Blair Conklin drops into Germany’s most famous river surfing wave. Photo: Blair Conklin // YouTube
In case you haven’t noticed, river surfing is having a moment right now. Seemingly anywhere there’s a freshwater current strong enough to support a hunk of foam, there’s someone out there carving it up.
No small part of that is due to the advent of man-made waves. Though the term “man-made” brings to mind the even more recent explosion of the wave pool, the term also encompasses human intervention in natural features. This can be anything from a sophisticated hydraulic wave shaper to a bunch of boulders sunk into a riverbed. In fact, the history of river surfing is inextricably tied with human intervention in nature, ever since the first known river surfing wave was created by sinking blocks of concrete into Germany’s Eisbach River.
With all that in mind, we sought to make a catalogue of all the man-made river waves out there for freshwater surfers to take advantage of. While we tried to be as exhaustive as possible, it’s nearly impossible to catch every single engineered ripple that can float a board, so we’re primarily focusing on spots that have at least one feature primarily intended for surfing. However, there are still many other whitewater parks and engineered waves around the world where surfers can ply their art. We’ll keep the list updated as new waves are built or come to our attention.
Europe
Eisbach
River: Eisbach River
Location: Munich, Germany
The Eisbach (German for ‘Ice-Brook’) is a 1.2-mile long man-made river that flows through the Englischer Garten, a public park in Munich, Germany. The wave was created in 1972, after the city submerged several concrete blocks under a bridge to block the river’s strong current, and German surfers have been surfing the resulting standing wave ever since. At first, the practice remained semi-underground, since the break was technically illegal to ride until 2010, when the city of Munich changed its stance and legalized surfing there.
Flosslände
River: Isar
Location: Munich, Germany
According to Munich tourism, Germans first surfed Flosslände in 1972, “long before the Eisbach.” That would make it the world’s first known river surfing wave. However, whether this is fact or factoid is up for debate, as other sources claim that was the same year the Eisbach was first ridden. Either way, despite being just five miles upstream from the Eisbach, the Flosslände is a much more beginner friendly break, appropriate for a wider range of skill levels than its more famous brother.
Leinewelle
River: Leine
Location: Hanover, Germany
Inspired by the famed Eisbach wave, the Leinewelle is formed by a controllable hydraulic system in the Leine river, right in the middle of Hanover’s historic old town. For a while, it looked like the wave might never see the light of day, as the project was tied up in a court case against a local fishing club that sought to stop construction. However, the surfers ended up winning the battle, and the facility was completed in 2023.
Nürnberger Dauerwelle
River: Pegnitz River
Location: Nuremberg, Germany
The wave at Nürnberger Dauerwell is a somewhat unique hybrid of a wave pool and a river wave. The facility, created by German wave pool company Dreamwave, diverts water from the Pegnitz river into a specially designed channel. There, adjustable modules create what the company calls a “controlled natural wave.”
Black Forest Wave
River: Metelgraben Canal
Location: Pforzheim, Germany
In September 2021, after seven years of planning, testing and construction, the Black Forest Wave was installed on the Metelgraben canal, which crosses the city of Pforzheim and flows into the Nagold River. The resulting 18-foot standing wave is controlled with a built-in hydraulic system. At first, the wave was limited to members of the local Black Forest Wave surf club, but has since opened to the general public.
Almwelle
River: Salzburg River
Location: Salzburg, Austria
The location of the Almwelle was originally a sluice used to divert water during flooding. However, in 2010, it was transformed into an adjustable river wave. Though the Almwelle is an extremely narrow wave – only ten feet wide, a group of dedicated Austrian locals manage to perform carves, tail slides, aerials and more on it year-round.
The Riverwave
River: Traun River
Location: Ebensee, Austria
Created by McLaughlin Whitewater, The Riverwave, located in the Traun River Valley of Ebensee, Austria, claims to be Europe’s biggest artificial river wave. The design uses an adjustable wave shaper to create a 30-foot wide and up to five-foot tall surfable standing wave for more than 330 days a year, in a wide range of river conditions.
