting option to progress in.
Maintenance
These are large machines engineered to create surfable waves. I’m just a customer, but have experienced cancelled sessions due to pool issues. Issues range from wave-making machines breaking down to the pool basin cracking after taking a pounding from the waves all day. When an operator commits to one of the many available technologies, there must be an agreement around who maintains the wave pool. Does the sole responsibility lie on the surf park operator? On the wave-making technology purchased/licensed? Or a blend of both? That’s above my (non-existent) pay grade.
Supply & Demand vs. Competitive Pricing
Wave pools felt novel up until about five years ago. Surf parks were – and still are – few and far between. Because of this, demand tends to be high for customers wanting to give pool surfing a go. Dynamic pricing and overall annual increases in session costs reflect the current surf park market. It can be stressful trying to book at some surf parks due to the high demand during peak summer season. I felt this when trying to book my BSR Surf (now Waco Surf) sessions back in 2020, refreshing the calendar daily in hopes of booking two months out when they released the calendar.
As a customer, it can feel like some wave pool session costs don’t match the experience. Paying $212 USD for one hour of mushy waves in the desert doesn’t feel like you got what you paid for when you can surf that same hour with punchy barrels in a former Scottish quarry for only $93 USD. If the basic supply and demand principle holds true, my hope is more wave pools come to life throughout different markets so competition and more competitive pricing surfaces. There is no reality where I can afford to surf a wave pool weekly at the current session costs as an unsponsored, no-name surfer with a full-time day job.
Accessibility challenges
Large areas of land are required when building wave pools, especially within the larger surf park development that includes F&B, facilities, onsite surf shops, viewing platforms and other complimentary ancillary activities.
We’re living in an increasingly developed world, so it feels like surf parks are popping up in somewhat remote locations. In my travels to 25+ different wave pools around the world, many are quite difficult to get to. Adventure Parc Snowdonia required me to fly to the United Kingdom, take a train to Wales, then beg the AirBnb host to pick me up from the train station since I missed the infrequent bus. As more surf parks come to fruition in high-traffic locations – like Surf London – the less accessible pools might lose out on visitors to the more convenient option.
Breathing New Life
Ultimately, both Adventure Parc Snowdonia and NLand Surf Park closed their lagoons indefinitely. NLand’s wave pool was removed completely, but always with the rumor that the site would become home to Austin Surf Club – which turned out to be true. The Snowdonia wave pool stopped pushing waves back in 2023, but the facility still offers an obstacle course, indoor caving, climbing and a pump track and skate bowl.
Then there are the wave pools that close down without notice, but resurrect under new management. I showed up to the former site of Fireside Surf in Dallas, Texas last summer (2025) only to see a stagnant Citywave. Just recently, the wave pool announced its reopening as The Surf Lounge at PopStroke.
I hope the list of closures stays short as more exciting options open, but the market will become more competitive as newer surf parks launch featuring better waves with (hopefully) more affordable session costs. And if one wave pool ceases business, maybe it can be renovated or revitalized through new management and live a new life.
Connect with me on LinkedIn or Instagram @SurfParkNerd to reminisce on the OG wave pools.
