The most credible full-size surf park proposal in Canada, in a location that makes obvious sense: 45 minutes from a large surf-starved city, on a highway that already carries destination traffic to Whistler. The wave technology is proven and the land use is approved, so the open question is schedule rather than viability.
South Britannia is a Wavegarden Cove planned for Britannia Beach, on the shore of Howe Sound between Vancouver and Squamish, and it would be Canada's first full-size surf lagoon. It is the anchor of a master-planned community on a former quarry site, approved for roughly 1,050 homes alongside hotels, cabins, and retail. A development permit application for the pool and its main building was submitted to the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District in July 2026, with construction planned from early 2027 and waves targeted for 2029.
A Wavegarden Cove, the same platform running at The Wave in Bristol, Lost Shore in Scotland, and DSRT Surf in California. Cove pools push up to 1,000 waves an hour from a central pier of modules, with settings ranging from beginner reforms in the shallows to short, hollow barrel sections at the top end, and they can run different levels in different parts of the pool at the same time. Reported capacity here is up to 80 surfers at once, and the permit application describes a dissipative shoreline, which is the design detail that keeps backwash from chopping up later waves in a set. The module count, which determines wave size and how many surfers the pool can realistically serve, has not been announced.
Metro Vancouver, which has close to 3 million people and no surf. The nearest reliable waves are on Vancouver Island, a ferry crossing plus a long drive away, so a Cove 45 minutes north of the city would change what a surf session costs a Vancouver surfer in time more than in money. It is also positioned for the Sea to Sky tourism corridor, where Whistler already brings destination visitors within an hour of the site.
No pricing announced, and none is likely until much closer to opening. For reference, comparable Wavegarden Cove sessions currently run about 45 to 65 pounds in the UK and roughly 90 to 140 US dollars in North America, so expect Canadian session rates in a broadly similar band once they are published.
Nothing to plan yet. If you are in the area before it opens, Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island is the region's real surf destination, and East Point Reef Club at Bridal Falls is the other British Columbia surf pool in progress. Signals worth watching for South Britannia: the supplementary Phase One permit, visible site works, and a confirmed Wavegarden module count.
Technology
Wavegarden Cove
