The Red Bull Unleashed 2015 was the first international surf contest to be held in a Wavegarden facility, taking place at Surf Snowdonia (Wales, U.K.) on September 18-19.
The event put on display some of the most exciting surfers in the world today. Thanks to Wavegarden’s unique technology, all competitors surfed the same number of identical waves in an innovative man-on-man elimination format.
Unhindered by the different factors that effect wave quality in the ocean (wind, swell, current, and tide), Surf Snowdonia’s lagoon offered ideal conditions for the pro-surfers to fully display their talents. For the first time ever, surfers were judged purely on their surfing, not on luck or the quality of waves they chose to ride.
Contest winner, Hawaiian pro surfer Albee Layer, along with the other competitors, praised not only the consistent perfection, power, and quality of the waves, but also the close proximity of the 2,000 vibrant spectators that wildly cheered every maneuver on every wave.
Surf Snowdonia is the first commercial installation using Wavegarden’s technology. It opened its doors on August 1, 2015 and is nestled in the beautiful Snowdonia mountains, next to the village of Dolgarrog, where a derelict aluminum factory was re-purposed and transformed into one of the most innovative and sustainable surfing facilities in the world.
