{"id":219884,"date":"2025-06-27T23:52:27","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T23:52:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/219884\/"},"modified":"2025-06-27T23:52:27","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T23:52:27","slug":"popular-inland-surfing-centre-the-wave-in-bristol-closes-suddenly-amid-financial-dispute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/219884\/","title":{"rendered":"Popular inland surfing centre The Wave in Bristol closes suddenly amid financial dispute"},"content":{"rendered":"

By JANE DENTON<\/a> <\/p>\n

Updated: 11:47 EDT, 27 June 2025 <\/p>\n

Britain’s ground-breaking popular inland surfing lake The Wave, near Bristol, has abruptly closed amid an alleged row over its finances<\/p>\n

Existing customer bookings have been cancelled and The Wave’s website is mostly down. No new bookings can be made.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The closure came with no warning, with surfers and users of the site booked in today arriving to closed doors and an apology written on a sign.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When it opened under founder Nick Hounsfield in 2019, The Wave was at the forefront of the emergence of inland wave pools offering high quality surfing waves to the public.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Majority owners Sullivan Street Partners claimed the closure followed problems surrounding the bankruptcy of a director of another funding partner, JAR Wave, according to BBC News.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A statement from the majority owners said: ‘The Wave Group team apologises unreservedly for any upset caused and is doing its best to ensure the situation can be remedied.’<\/p>\n

The statement said The Wave Group, owners of the surf park, had ‘lined up a refinancing alongside its exciting London developments, which would see all creditors repaid in full within a week and is offering to continue to operate the park.’<\/p>\n

\"Shut:\u00a0The <\/p>\n

Shut:\u00a0The Wave in Bristol has abruptly closed amid an alleged row over its finances<\/p>\n

Sullivan Partners said it invested \u00a327m into The Wave in 2023, BBC News said.<\/p>\n

Hazel Geary, chief executive of The Wave, said: ‘This decision has not been driven by operational failure or lack of customer demand – but for a financial technicality completely unrelated to commercial matters.’<\/p>\n

Highlighting how suddenly the saga deteriorated, on Wednesday The Wave was posting on social media about an upcoming surf festival being held at the centre next month.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Wave opened in 2019 and cost \u00a326million to build. The unique complex could generate up to 1,000 waves per hour.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since opening, the site provided surfing facilities for all abilities, catering for disabled visitors, total beginners and veteran surfers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Wave’s power supply stems from solar and battery storage and since 2019 the complex has welcomed 400,000 people.<\/p>\n

Since 5 May, The Wave’s founder, Nick Houndsfield, has not been a director of the business.<\/p>\n

The Wave was the fruit of the ambitions of Nick Hounsfield<\/a>, a pioneering British entrepreneur who wanted to build a unique business that had a positive social impact, with improving health and wellbeing for surfers and non-surfers alike baked in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hounsfield did not come from a background in property or business, but was an osteopath, who started with \u00a3500 in his bank account and managed to raise \u00a327million to build his dream.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Wave can produce high quality expert waves for surfers like Lukas Skinner, pictured, as well as catering for beginners and intermediates<\/p>\n

THE WAVE STATEMENT IN FULL <\/p>\n

The Wave said in a statement: ‘The Wave Bristol has had to shut suddenly today, and also shut down its website.<\/p>\n

‘This decision has not been driven by operational failure or lack of customer demand\u2014but for a financial technicality completely unrelated to commercial matters.<\/p>\n

‘The closure follows the bankruptcy of a director of a funding partner, JAR Wave.<\/p>\n

‘Despite The Wave Group repeatedly offering support and a full repayment to JAR Wave to solve their own issues, the creditor has instead opted to appear to attempt to take control of the business.<\/p>\n

‘We as The Wave Group, have lined up a refinancing that also provides funding for the initial development for London, which would see all creditors repaid in full within a week of now and is of course offering to reopen Bristol and continue to operate the park.<\/p>\n

‘To date these approaches have been ignored by JAR Wave, which has instead chosen to appoint administrators for the Bristol operating company.<\/p>\n

‘The Wave Group team apologises unreservedly for any upset caused and is doing its best to ensure the situation can be remedied.’<\/p>\n

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