Moving further down the surfing ranks there are still nothing but upsides. Need a surf, but due to work you can’t get to the beach at the right tide? No worries. Swell and wind not cooperating with your days off? Screw it. Local break too crowded to get a decent wave count? Not a problem. Work and family keep you living inland? It may not be the real thing, but at least a local surf park will help keep your skills sharp for when you do make it to the coast!

So how do wave generators work?

Early versions of wave generators worked by pumping large quantities of water into special chambers, then forcing it back into the pool with compressed air. The system then needs to capture more water, and pump it back into the chambers for the next wave.  While this method can produce surprisingly shreddable 4 foot waves (just check out Wadi Adventure Park in the UAE), it has two main flaws: it requires a LOT of energy, and has a delay of 90 seconds between waves.

Newer designs, like the Wavegarden, work by dragging what’s essentially a wave-forming sledge along the bottom of a pool. Two waves bend off either side of a central pier, simultaneously producing a left and right hander. At the end of its track, the sledge rotates 180° and creates two waves breaking in the opposite direction.  This more elegant solution is far more enticing to both Aktiendepots im Vergleich investors and surfers: the greater number of waves means more people can use it per session, while the more efficient design uses significantly less energy, reducing operational costs.

These questions may be answered in the next few months . . . or maybe the next few years. Wavegarden began by building a fully operational demonstration pool in the Basque Country, home of its founder Josema Odriozola, but several years would pass between the release of the first promo videos showcasing the 4.25 foot prototypes offering 22-second rides, and the opening earlier this year of Surf Snowdonia in Wales, the first commercial wave pool utilising Wavegarden technology. The height and length of the waves at the Basque test site were limited by the size of the pool; at the larger Surf Snowdonia model, wave height increases to 2m — although this figure is very much a literal measurement of the wave face from top to bottom. The “6ft barrels” first promised by Surf Snowdonia are yet to materialise, but the technology is a work in progress, and the general consensus from pros and intermediates alike is that the waves there are great fun. In September the facility successfully hosted its first elite competition, Red Bull Unleashed, but it’s not all about high level surfers: waves continue to run into specially engineered bays where they crumble into whitewater, perfect for surf schools and beginners. It’s an ideal situation for kids, who can grab a few waves post-school without parents worrying about riptides and other marine dangers.

However, keeping the facility in good working order as it churns out wave after wave, minute after minute, has proved problematic. After opening its doors in July 2015, Surf Snowdonia was forced to close them again for 10 days in August due to a mechanical fault, and further mechanical issues caused it to close down early for the winter break. These are the sorts of challenges that Wavegarden’s competitors — such as the Kelly Slater Wave Company and Webber Wave Pools, which at present exist only in test models and theoretical calculations — will have to face in the coming years as they enter the market.

Seriously? Surfing sold out and went commercial a long time ago. Go to any of the warmer parts of this planet and you’ll find kids hanging out in board shorts and flip flops. Quiksilver have flagship stores everywhere from New York to London, and video clips of surfing are used to sell everything from aftershave to toilet cleaning products. What bringing waves inland will do, is enable those who identify with surf culture to actually engage with the lifestyle. Surfing can have such a positive impact on people’s lives; why not use it as a vehicle for social improvement? At the very least, it would open up a new form of healthy, outdoor exercise for many people. How can that be a bad thing?

Inland waves could also open up the competition scene to many more participants. You may scoff at the idea of artificial waves spawning truly competitive surfers, but there are precedents. Jenny Jones, who learnt to snowboard on a dry ski slope in the UK, has won gold medals in the X-Games and bronze in Olympic Slopestyle at Sochi. Joe Morley, two-time winner of the Adidas Sickline Extreme Kayak World Champs in Austria, learnt to kayak on artificial whitewater slalom courses. And then of course there’s North Shore!

Controllable waves can also improve the actual competitions themselves. Currently surf competitions rarely attract mainstream audiences – there’s too much waiting between sets, and the long swell windows for events hinder their appeal to TV broadcasters; the timings are too unpredictable to programme. Similar problems mean surfing in the ocean is unlikely to become an Olympic sport. Yet when artificial courses are built for the kayak slalom events – and London’s Lee Valley whitewater course is still thriving long after the games – why shouldn’t surfing benefit similarly?