Surf’s up again in the West Country

But where did the good vibrations go at indoor surf lake The Wave?

Hello Rainmakers,

Brian Wilson, the musical genius who penned most of the Beach Boys’ classic hits – and who died last month – famously couldn’t surf.

But that didn’t stop him almost single handedly inventing a whole genre of music based on taking out a board to ride the waves off the West Coast of the USA.

Making his Rainmakers debut, Rob Buckland talks us through the dramatic twists and turns of The Wave, a revolutionary leisure destination which has been through its own choppy waters.

Surf’s up

In the West Country here in England, the sun, sand and sea might not be as warm as California all year round, but surfing is a big thing.

So big that former healthcare worker Nick Hounsfield fulfilled his long-held ambition in 2019 of opening the country’s first inland surfing lake on the outskirts of his home city of Bristol.

Nick, who can surf, almost single handedly inspired a new generation of surfers. Enthusiasts – from beginners to veterans – headed West to The Wave.

Described as “an  inland  surfing  destination  born out of a passion for technology, nature and human health” Hounsfield claimed to be using “the best technology” to put “perfect waves at the heart of incredible green spaces”.

The cost of the ambitious project was around £25m – not exactly a drop in the ocean. But it worked. That is, until the pandemic hit and things went decidedly wobbly.

A £15m loan to operator Surf Bristol Limited (SBL) towards the building costs went unpaid while SBL took on at least two further loans to stay afloat in 2020 and 2022.

Bad vibrations

Then in 2023 private equity firm Sullivan Street Partners took a majority holding in SBL to steady things – only the water got even choppier.