How The Wave Bristol’s Wave Pool Works — TL;DR Wavegarden Cove Explained
Been surfing The Wave in Bristol UK a bunch lately. It’s my closest wave pool — easier to fit in around work and real life than chasing swell and tides like I could in my youth. Not as cool as the ocean, but it keeps some of the rust off — like the gym, for when I can’t get in the sea. The sea’s chaos. The pool’s math. Still surfing, though. The Wave Bristol runs on WaveGarden Cove tech — basically a long row of underwater paddles that shove water into shape. Giant mechanical arms inside the central pier, firing in sequence like a slow-motion domino effect. Each one pushes water out, and as that lump of energy rolls down the lagoon, more paddles join in until it turns into something that actually feels like a wave. Until recently, between sets I’d convince myself it was water jets or air pressure. But no — straight engineering. Metal, motors, and timing. And somehow, it works — a new wave every few seconds, throwing out settings from waist-high slop to barrels you can just about tuck ...