CHANGES to the wave-making technology used at a surf centre in Easter Compton have delayed its opening.

Work on constructing The Wave Bristol, which will straddle Washingpool Farm and Over Court Farm, is expected to start later this year.

After months of research and negotiation the centre has now agreed terms with California firm Wave Loch LLC to use its new SurfPool technology which can produce more waves.

The Wave’s founder Nick Hounsfield explained why they made the decision to switch to this technology:

“At the heart of our project is the vision of a beautiful lake with the ability to create perfect peeling, ocean-like waves, where people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities can experience the joy of surfing.

“We realised that if we were to meet this core aim then we would need to ensure that the surfing lake really works for beginners and improvers – which means a high frequency of waves to practice on.

“We are not blessed with a tropical climate in the UK, so when people are in the water they need to be active with lots of opportunities to ride waves.”

The new technology will be able to deliver six to eight waves each minute and because of the way the waves are manipulated would enable six people to ride each wave.

Mr Hounsfield added: “This will mean a fantastic surfing experience for all levels of surfer in terms of waves ridden, with people able to catch 15-20 waves per hour.

The technology also gives the ability to change the height and shape of the wave for advanced and professional surfers which would enable the centre to host competitions.

Negotiations have taken several months which has led to a delay in building work starting.

The centre’s founder said that despite the delays they were still on track to open in 2016.

“We are acutely aware that this decision has resulted in a delay for the project, however, we are still on track to begin work this year and open fully in 2016,” he said.

“It takes time to carry out due diligence to satisfy both our investors and ourselves, as well as understand the impact of the decision on other areas of our business plan.

“Having done our research and having seen someone riding the prototype, we are confident that this is definitely the best decision for our project.”

The Wave Bristol will be the first full scale facility of Wave Loch SurfPool technology in the world.