[5] Nick Hounsfield was introduced to surfing by his father Brian, an osteopath and sailor, in the mid 1970s on regular visits to Cornwall, and has been an avid surfer ever since.
[9] After his father died, Hounsfield began to think about open spaces connected to nature where activity and socialisation across generations would be encouraged and embraced.
Hounsfield saw surfing as a tool to start having conversations about wellbeing[7] and was driven to make a social impact through a project improving the quality of health in communities in green and blue outdoor spaces that could both educate and rehabilitate.
Hounsfield founded The Wave[14] in 2012 with sustainability at the heart and the aim to bring year-round consistent surfing and its benefits to a safe inland environment for both beginners and experts, starting with Bristol.
[7] Hounsfield partnered with business directors Craig Stoddart and Nick Asheshov, and campaigned to raise attention, funds, land and technology for the project.
This is a machine-based modular technology patented as Wavegarden Cove[23] and designed to replicate water particle movement of ocean groundswells to generate waves.
[7] Marine social scientist Easkey Britton collated the research of 33 studies featuring more than 2,000 people to evidence support of water-based healthcare and blue health.
In 2018 an independent report revealed that the courses “consistently improved the wellbeing of young people” and “had a lasting, positive impact.”[30] In February 2020, Hounsfield suffered multiple strokes that affected his speech.