Few surfers have seen the development of wave-pool surfing from quite the same perspective as Dani Garcia. The 53-year-old Spaniard is a lifelong competitive surfer, Wavegarden’s Surf Operations Director and a wave tester who has surfed every Wavegarden facility, along with most of the other major wave-pool technologies around the world.
Now Garcia is approaching wave-pool surfing from another angle: as a competitor. With more than 40 years of surfing behind him, seven European Masters titles and a fourth-place finish at the +50 World Championships in 2024, he brings considerable competitive experience to the Wavepool Surf Tour.
We spoke to Dani about the changing wave-pool landscape, travelling the world in search of waves, equipment, competition strategy and what attracts him to the Tour.
How old are you and what division do you compete in?
I am 53 years old and compete in the +50 division.
Where are you from, and how long have you been surfing?
I am from Cantabria, Spain. I started surfing when I was 12, so I have been surfing for more than 40 years.
What is your local break?
To be honest, at this point I would almost say I don’t have a local break because I am always moving around and surfing in different places. But if I have to choose one, I would say Liencres, in Cantabria.
Which wave pools have you surfed?
I have surfed every Wavegarden facility, as well as quite a few facilities using other technologies.
The list is quite long: Wavegarden Lab, The Wave, Lost Shore, URBNSURF Melbourne, URBNSURF Sydney, Alaïa Bay in Switzerland, Surfland Brasil, Praia da Grama, Beyond, Atlantic Park in Virginia Beach, Tel Aviv, Korea, Coachella, Waco, Palm Springs Surf Club, Surftown MUC, Honna/CITYWAVE Madrid, Snowdonia, Siam Park, FlowRider Durban, plus river waves in Munich and Oregon, and FlowRider in Brussels.
I am probably forgetting some.
Which is your favourite wave pool?
This is a very difficult question for me. It would be a bit like asking me, “Who do you love more, Mum or Dad?” but with both of them standing in front of you while you answer.
One of the things that has surprised me most is discovering that every lagoon has its own personality. The waves behave differently at every facility, and I have different favourites at each one.
I thought I would end up having one clear favourite, but it hasn’t been like that. So, if I really have to choose, probably my favourite is the one where I am made to feel the best because of the welcome, the atmosphere and the whole experience.
The Wavepool Surf Tour has a lot of excitement around it, and there are opportunities to win a Wavepool World Title in your division. Are you amped?
Of course I am.
I am surfing quite a lot in wave lagoons and have been competing in the ocean all my life. If that still motivates me, then competing here certainly does, especially with the opportunity to fight for a World Title in my division.
There will be events around the world. Will you travel to compete internationally?
Yes, of course. I will try to go to as many events as possible.
Who are your sponsors?
Mum and Dad.
Do you currently compete in surfing competitions? If so, at what level?
Yes. I have actually never stopped.
I started very young, in kids and junior divisions, and have continued all my life. Now I mainly compete in the +50 division.
Can you share a few recent competition results?
One result I would highlight is my 4th place in the +50 World Championships in El Salvador in 2024.
Since the European Masters Championship has been held at Las Américas, I have won every edition in the divisions I have entered, either +40 or +50. In total, I have around seven European Masters titles.
Although it is not so recent, I would also highlight being Spanish Open and Masters Champion in 2015.
Where has surfing taken you? Include any wave pools you’ve travelled to.
Surfing has taken me almost everywhere in the world and has always been one of the main reasons for my travels.
I have travelled through Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, Brazil, El Salvador, California and almost all of Europe, among many other places.
For years my plan was simple: while I could, I wanted to visit places with good waves, adventure and challenging conditions. I always thought I would have time when I was 70, or when surfing became more difficult, to visit countries and cultures where surfing was not the main reason for the trip.
Wave lagoons are changing that plan.
Suddenly surfing is taking me to places like Korea, Edinburgh or Switzerland, places I would never have imagined visiting specifically to surf. Korea, for example, was a beautiful trip in 2026. I am ambitious when it comes to discovering new places and cultures, and now I am lucky enough to combine that with surfing.
