THE wait for thrill-seekers across the city is over as the North’s first indoor surf simulator was launched at the Andersonstown Leisure Centre on Wednesday. 

‘Surf Belfast’ is a must for anyone up for the aquatic challenge and uses pumps to fire a constant five-metre wide wave sheet to challenge its riders. The simulator has been designed for a variety of age groups and skill levels and has four different performance settings to ensure that the ride can be enjoyed by just about everyone. Height restriction of 1.2 metres (4-feet) is in place. 

The Andersonstown News understands that a further three new waterslides and a children’s adventure wet play area will open next month making Andersonstown Leisure Centre the biggest indoor family aqua park in the North. 

Sinn Féin Councillor Danny Baker and Chair of Belfast City Council’s People and Communities Committee said people from across the city will travel to Andersonstown to enjoy these “amazing new facilities”. 

“Council’s £105 million investment in our Leisure Transformation Programme is changing the face of leisure in the city,” he said.

“Our goal is to get more people, more active more often, and Surf Belfast is a really exciting addition to our leisure offering.”

Gareth Kirk, GLL’s Regional Director for Belfast said: “The leisure transformation project is so much more than just replacing older leisure stock. The forward thinking approach of the team has allowed us to introduce new products like this amazing surfing experience in the heart of the city which is another great example of why Belfast is a city to visit stay and play.”

Anyone wishing to experience the attraction will need to pre-book a session online via the Better UK app. Sessions are up to 45 minutes long, based on eight people per session taking turns to ride. 

Further openings of three new waterslides and a children’s adventure wet play area will follow next month, making this the biggest indoor family aqua park in the North of Ireland.