A UK surf therapy charity reports that children in inland wave pool programs improved on nearly every measure, a finding California purists have received with the warmth of a cold north swell
The Science Has Spoken, And Nobody In Malibu Likes It
MALIBU. A study by The Wave Project, a UK mental health charity specializing in surf therapy, has found that children in wave pool programs experienced significant improvements comparable to those in beach-based programs on four out of five measures, according to The Inertia’s report on surf therapy in wave pools. The study followed 360 children in 2025 across 22 natural beaches and two inland sites, The Wave in Bristol and Lost Shore Surf Resort in Edinburgh, over six-week programs measuring wellbeing, self-belief, perseverance, pride in achievements and connection to others.
In Southern California, where many surfers regard wave pools with the suspicion usually reserved for tourists asking where the good waves are, the news landed like a closeout on the head.
The Numbers
Children improved in both settings, with gains in nearly every outcome. The Wave Project reported significant improvements across every outcome measured for wave pool participants. Wellbeing scores rose 20.1 points at beaches and 10.6 points in wave pools, suggesting the ocean still has an edge on that measure. Chief executive Ramon Van de Velde said that while coastal and inland settings are not identical, young people experienced significant positive outcomes in both.
California purists immediately seized on the wellbeing gap. Twenty points versus ten, said a Malibu longboarder, who has surfed First Point for four decades and describes himself as a guardian of its vibe. The ocean wins. Science agrees with me. Then he was informed that the wave pool kids had matched the beach kids on four other measures. He went quiet for a long time and asked for the source.
The Purist Position
For many Southern California surfers, the ocean is not just a place to ride waves. It is a teacher, a church, a therapist and an occasionally violent landlord. The idea that a machine-generated wave in a concrete pool could provide similar benefits feels, to them, like someone suggesting that a treadmill is just as good as hiking Yosemite.
A Ventura surf coach said she understood the reaction but welcomed the findings. Kids need what surfing gives them, she said: confidence, friendship, a sense of accomplishment. If a kid in the middle of England can get that from a wave pool, that is wonderful. If a kid in Ventura can get it from the ocean, also wonderful. The only people who need therapy after this study are the old guys arguing in the parking lot.
Why It Matters
Behind the comedy is a serious point. Surf therapy programs have grown around the world, helping young people with anxiety, depression, trauma and social isolation. Access to the ocean, however, is not equal. Many children live far from the coast, and even in Southern California, many inland families rarely get to the beach. If wave pools can deliver comparable benefits, they could expand access to surf therapy for children who would otherwise never stand on a board.
The Inland Empire Opportunity
That raises an intriguing prospect for Southern California’s inland communities. The Inland Empire, the desert and the valleys are home to millions of people who may live an hour or more from the beach, through traffic that can turn a surf session into an all-day expedition. Wave pools in those regions could bring surfing, and its benefits, closer to home.
A surf therapy volunteer in Riverside said the study gave her hope. Some of the kids we work with have never been in the ocean, she said. Not once. They live an hour away. The traffic, the cost, the parking. If a wave pool helps them feel what surfing feels like, I do not care if the wave comes from a storm in the South Pacific or a machine. The smile is the same.
The Locals Adapt
Some Southern California surfers have quietly begun reconsidering their positions. A Huntington Beach surfer admitted he had visited a wave pool on a work trip and enjoyed it more than he expected. I told my friends I hated it, he said. Actually, I caught forty waves in two hours. At the pier, I catch four, and one of them is stolen by a guy named Kyle. Do not print my name.
The Middle Ground
Perhaps the most sensible view is that wave pools and the ocean offer different experiences, each with value. The ocean teaches patience, respect for nature and the art of reading conditions. Wave pools offer consistency, safety and access. For children in therapy programs, consistency and safety may matter more than unpredictability. For experienced surfers seeking adventure, the ocean will always win.
Wave pool operators, for their part, have welcomed the findings with the quiet satisfaction of businesses that charge by the hour. Several have reportedly begun drafting marketing materials featuring the phrase scientifically proven to make you happy, which lawyers have advised them not to use, at least not in that font size.
The Last Word
Back in Malibu, the longboarder finished reading the study, folded his phone into the pocket of his boardshorts and looked out at a small, crumbling wave at First Point. It is not the same, he said finally. Then he paused. But if it helps a kid, he added grudgingly, I suppose I can live with it. As long as they never build one in Malibu. Some things are sacred.