The Best Wave Pools Around The World

Imagine the thrill of a real surfing experience — without having to go to the ocean.

Hop on your surf board and head out to a wave pool for the opportunity to ride impressive-looking authentic waves in an incredible man-made environment.

*Related: The Best Water Parks in the World

Good surf spots are abundant in San Diego, but when the waves are flat and there isn't any swell, what do you do? Head to Wave House if you're looking to ride big waves in a man-made beach environment. They have two skimboarding waves, the relatively mellow FlowRider and the FlowBarrel, which creates an impressive-looking 10-foot-tall wave.

Located just outside of the city of Al Ain, the Wadi Adventure Park offers its visitors an artificial river for whitewater rafting and kayaking and a wave pool – the largest surf pool in the Middle East – that makes waves up to 3.3 meters high. Book a surf lesson with an instructor or simply rent the pool and ride the perfect breaks all to yourself.

The largest wave park in North America, Disney World's Typhoon Lagoon, is the best place to ride insane waves. The pool has a tendency to get crowded, but luckily, you can rent it out for a surf session morning or night. Experience 6-foot swells and even ask for split peaks – one person can go right and the other left on the same wave.

Surf on waves created at the same angle as a perfect point break. Webber Wave Pools takes pride in their wave quality; their waves don't need to bend in order to align with the gradient and their waves' shape and size can be altered from day to day. Enjoy about 500 waves per hour.

Located at Boyne Mountain Resort, the Avalanche Bay Indoor Water Park is the largest indoor waterpark in Michigan. Catch the perfect wave on Rip Zone, the artificial skim wave, on a stand-up board or a boogie board.

First opened in 2000 with one of the world's largest wave pools, Sunway Lagoon covers almost 140,000 square feet of water. It's also one of the most beautiful man-made pools to visit, with intricate tile work all around the walls. It throws out waves that are up to nine feet tall.

Surf the waves year-round at the Himlabadet Resort, home to the first SurfStream wave in Europe. Because the pool is built to mimic the form of a tidal wave, surfers will feel like they are surfing on real waves. The resort also holds an indoor surf competition, the Hangloose SurfStream Open, and pros like Cheyne Magnusson have come to surf it.

Home to 125,000 square feet of indoor fun, Kalahari offers its visitors the opportunity to bodyboard or stand-up surf on the FlowRider, a five-foot-tall skim wave. They give lessons so you won't go into the "ocean" unprepared, and kids as small as 42 inches can give it a whirl.

Also known as Arizona's best waterpark, Big Surf Waterpark is home to one of the biggest wave pools in the world. You can test your skills on its wave, which moves 2.5 million gallons of water. Available to rent are boogie boards, rafts, and of course, surf boards.

Located in Basque county is the world's longest man-made wave. Wavegarden has gotten votes from big name surfers like Dane Reynolds and Taj Burrows as the best artificial wave in the world. There's a left and a right break, and they both move down a channel instead of breaking stationary like a lot of other manmade waves. Enjoy perfect waves of all sizes, shapes, speeds and lengths.