REGION
Bristol
SPOT NAME
The Wave
PARKING
Yes
WALK TO BEACH
Can be up to 20 mins
FACILITIES
Restaurant / Cafe, Toilets, Equipment Hire, Shop, Children’s Play Area
Before I start with the review of The Wave Bristol, I just want to point out that I am not going to comment on all the baggage that seems to surround surfing in a man-made pool. I appreciate that the subject is very divisive amongst surfers and many pages could be spent in this review talking about the rights / wrongs of wave pools, if wave pools are good / bad for surfing and the price of a surf session at The Wave and whether it represents value for money etc. At the end of the day, people are free to do what they want with their own money and can make up their own mind about whether the price of a surf session is worth it or not.
The purpose of this ‘review’ is to provide a basic guide to the venue and the different wave settings available and what they are like to surf to help people know what to expect if they have not been before. This might help them decide what wave option to pick before forking out the cash!
Car Parking / Café / Facilities / Wetsuits / Boards etc
If following Google earth, make sure you search for ‘The Wave Bristol Car Park’. It sounds obvious but if you follow directions for ‘The Wave Bristol’ you end up behind the actual pool with no access to the car park. The car park is very big and has a few charge points for electric cars beside the check-in cabin. There is plenty of space for camper vans and people seem to stay overnight quite a lot in their vans for free. The car park itself is also free.
The walk from the car park to the actual pool is about 20 minutes so allow time for this. The road from the car park to the pool is very smooth and is great fun to fly along on a skateboard or surf skate and only takes 5 minutes this way! Before Covid, they ran a shuttle bus to transport you from car park to pool if you didn’t fancy the walk or carrying a 9-foot log. This service stopped during Covid but should be back up and running soon.
In the past few weeks, they have built a new play area for kids to keep them busy whilst mummy / daddy surf. It looks pretty decent got swings, sand pit, climbing frame – all the usual stuff. I think it might cost £2 to enter the site to access the play area and café but they only charge this if you are not not surfing.
Unfortunately, no dogs are allowed on site which, as a dog owner, is a massive pain in the arse and huge negative for me. I think dogs could easily be allowed in the café area only (on their lead) but obviously not outside in case they run into the pool after their master. Although it would be hilarious watching a dog snake someone!
The restaurant / café is great. Serves really good food at decent price and coffee is great too. Breakfast is banging there after a surf! Sometimes there are outdoor food stalls too. There is a fully stocked surf shop selling all sorts of merch if that is your thing or if you forgot wax, leash, fins and need a last minute panic buy.
Hire of wetsuits and softboards are included in price of surf session. If you want to hire a fibre glass ‘hard board’, this costs £10 extra.
WANT TO HEAR CONKERS PERFECT SESSION?
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We talk about babies, the Wave Project Bristol, surfing Bournemouth during Welsh lockdown, Ben Gravy, how Jim AKA ‘J-Dawg’ is going to have a toe-to-toe with John’s mate Lee and much more..
Wave Settings
Sessions at the Wave Bristol last 1 hour. Every 5 minutes the machine pumps out a ‘set’ of approx. 20 waves (although the number of waves per set varies depending on the wave setting). Each surfer lines up in a queue and takes it in turns to surf a wave. After the end of the set, the machine stops and the water goes calm which gives people a few minutes to paddle back into position ready for the next set to begin. Then another 20 waves are pumped out and the cycle repeats. If you can catch 1 wave per set, then you would typically surf 1 wave every 5 minutes for 1 hour which is 12 waves per hour. If you are lucky and have good paddle fitness, you can catch one wave then paddle back to the end of the queue to catch a second wave in the same set. In some sessions I have counted 18 waves in 1 hour.
The number of waves per set depends on the setting which is discussed in more detail below.
Each wave setting has a ‘take-off zone’ marked on the concrete wall by coloured bits of tape. You should position yourself closer to the front marker for each setting. Green for intermediate. Blue for advanced. Red for advanced plus. Black for expert.
Waikiki
I don’t know how many waves per set this setting pumps out because I haven’t surfed it or been arsed to count the number of waves whilst watching!
This setting is not suitable for complete beginners. It is designed for early intermediates who have learned the basics of standing up on a soft board. If you can’t stand up on the board, “these are not the droids you are looking for”. If you can stand up on a soft board and can ride the white water into the beach, and now want to progress to surfing ‘green water’, this is for you. I have not surfed this setting but watching it from the side, it looks very fun for progressing but also very chaotic and out of control at times so could be frustrating for more experienced intermediates (who should just surf the intermediate setting instead!).
