A video showcasing “frozen waves” in a pool in an urban city center in the Netherlands has captivated viewers on TikTok.
The clip was posted by @maudfraterman_ and has amassed 24.8 million views since it was shared on January 11.
A noted overlaid on the video simply says “frozen waves” as the footage shows a wave of water moving across the pool, appearing to move almost in slow motion. The surface of the water appears semi-frozen, with cracks shown at the top.
According to a caption shared with the post, the intriguing wave scene was captured at the RiF010, a surf pool found in Rotterdam, the second-largest city in the Netherlands after the national capital Amsterdam.
RiF010 is “the first urban wave pool in the world,” located “right in the middle of a city,” according to its website.
The viral post comes as the wave pools market was said to be “experiencing a robust growth,” driven by the increasing popularity of water-based recreational activities, a growing demand for leisure amenities as well as advancements in wave pool technology, according to a market analysis report for 2025-2034 by MarkWide Research (MWR).
North America was found to be dominating the international wave pools market due the prevalence of water parks, resorts and entertainment venues, paired with a high demand for immersive leisure attractions. “Europe follows closely, driven by similar factors and the growing popularity of surfing and water sports among tourists and locals,” the report said.
‘Never Seen This in My Life’
RiF010 was created by Edwin van Viegen in 2013, born from his passion for surfing and his dream of making surfing accessible to all school children in Rotterdam, according to the company website.
The surf pool allows beginners, pro surfers and everyone in between a place to catch a wave, which is created using “100 percent sustainably generated energy,” while “energy savings were considered in the design” of the facility, the company says.
The water in the pool is filtered using micro-sieves, “which consume much less energy than traditional sand filters,” according to the company.
Viewers on TikTok were blown away by the unusual scene in the viral video.
Gigiinthewild said: “I’ve never seen that before that’s sooo cool,” and eyadtadm wrote: “how is that even possible.”
User socalled.cy wrote: “I have Never Seen This in my life,” and RichardMillie said: “I always wanted to see this.”
User @cece.bxox said: “omds [oh my days] that’s so satisfying,” and KAZUHA>-
GeraGarner wrote: “It’s actually stunning,” and bbri.vsp said: “wow its beautiful.”
User @_blubow noted: “it looks so soft,” and Elisa | Creator | Swiftie wrote: “That Looks amazing.”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
A stock image of people surfing in the RiF010, an urban wave pool in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. A video capturing “frozen waves” at the RiF010 has gone viral on TikTok.
A stock image of people surfing in the RiF010, an urban wave pool in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. A video capturing “frozen waves” at the RiF010 has gone viral on TikTok.
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