Brandýs nad Labem
River: Elbe
Location: Brandýs nad Labem, Czech Republic
Brandýs nad Labem is a small town located on the banks of the Elbe river in the Czech Republic. In 2013, artificial wave company Surf Anywhere (the same people responsible for The Mountain Wave in Alberta, Canada) completed a river wave at the site of a former mill. However, surfers looking to conquer the break have a limited window to do so, as the wave operates from spring to autumn and is only open for a few hours a day. If you manage to thread that needle, you’ll be rewarded with the best and only ride in the Czech Republic.
Divoka Voda
River: Danube
Location: Cunovo, Slovakia
Located in the small town of Cunovo, near Bratislava, the Divoka Voda wave forms in a channel pulling water from the Danube River. The Divoka Voda is a sheet flow wave, where water flows over a shallow ramp to create a surfable surface, similar to a FlowRider system.
Don Surf
River: Don River
Location: Lebedyan, Russia
Don Surf is Russia’s first river wave, located roughly four hours South of Moscow, in the Lipetsk Region. The facility creates its wave using a system consisting of a kicker at the end of a ramp. Other than that, there’s not a lot of information available, but if you’re looking to go on a full-on surfing tour of Russia, there’s also a nearby Citywave pool to check out as well.
Americas
Brennan’s Wave
River: Clark Fork River
Location: Missoula, Montana
Brennan’s Wave is named after Brennan Guth, a world-class kayaker who died while paddling the Rio Palguin in Chile in 2001. Before his death, Brennan had been working on a project to repurpose an irrigation diversion in the Clark Fork River, which runs right through the heart of downtown Missoula. While the diversion initially was an obstacle to river riders, Guth thought it could be repurposed to make the river more accessible and safer for paddlers. In the wake of his death, Brennan’s father began a fundraiser to finish the project, and now the irrigation structure divides the river into three channels. two of which form waves that have attracted kayakers, surfers, and paddleboarders since its completion in 2006.
The Mountain Wave
River: Kananaskis River
Location: Kananaskis, Alberta
The Kanananskis River has been the site of man-made water attractions since 1984, when the Alberta Whitewater Association first developed a whitewater slalom course at Canoe Meadows. Then, in 2014, surfing showed up on the scene when the AWA hired the company Surf Anywhere to sink boulders into a flat section of the river to create a standing wave. In 2019, the wave was redesigned by adding additional boulders to widen the wave. That’s not the end of the road, though, as AWA and Surf anywhere have designs to make the wave fully adjustable in the future.
Bend Whitewater Park
River: Deschutes River
Location: Bend, Oregon
The Bend Whitewater Park, on the Deschutes River near Bend’s Old Mill District, is made up of three separate channels: a slow-flowing “floater” waterway for tubing, a nature habitat, and the whitewater channel. In the whitewater channel, pneumatically controlled steel plates (once again designed by Surf Anywhere) form not one, but four fully adjustable waves. Three of those waves, Jason’s, Kricket’s and Eddy’s, are designed primarily for kayaks, though SUPs and boogie boards can also sneak in a ride. However, The Green Wave is where the real action happens, as it has enough juice for shortboarders to carve and cutback to their heart’s content.
Boise Whitewater Park
River: Boise River
Location: Boise, Idaho
The river wave on the Boise River was a long time in the making. The site was once filled with concrete and debris from abandoned slaughter houses that were bulldozed into the river (known then as the 36th Street Wave), but the idea of rehabilitating the area into a whitewater park began gaining traction in the late ‘90s. After 13 years of work, in 2012 the Boise Whitewater Park finally opened, with the centerpiece being two adjustable waves, formed using ramps designed for irrigation equipment. The waves, which are usually ridable sometime between March and October, alternate between shapes suited for kayaking and surfing, so be sure to check the schedule if you’re looking to make a pilgrimage for shredding. Plus the newest wave, a behemoth set between two walls, has been nicknamed the “Shark Tank” for its propensity to shred fiberglass surfboards.
Kelly’s Whitewater Park
River: Payette River
Location: Cascade, Idaho
Kelly’s Whitewater Park is located about an hour and a half north of Boise. The park’s waves are formed by are non-adjustable rock and cement structures, and thus are variable depending on the seasonal river flow. But the place goes off at high water, as The Inertia and Blair Conklin found out.
