Our first experience with man-made waves came in 2014 with a trip to The Wave Garden in Zarautz. Since then, wave pools have become more and more prevalent, and we’ve been lucky enough to sample some of the best there are! From the Surf Ranch in California to The Wave in Bristol, wave pools offer surfers a completely different experience and environment to the ocean.

When it comes to choice of craft, it's important to get it right to maximise your experience. We found that surfing in fresh water requires more volume in your surfboard as the pool has less buoyancy than the ocean. Wave pools favour shorter, wider boards to enable you to fit into a more compact, tighter pocket. We found surfboards that carry speed well and yet have enough rocker to handle the steeper part of the wave seem to work best. Here are our picks for the tub!

Check out our Guide to Wave Pools