My wife arranged a family holiday to Scotland to visit family and spend time with her two sons, one of which lives in the UK. In the build up to travel, a Scottish bodyboarding acquaintance advised me that the Scottish bodyboard crew were planning a social bodyboarding event at the Lost Shore Surf Resort wave pool near Edinburgh, and not only that, it would be taking place whilst I was up there.
Initially, I wasn’t really too fussed on taking my surf gear. I knew we were staying by in a Loch side house for a few days followed by a few days in a forest cabin, both a long distance from the surfing coasts. Whilst I had contemplated heading to the wave pool, at £70 a go, I wasn’t over-bothered knowing I would still be having fun with the family and knew I’d be getting up to all sorts of trouble with my four year old granddaughter.
In the end the temptation was too much and, with a little bit of luck, I managed to secure a cancelation spot enabling me join in at the first ever Lost Shore Boog Jam. Prior to the Boog Jam, I booked what would act as a warm up session on the barrels setting a couple of days beforehand.
On the first morning of the holiday, I snuck out early doors whilst the family slept on and made my way to the pool. After an hour or so of driving, I spotted my first Lost Shore road sign and nervous excitement took hold. What would the wave be like? How powerful would the waves be? How shallow would it be breaking? My tummy churned. I felt like a younger me from back in my contest days.
Having previously surfed the wave pool in Bristol, England, which uses the same Wavegarden Cove technology, I kind of knew what to expect when I got my first sight of the pool; however, I was instantly blown away. The pool looked considerably bigger than how I remembered the Bristol one to be.
I was pleased to discover I was not the only bodyboarder mooching around. Surfing on my side of the pool would be two Saffa bodyboarders, whilst on the other side would be one of the local boys, who by chance I had been introduced to online a few days earlier.
Following a safety briefing, I grabbed my allocated black rashie and made my way to the water. I wore a 2mm shortie for the session having been advised the water was a balmy 21c. It was certainly warm enough for boardies, however, we were advised this was a no goer on health and safety grounds.
As advised during the briefing, the first few sets of waves were gentle introductory warm up waves, which acted as a good introduction to the pool. The settings were then cranked up to barrels. The step-up was considerable, and as I headed for the lip on the first of the hollower waves I was taken by surprise when the bottom suddenly dropped out of the wave and I found myself rolling into the flats. I’m still not sure how I managed to hold on. After this wave, it was barrel after barrel until the session drew to a close.
I exited the water shattered but buzzing like an excited grom. The wave was so much better than I had expected it to be, and to be honest, those expectation had started pretty high. One thing that really stood out to me was how good the wave looked when paddling back out after a wave. There is no doubt the wave was bigger, thicker, and shallower then it looks in video footage. Any doubts I had about spending £70 for an hours’ surf were soon forgotten; it was worth every penny.
I returned a couple of days later to join in the local Scottish bodyboard community’s first social event to be held at the pool, the Lost Shore BoogJam. As a bonus, several members of the Irish bodyboard crew, some I knew from back in the day, were booked in during the same session as part of a stag weekend. It was great to catch up with a few old friends as everyone geared up for a bodyboarding takeover.
The vibe was great both in and out of the pool, with everyone buzzing. It really did take me back to the old days of Threesixty Bodyboard Magazine with a crowd of frothing bodyboarders all feeding off each other or hooting each other’s wave. By the time the session came to a close, I had probably ridden more clean barrels than the previous year of surfing in the ocean back at home.
Verdict: The is no doubt I left envious of what the Scottish bodyboard crew have had built on their doorstep. Most surprisingly, as a regular visitor to Scotland who has surfed perfect waves up on the north coast on numerous occasions, I had such a good time, it made me consider whether in the future I would prefer to surf in the pool rather than take the long drive up north to the coast. Ultimately, surfing in the ocean amidst the fresh sea air and abundant wildlife still appeals to me more; however, when visiting my wife’s family up in Scotland in the future, I suspect more of my surfing time will now be spent in a pool.
Let me know what you think of the wave pool revolution by leaving a comment below.
Big shout out goes to the Scottish bodyboard crew for making me feel very welcome. I can’t wait to share some more waves in the future. Video below from the Bodyboard Scotland YouTube channel.