Waimea Rivermouth
River: Waimea River
Location: North Shore, Oahu
You may recognize the Waimea River wave as a perennial favorite of YouTuber Jamie O’Brien. The Waimea wave has a bit more of a DIY aspect to it than other breaks on this list. Rather than sinking rocks or installing pneumatic plates, the man-made element of the break is literally a bunch of North Shore locals digging a trench to the ocean. This is all possible because, after heavy rains, excess water in the Waimea River gets trapped behind built-up sand on Waimea Bay Beach and starts to backfill into the valley and marsh behind it. Normally, this would sort itself out when the river eventually broke through on its own or the water gradually dissipated after the winter rains ended. However, enterprising surfers discovered that, by digging an outlet for that water to flow into the ocean, they could create a powerful standing wave.
Aliso Creek
River: Aliso Creek
Location: Long Beach, California
Under certain wave and tide conditions, a sand berm will form that dams the runoff of Laguna Beach’s Aliso Creek. While this accumulated water will periodically breach on its own, Laguna Beach surfers have taken to helping the process along, digging a trench to breach the berm and release the water into the ocean, in the process creating a powerful standing wave. The process is essentially identical to the standing wave created at the Waimea rivermouth.
However, riding the Aliso Creek wave has an added layer of controversy to it. Environmental groups say that digging out the berm can unnecessarily introduce bacterial pollution and toxins into the ocean, nearby homeowners fear the backed up creek water will threaten their properties, and the surfers just want to ride a (bacteria-ridden) wave. As of yet, the city of Laguna Beach hasn’t outright banned breaching the berm at Aliso Creek, but the wave’s days may be numbered.
River Run Park
River: Platte River
Location: Denver, Colorado
River Run Park was a the result of a project that created six drop structures in a half-mile section of the Platte River, three of which form surfable waves. The first wave, called Chiclets (after the shape of the blocks that help shape the wave) is the furthest downstream and the most beginner-friendly of the bunch. Next is Benihanas (or Bennis), a more challenging, faster wave that is shaped by three adjustable plates underneath the water that allow the wave to be dialed in according to the water flow. In 2019, a new surfing wave was introduced. As it is the sixth wave in the park, counting from the downstream end, locals have taken to calling it “Sixx” or “Nikkis,” after the Motley Crue frontman. This final feature is faster, wider and shallower than its downstream brother, Bennis. As such, it is an even more difficult wave to ride, with little margin for error. Surfers risk damaging not only their fins on the bottom, but injuring themselves if they fall forward or veer into the concrete side walls. However, those able to thread the needle at Nikkis will be rewarded with one of the best rides in Colorado.
Union Chutes
River: Platte River
Location: Denver, Colorado
Union Chutes is an artificial whitewater park on the Platte river with three features, two of which are surfable: U2 and Hawaii 5-0. Both are fast wedges that are not for beginners or the faint of heart.
Glenwood Whitewater Park
River: Colorado River
Location: Glenwood Springs, Colorado
While the Glenwood Whitewater Park is primarily designed for kayakers or “play boaters,” it can provide a solid river surfing wave under the right conditions. The G-Wave, as it is called, is a river wide feature with surfable waves on both the river-right and river-left side.
Salida Whitewater Park
River: Arkansas River
Location: Salida, Colorado
Development of the Salida Whitewater Park began in 1999, spearheaded by kayaker, rafter and surfer Mike Harvey, who teamed up with Gary Lacy, founder of the whitewater park company Recreation Engineering and Planning (REP). At first, the park catered primarily to kayakers, but that changed in 2010 with the addition of two new features designed specifically for river surfing. One of those waves, the fast, glassy, eminently rippable “Scout Wave,” now forms the heart of the Salida river surfing scene. Then, in the fall of 2022, Salida completed the Scout Wave 2.0 project, which further improved the break. If you’re looking for boards specifically designed to conquer the Arkansas river, the nearby Badfish surf shop (co-founded by Harvey and shaper Zack Hughes) has you covered.
Buena Vista Park
River: Arkansas River
Location: Buena Vista, Colorado
The Buena Vista park began in 2000 with a single feature built on a shoestring budget. Since then, grants from the state enabled the addition of four more waves, the last of which was the higher-performance Pocket Wave in 2014. More recently, the Pocket Wave is the subject of a planned redesign, inspired by the success of the Scout Wave in Salida. The Pocket Wave 2.0 is targeted for completion in September 2024.