For me, wave lagoons are opening a new world of travel that I never expected.
What are your future travel plans? Where are you heading next?
Soon I will travel to Punta del Este, Uruguay, a country I have never visited and really want to discover.
There is also Bahrain, where Wavegarden is opening a new lagoon this year.
What are the make, model and dimensions of your favourite board?
Right now I am developing a new model with Pukas and Wavegarden specifically for wave lagoons: the Pukas Pool Mood.
My dimensions are 5’6” x 19” x 2.35”, 26 litres.
Would you ride different equipment in a wave pool than you would in the ocean? If so, what changes would you make?
Yes, of course.
In fact, this is exactly why we are developing the Pool Mood with Pukas and Wavegarden. You can surf perfectly in a lagoon with any normal board you use in the ocean. You don’t need a special board.
But when you get to know these waves really well, you discover that you can fine-tune a board specifically for this kind of surfing.
I have a few tricks for this, but I can’t reveal them yet. We will have to wait until we launch the model.
Wave pools are opening in more countries every year. It feels like there is a whole new world of surfing opening up. How do you feel about it?
I think it is incredible. I believe we are changing surfing forever, and I love being part of it from the inside with Wavegarden.
In some ways, it was something that had to happen. Almost every sport has its own “playing field”. Even sports that originally depended completely on nature have created controlled environments to train, compete, learn or simply enjoy. Climbing and skiing are good examples.
Surfing didn’t have to be different.
What I find especially interesting is that now we can design almost any type of wave, shape it, repeat it and surf it in perfect conditions.
Nature will always be nature and you can’t replace it. But being able to complement the ocean with this new world of waves is extraordinary.
Who are your favourite male and female surfers?
They have changed a lot over the years.
Curiously, right now I am watching a lot of Andy Irons and finding his surfing really inspiring. I think I appreciate it more now than I did at the time.
And, of course, Kelly Slater. When I look at certain technical details in his surfing, I understand why he is who he is.
For the women, I love Stephanie Gilmore’s style, and I also really like Caity Simmers.
The Wavepool Surf Tour counts your two best waves, with opportunities to replace them if you improve. What would your strategy be?
My strategy, at least at the beginning, would be to go for it. As long as I have opportunities, I would try to surf every wave at the maximum of my level and improve on the previous one.
If you already have a very good wave, keep trying to beat it. If the session is nearly over and you still don’t have a decent score, then it is time to make sure you get something.
Personally, I would try one forehand session and one backhand session. Then I would choose the waves I like most, or the ones I think the judges will understand and score best, and submit those.
I think it is still too early to know the perfect strategy. We will have to understand what kind of surfing the judges reward and what works best on this wave. I am sure competitors will find different approaches as the Tour develops.
There is something else I think is fundamental: the level of the judges. Having respected, top-level judges behind the Tour gives it huge credibility. It is not about becoming obsessed with every tenth of a point, but it is important to know your surfing is being judged by people with a lot of experience.
And then anything else you would like to add that’s interesting?
What attracts me most about the Wavepool Surf Tour is that it combines competition with something very fun and, above all, with personal improvement.
In many ways, you are competing against yourself. You do your session, see how far you can push your surfing and get a score from professional judges. If other surfers beat you, you can go back, do another session and push harder.
At the same time, you are competing with your usual friends at your local lagoon, surfers from other lagoons and people from all over the world, all surfing a comparable wave. I find that really interesting.
I would compare it a little with the New York Marathon. Obviously, winning it would be a huge achievement, but you don’t need to be fighting for the win for competing to make sense. Something similar happens here. You can measure yourself, improve, have fun and see where your level is compared with other surfers.
And if you manage to qualify for the in-person final, that alone would already be an incredible prize.
I also don’t think we know all the possibilities this format has yet. As the Tour develops, competitors will find new approaches and probably new ways of competing will emerge that we are not even thinking about right now.
That is part of what makes this project so motivating for me.
--
Read more: Wavepool Surf Tour Provisional 2026–2027 Schedule Announced
