Surfers from the UK are a bunch of unlucky dudes; their climate barely allows them to enjoy summer, let alone let loose their passion for surfing. But all of that was true until now. There’s this new place in North Wales, called Surf Snowdonia, a unique surf facility that’s praised for producing the longest man-made surfable waves on the planet.
After 10 years of research and development, as well as a £12 million (or about $19 million) investment, Surf Snowdonia came to life. This is the world’s first Wavegarden surfing lagoon to be opened to the public, measuring 300 x 120 m (984 x 394 ft) which is about the size of six soccer pitches.
In case you’re wondering how it generates these amazing waves, you should know a snow plow-like machine moves back and forth along an underwater track running the length of the lagoon which generates a barreling wave on each side of the central divider.
Obviously, the speed and size of waves produced by the Wavegarden is controlled from a computer, with heights of 0.7 m (28 in), 1.2 m (47 in) and even 2 m (79 in) being possible.
At Surf Snowdonia, the waves are able to peel for up to 150 m (492 ft), with different wave profiles created at different points in the lagoon. Up to 36 surfers can use the lagoon simultaneously, with waves produced at a rate of one per minute. The facility is filled with rainwater taken from neighboring mountain reservoirs, in case you were wondering if it’s eco friendly or not.
Surf Snowdonia was built on the site of a former aluminum factory, after recycling of 400 tonnes of steel, cast iron and copper. Around 25,000 cu m of hardcore has also been recycled, with around 85 percent of it being used in the construction of the new facility, which means these dudes are all about protecting the environment.
If you live in the US and love this unique concept, don’t worry, the first Wavegarden project in the US will be built soon in Austin, Texas.
[gizmag]
