Sports Zone: Water

Indoor Surf Centre

Perfect waves all day every day for all levels of ability will be created in the UK’s first indoor dedicated surf centre. Half metre unbroken barrel waves are perfect for body boarding and learning to surf, while breaking waves up to a metre high are ideal for elite surfers and international competitions. The indoor surf centre includes a new deep water surf machine on which surfers can use finned surf boards, for practising tricks as if they were out on the open ocean and a laminar flow surf machine, with shallower water which is used with specially designed body boards and skim boards. They are an attraction where spectators enjoy watching as much as participants enjoy riding, thereby enhancing its visibility and appeal. The surf machines will be surrounded by beach bars and surf shops with an events stage, a video download area and ‘cool’ places to hang out and watch the action.

Outdoor Surf Centre

Venture Xtreme will also have an outdoor surf centre enclosed beneath a giant ETFE dome, called ‘Double Barrel’, Europe’s first moving wave pool, with

• 2 metre high breaking and tubing waves that are ideal for experienced and elite surfers
• and half metre unbroken barrel waves that are perfect for body boarding and learning to surf

This new Double Barrel Surf System will be the world's first ever back to back surf pool featuring the most advanced wave generating technology on the market. The system encompasses innovative design to bring together a truly world class surfing attraction. Each wave setting can be customised to produce waves to the client’s exact requirements. For ease of operation, the entire system will be operated from the pool side remote panel allowing Venture Xtreme staff to select wave patterns and performance at the flick of a switch.

White Water Course

Where possible within the constraints of the location, a white water course will be a vital ingredient of the Venture Xtreme mix. It will offer world-class white water to everyone from Olympic athletes to curious first-timers. An international standard six hundred and fifty metre long white water river with rapids and waterfalls will allow canoeing, rafting, tubing, play-boating, white water swimming, hot dog and slalom to be practised. This fully controllable white water paradise will form two loops of different gradients that rejoin in a large finishing lake, from where a ‘moving carpet boatlift’ will take paddlers back to the starting lake for a new adventure without ever leaving their boats.

Play boat waves

Play Boating or Freestyle is a radical form of canoeing developed from slalom, where the competitor performs tricks and stunts, such as striking a suspended ball with the nose of the kayak.  A specially created surf wave will be formed in a loop off the main white water course, where regular competitions and coaching sessions can be held. Playing in such a stopper or wave allows paddlers to perform a variety of spectacular tricks.

Canyoning Centre

The UK’s first, and the world’s largest, artificial canyoning experience will allow ‘canyoneers’ to slide, jump and abseil down a series of waterfalls. The man-made mountain will have a series of pumped water systems creating an exciting canyoning adventure at three different levels. The green run for children and first timers will have low jumps and slides up to two metres high linked by a series of caves and white water channels. The red course for intermediate participants will have jumps and slides up to five or six metres high, with short abseils and climbs, while the black course for experts and serious thrill seekers will have abseils up to twenty metres, jumps up to eight metres and slides of ten metres all into crystal clear deep pools.

Deep Water Soloing

This new cutting edge adventure sport involves climbing without ropes above deep water. Climbers will be able to ascend increasingly difficult pitches above the deep pools of the canyoning centre, with falls of up to ten metres waiting for those who slip! This will be another first for the UK, a unique and exciting adventure sport attraction for all to try.

The Scuba Diving Centre

Venture Xtreme will build the first indoor purpose built dive facility in the UK and at 25m deep, the second deepest public dive tank in the world. Linked to a full dive shop, SCUBA school and teaching facilities the Venture Xtreme dive facilities will be second to none.  They will providing an unparalleled and much needed indoor training facility in a safe and controlled environment. Whether brushing up on existing skills, taking new qualifications, learning underwater photography or how to use a drysuit, the dive centre will cater for all, including those who just want to ‘have a go’ and blow a few bubbles! The tank will have sculpted rock walls, arches and even a ship wreck! In addition to being used by new and experienced scuba divers, it will provide an attractive location for film companies, rescue services and equipment manufacturers wishing to test new gear.

The dive centre will also be used for snorkelling activities and training for breath hold ‘free’ diving. A section of the pool at programmed times will also be made available for guests staying at one of Venture Xtreme’s hotels.