You might have seen our post on Snowdonia a few weeks ago. For those who unaware, Snowdonia is an artificial wave pool located in Wales which produces a two-metre, 150m-long wave that peels perfectly in both directions. Last week it played host to the world’s first artificial wave surf competition.
Although nothing beats real waves, the event actually had some advantages over your usual surf comp. There’s a standing area in the middle of the pool, so spectators were able to watch the action from just a few metres away. There was also a DJ cranking the surfers’ requested track during their run, how rad!
The semi final came down to Hawaiian Albee Layer and Aussie Mitch Crews. Layer came back from 2-0 down to beat Crews 3-2 in one of the best duels of the event. In semi 2, New Zealand’s Billy Stairmand took down Aussie Jack Freestone 3-0.
The final between Layer and Stairmand resulted in a 3-1 result and the Hawaiian taking the first champions trophy on the podium. ‘I didn’t know what to expect coming here,’ said the Maui local, ‘but it’s been incredible. Surfing so close to so many people, music playing, heaps of energy in the air, to get the win is crazy. If more events were like this, I’d do them!’
Click below to see full video and final results:
