Living the dream,
with Reuben May
(Fatstick founder)
and Sam Rogers
(team rider).
The pocket
Now in position, we were just waiting for a mechanically generated lump to start closing in.
The engineered wavefoil technology began to move, slowly, but rapidly picking up speed.
Paddling began, in position, just about to take the drop and… wipeout! This happened a few
times. Besides being a steep, fast drop for a SUP, the wave itself is not instantly instinctive,
you would think you would surf away from the central pier, but you actually end up riding
inwards, between the pier and the pocket of the wave. The pocket is the place to be, get
caught behind the lip and it is near impossible to catch it back up. This wave is fast!
But after a few waves, we soon got the hang of it and started to really enjoy this incredible
bit of technology, staying in the pocket, carving up the open face and just having so much
fun. However, time went too quickly, taking turns riding a left hander then a right hander
every three minutes absolutely flew by and our hour session was over. Next time we’ll
definitely be booking more than one session!
We exited the lagoon, headed back over to the academy, used one of the many onsite
shower and changing facilities, checked out the professional photos of us on offer and
reluctantly got the van ready to go home. We left with that unquestionable stoked feeling
and big smiles on our face, ready for the long journey back to the Jurassic Coast.
Reflecting upon our short experience here, we would have to highly recommend Surf
Snowdonia. It’s obvious that Surf Snowdonia prides itself on the fact that the site is not just
aimed purely at wave riders, there is so much more than just the wave lagoon and it is
definitely a family attraction; accessible to all ages and abilities. Beginner surf lessons start
at just £19 and there are so many packages and bundle deals for all competency levels. Surf
Snowdonia’s well equipped surf shop on site, alongside the fantastic wavegarden, has
everything you would need to completely kit yourself out, ready to head back to your local
beach and put your newly found skills into practice. We can’t wait to go back and visit!
s
t
a
n
d
u
p
p
a
d
d
l e
m
a
g
u
k
62