How to Build a Backyard, DIY Wave Pool (Video)

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Nov 4, 2025 5:25 PM ET

A little over a month ago, a new wave pool emerged into the blossoming world of synthetic surfing. But this one was different – it wasn’t like the daily barrage of new projects popping up across the globe from the major players in the surf park space.

This one was built in someone’s backyard, a DIY project.

And the real kicker? The thing actually worked well – well enough to drag Ben Gravy and Blair Conklin out to Prescott, Arizona to test out The Wave Source for themselves. And once their videos dropped, along with a few jaws, over 600,000 people got their first glimpse at this novel wave-making tech. But many questions still remained: Who are these guys? Where’d the idea come from? And most importantly, how does the wave work?

Well, Gravy went back to The (Wave) Source, and provided answers. And his latest video dives into the crew behind the project, how it got built, and what makes the waves.

One of the surprising aspects that went into creating the pool? Shipping containers. They built the foundation for the basin. That’s something you wouldn’t typically see at your average Wavegarden or American Wave Machines facility.

But now to the meat of this operation. How does it work?

“There’s no mechanical operation that makes the wave run?” Ben asks one of the creators.

“Air,” responds the science guy. “Compressed air.”

For a further analysis of how it works, Ben broke it down:

“Wave generation systems typically fall between two categories: electromechanical, which means they use electric motors and gears to drive paddles that create water motion; or, pneumatic, which relies on compressed air to create water motion.

“The Wave Source is a reinvented pneumatic system. The difference from legacy pneumatic systems is that it functions by releasing air to create a water drop. The wave peak is created by a natural rebound, so they only use energy for the drop. The design allows The Wave Source to use half the energy of legacy pneumatic pools.”

So, there it is. The secret sauce. Not many surf park operations give it away so freely, but then again, The Wave Source isn’t like other wave pool companies.

Learn more about The Wave Source here, and expect to see more of these pools in the near future.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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