Pueblo Whitewater Park
River: Arkansas River
Location: Pueblo, Colorado
The Pueblo Whitewater Park is located on a half-mile stretch of the Arkansas River and features eight manmade drops, the third and fourth of which are best suited for river surfing. In addition to the waves themselves, Pueblo has the distinct feature of being lined with murals painted along the sides of the park, which lend the adjacent drops their colorful names (“Harpo,” “Marley” and “The Grim Reaper,” to name a few). The most recent addition is “Pueblo’s New Wave,” a fast, high-performance wave that was the result of an $11-million project finished in 2024.
Gunnison Whitewater Park
River: Gunnison River
Location: Gunnison, Colorado
The Gunnison River Whitewater park was first built in 2003, and, while generally geared towards kayakers, provided a surfable wave with the right water flow. However, by 2022, the park had seen better times, with some of the underwater concrete structures that form the waves starting to wear down. This prompted the advocacy and environmental stewardship group Gunnison Waves to campaign for a renovation, which resulted in the company McLaughlin Whitewater coming in to install an adjustable hydraulic feature.
Montrose Water Sports Park
River: Uncompahgre River
Location: Montrose, Colorado
Completed in 2015, the Montrose River Park features six features that can create surfable waves at a variety of flows. They are also ridable later into the season than other parks in the area, thanks to irrigation needs downstream from the park. Visitors can also watch the action from nearby terraced spectator and beach areas.
Santa Rita Whitewater Park
River: Animas River
Location: Durango, Colorado
The Santa Rita Whitewater Park is an artificial, designed area of rapids in the Animas River. The rapids were created to provide rafters and kayakers with a challenging experience at many water levels, but the park can also provide some modest waves for intrepid surfers as well.
Clear Creek Whitewater Park
River: Clear Creek
Location: Golden, Colorado
While Clear Creek Whitewater Park is a popular canoeing and kayaking spot, it can also support surfers, but don’t expect any fireworks. The quarter-mile long attraction was first built in 1998 by sinking boulders into Clear Creek. There are four features in the park, three of which are surfable: Bleacher Wave, Library Wave and Bingo. Out of those, Bingo, is your best bet for groveling, as long as you’re prepared to risk dinging your board on the shallow bottom.
Eagle River Whitewater Park
Location: Eagle, Colorado
A two-year revitalization project concluded in 2019 with the creation of The Eagle River Whitewater Park. The project created four features in total, which make use of an adjustable system called Rapidbloc, designed by whitewater park development company S20.
Charles City Whitewater
River: Cedar River
Location: Charles City, Iowa
Iowa’s first whitewater park has three features: Dam Drop (or DD), Doc’s Drop and Exit Exam. The first wave was designed as a SUP surfing wave, while the second two are more suited for playboating and kayaking.
RiverScape Park
River: Great Miami River
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Riverscape was born when a dangerous low-head dam in the Great Miami River located near the Dayton Art Institute was removed and replaced by two structures spanning the river. This created two passageways: a smooth-water run for novice paddlers and a whitewater play feature for experienced paddlers. Since then, rock islands were placed in the river to create drops, which in turn formed a standing wave that has given rise to Dayton’s river surfing scene.
Wingfield Park
River: Truckee River
Location: Reno, NV
The river surfing wave at Wingfield Park in Downtown Reno is known as “Hole Three.” During summer and fall, the wave is a modest ankle-slapper, but can reach 3-5 feet in the winter and spring.
Chattahoochee Whitewater Park
River: Chattahoochee River
Location: Columbus, Georgia
The Chattahoochee has the longest urban whitewater rafting course in the world. Along that two-and-a-half-mile stretch, you can also try your hand at some river surfing.
Oceania
Hāwea
River: Hāwea River
Location: Wanaka, New Zealand
The river surfing feature at Hāwea Whitewater Park, simply known as “The Wave” to locals, is located on the Hāwea River, near the popular summer and winter resort town of Wanaka, New Zealand. The park was created as a joint project with Central Otago Whitewater and Whitewater New Zealand and actually features two surfing waves. The first is a “bouncy and soft” ride, designed for shorter boats and longer boards, while the second is a faster rapid for shortboarders and advanced kayakers.
Editor’s Note: Did we miss any man-made river waves? Drop us a comment and we’ll keep this list updated.
