Scotland has a rich history of academic excellence and has been the leading light in countless fields of research over the centuries. Once again, Scotland has an opportunity to lead. But this time it is far from the laboratories of Fleming or Black.

Instead, it will be on the waves of Scotland’s first, and Europe’s largest, inland surfing lagoon. This state-of-the-art facility which will open next year near Edinburgh will welcome surfing dabblers and seasoned professionals to ride its uninterrupted waves.

Lost Shore Surf Resort will be, for most people, an exhilarating addition to Scotland’s outdoor tourism scene, with restaurants, accommodation and shopping to boot. But it will also play host to a global first academic collaboration. Working alongside Edinburgh Napier University, it will be the home of the Surf Lab. Andy Hadden, the founder of Lost Shore, has always believed in and supported the importance of surfing research. Indeed, he funded the world’s first doctorate focused on surf therapy years before the project was due to open, which I completed last year. 

Surf Lab will see research in areas such as surf therapy, high performance surfing, adaptive surfing, and equipment research and development. It will cement Edinburgh Napier’s stellar reputation for research, whilst providing students with the most unique learning opportunities.

Surf therapy can have transformative effects. It has become a valued method of intervention taking referrals from the NHS amongst many others. It has been used to support a range of populations including youth mental health, military veterans, emergency service workers, gender based violence survivors, and refugees. Through my own work with the Wave Project Scotland, I have seen the brilliant effect it can have on young people: growing their self-esteem, building their confidence, and improving their physical and mental wellness. 

But the work is not complete when it comes to exploring the potential of surfing based approaches. The Surf Lab venture will help us better understand how we can harness, and optimise, the power of surfing to improve wellbeing both within intervention contexts, and for the general population. This research also has valuable learnings away from surfing in the increasingly important community mental health paradigm. But that is not all.

With surfing now an olympic sport, and likely soon a paralympic sport,  the potential to research high performance and professional athletes is huge. Who knows, it may even spur on some Scots to bring home a medal for Team GB one day. 

We will also be able to investigate and make great strides in the development of equipment. Improving wetsuit technology, testing new surf related products, and understanding how we can make surfboard design more environmentally friendly while maintaining performance are just some of the ways we can make Scotland a hub for the industry.

Importantly, this will all be able to take place in a uniquely controllable environment - the surfing lagoon. It means that research that would be impossible in other contexts will now be made possible and without being at the mercy of swell and wind forecasts. 

In years gone by it was a rare sight to see a swimmer on a beach in St Andrews or North Berwick. Nowadays, there are scores of people embracing the benefits of blue health. We should celebrate this and the Surf Lab will have a unique place in the world to help us further understand how to make the most of blue space exposure when it comes to physical and mental health.

As a keen surfer, I am excited about the opportunities that Lost Shore Surf Resort will bring to the Scottish surfing scene. But as a researcher, I know that the benefits for Scotland will be so much more.

Dr Jamie Marshall completed the world’s first doctorate focused on surf therapy.