The wave itself is a mushy ‘rebound’ wave that reflects off the concrete wall and then re-forms, gently breaking towards the middle pier.
Tip – When taking off, set yourself at a 45 degree angle from the concrete wall pointing your board directly towards the middle pier instead of facing directly towards the ‘beach’ like you would normally do when catching white water in the ocean.
Intermediate
Really good fun, nice mellow take off. Waist to chest high to start then drops to knee high at end. Quite a fast little wave that is suitable for all sorts of boards from soft boards and long boards down to shorter hybrid ‘fun boards’ depending on skill level. Really good fun wave for learning how to walk up the board trying to nose ride or trying a ‘cheater five’.
Pumps out at least 25 waves per set which is much more than the advanced setting (which I think pumps out between 18-20 waves per set). This allows people plenty of time to get into position for their wave and means that everyone will get a chance to catch a wave each time. If the session is not fully booked, you can catch two waves per set no problem. One time I even managed 3 waves in one set!
Tip – When taking off, make sure you are closer to the front green marker closer to the ‘beach’ when you start to paddle. If you are too deep and closer to the back green marker, you will struggle to catch the wave. Sit approximately 1 metre away from the concrete wall when taking off. If you are too close to the wall, the wave will be much steeper on take off and you also risk your board hitting the wall if you fall and getting a very nasty ding. Finally, as with all wave setting, you should angle your board towards the middle pier when taking off. The more you angle your board, the easier the take off.
Advanced
Mellow take off but slightly harder than intermediate as bigger wave. For this option the Wave Bristol has two settings. The first is a mellower wave for the first four sets followed by a slightly more powerful waves for the final 8 sets. You can judge the size and shape of wave from photos below. Suitable for shorter boards and mid-lengths but not the best for longboards which struggle to ‘fit’ in the wave. I have seen some people surf longboards on this setting but they are pretty decent standard surfers. Really great fun wave for improving cut backs and turns. You can even get a little head dip in sometimes in the end section after the dreaded fat spot (see below).
Tip – After the initial take off, the wave gets slow and fat in the middle section before speeding up again for the end section. If you are too far down the line when the fat section hits, you will lose speed and will drop off the back of the wave. To avoid an early exit, make sure you cut back into the pocket after your bottom turn to maintain speed through the fat section. Once the fat section is over, you will see the wave jack up again for the faster end section which is good for getting a few little turns going or more cut backs.
Advanced Plus
This is the best setting in my opinion. The first setting is bigger than the advanced and then goes up again to a larger ‘turn’ setting for the final 8 sets. The fat section in the advanced setting is no longer there because there is far more power behind the wave. You can get a lot more turns / cut backs going on this wave and even a few head dips / mini barrels. The take off is much more difficult than the advanced setting which is steep and sucks you back as the wave approaches from behind which means you really need to paddle very hard at the end to ensure you get on the wave.
Tip – Sit 1.5 / 2 metres off the wall and paddle VERY HARD at an extreme angle towards the middle pier. The further away from the wall you start, the mellower the take off. The take off beside the wall is very steep so if you are a very good surfer or a bodyboarder (who love being as close to the wall as possible) then best bet is to sit a few metres off the wall.
Few photos below so you can judge the size and shape of the wave.
Expert
This setting has a few different types of wave. The first set is the same as the biggest wave on advanced plus. The second and third sets are a higher ‘turn’ setting (T1) and the fourth set is the biggest turn setting (T2). The final 8 sets are all on the ‘barrel mode’. The take off on the T1 setting and barrel modes are harder than advanced plus but manageable if you sit 2 metres off the wall and paddle very hard towards the middle pier. The T2 setting is a bit of an animal on take off but once you know where to sit when taking off, it is fine. The barrel setting is incredible but it takes a few sessions to get used to the timing of the wave and when the barrel starts to form. The barrel is also quite tight to fit inside so you really need to crouch down low!
Tip – Take off from the solid black marker closest to the ‘beach’ for the T1 setting and barrel setting. For the T2 setting, you are told to take off from the dotted markers which are the deepest in the pool but personally I think this is too deep and you miss the wave. Instead, you should take off from the deepest black marker for the T2 setting.
For more information and prices or to book your session at the Wave Bristol visit their website
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