Your water. Your way.

Open Waves

Ridereal spots with your friends.

  • Surf
  • Skim
  • Foil
  • Downwind
  • Wing
  • Windsurf
  • Kite
  • Sail
  • Jet ski
  • Boats
  • Wakeboard

Forty-seven water sports on Pipeline, Teahupoʻo, Jaws and almost any real coastline, in your browser or in VR, with live wind and swell and your whole crew in the lineup.

  • 47sports
  • Livewind & swell
  • 8riders per lobby
  • VRon Meta Quest

01Forty-seven ways to ride

One ocean, every board

Waves · Foil · Wind · Boats · Paddle · Tow · Air · Land · SnowFind your next favorite ride

02Built on the real world

Conditions that match the ocean today

Before you paddle out, Open Waves loads the latest wind, swell and weather for the spot you picked. The sun sits where it really does. Shorelines and seabed depth come from open map and survey data, so the lineup looks the way it should.

  • Live wind, swell and weather forecasts
  • Photorealistic 3D coastlines and buildings
  • Mapped shorelines, piers and jetties
  • Generate a spot anywhere on the coast
Wing foiling beside the Statue of Liberty and New York skyline in Open Waves

03Virtual reality

Stand on the board in VR

Put on a Meta Quest, open Open Waves in the headset's browser and press Enter VR. You are on the board: look over your shoulder at the set rolling in, lean into the carve and watch the lip throw over you. Touch controllers are mapped for every sport, and nothing needs installing from an app store.

  • Plays in the Meta Quest browser through WebXR
  • Touch controller layout for every sport
  • Ride with friends on desktop in the same lobby

04Real spots

Ride the world's famous breaks

  • Banzai PipelineNorth Shore · Oʻahu
  • TeahupoʻoTahiti
  • Peʻahi (Jaws)Maui · Hawaiʻi
  • CloudbreakFiji
  • Jeffreys BaySouth Africa
  • Snapper RocksGold Coast · Australia
  • Hood RiverColumbia Gorge · Oregon
  • TarifaAndalusia · Spain
  • Maliko RunMaui · Hawaiʻi
  • CabareteDominican Republic
  • Le MorneMauritius
  • Pleasure PointSanta Cruz · California

…and any coastline you pick on the 3D globe.

05Ride together

Same waves. Your people.

Up to 8 riders

Host a public lobby or send an invite link to just your crew. Everyone sees the same sets, so you can call each other into the good ones.

Proximity voice chat

Talk to whoever is near you on the water. Voices fade with distance, so the lineup sounds like a lineup. Text chat is there too.

Games in the lineup

Battle for the crown in King of the Hill, chase the lobby records, or tow a friend into a wave behind your jet ski.

06Level up

Earn your quiver

Every ride counts

Rides, tricks and distance earn XP and shells, the game's currency. Your rider levels up, and each sport has its own level too.

Spend it in the Surf Shop

Buy new boards, foils, wings, kites, sails and boats as you reach their level, plus passes for famous spots.

Make it yours

Pick your character, then kit them out: board designs, wetsuits, hair and spray, all kept in your locker and saved to your account.

07FAQ

Questions

Do I need to download anything?

No. Open Waves runs in a modern desktop web browser. There is nothing to install.

Which sports can I play?

Forty-seven: surfing, bodyboarding, bodysurfing, skimboarding, dock run-in surfing, surf foiling, bodyboard foiling, foil assist with a mast motor, downwind foiling, wing foiling, parawing foiling, windsurfing, windsurf foiling, kitesurfing, kite foiling, mountainboarding with a kite, wing or sail, sailing, foiling Moth sailing, boating, freestyle jet skiing, shark watercraft riding, stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking and canoeing, oc1 outrigger, tow and wakeboard behind the robot boat or a friend, sit-down hydrofoiling, water skiing, tubing, parasailing, horse tow skimboarding, winch tow-in surfing, paramotoring, hang gliding, paragliding, hydro flight, flying boat, seaplane, helicopter, fighter jet, hot-air balloon, glider, seaglider, skateboarding, bmx, motocross, snowboarding, and skiing. Each has its own boards and gear. Several are open from the start; the rest unlock as you earn levels and shells by riding.

Are the spots real?

Yes. Spots are built from real coordinates, mapped shorelines and seabed depth data, with the latest available wind, swell and weather loaded before you paddle out. You can also generate a spot anywhere on the coast.

Can I ride with friends?

Yes. Host a public or private lobby for up to 8 riders who share the same sets, with proximity voice chat, text chat and a King of the Hill mode.

How do I unlock more gear?

By riding. Every session earns XP and shells. Levelling up opens new boards, foils, kites, sails and boats in the Surf Shop, and shells buy them along with cosmetics for your rider.

Can I play in VR?

Yes. Open the game in the Meta Quest browser and choose Enter VR to ride with your headset and Touch controllers. No app store download is needed.

Who makes Open Waves?

One person, as a passion project. Servers, map data and 3D scenery cost money every month, so donations help keep it online and free.

How do I get into the beta?

Open Waves is in a private, invite-only beta. Invites are personal and tied to your email address.

How can I use the Open Waves simulated environment in my own app?

Developers can license the water engine behind Open Waves as a Three.js SDK. It brings the game's breaking waves, foam, spray, sky, weather and forecast-driven wind and swell into your own app, can sit among Google Photorealistic 3D Tiles of real coastlines through your own Google Maps account, and floats your own 3D models with wakes and reflections. It suits boat and product configurators, waterfront real estate and resort tours, coastal architecture visuals, digital twins, browser games, training mock-ups and education. Game controls, riders and multiplayer stay in the game. See Open Waves for developers.

Made by one person

Built out of love for the ocean

Open Waves is designed, coded and kept running by a single developer, out of the goodness of their heart. There is no studio and no investors, just a lot of late nights.

Keeping it online has real monthly costs: the game server, Google's photorealistic 3D scenery, map and forecast data, and the domain. If you enjoy riding here, a donation of any size keeps the waves running and the game free.

Supporters get a Beta Supporter badge and early access to new spots and features as they land.

Secure checkout by Stripe. Thank you, it genuinely helps.

For developers · Three.js SDK

Build your app.
Bring the ocean with you.

The water behind Open Waves is available for your own Three.js app: breaking waves, weather and live swell beside photorealistic 3D scenery of real coastlines, with your own models floating on it. Made for boat configurators, waterfront and resort tours, coastal architecture, digital twins, games and training visuals.

Explore the Water SDK

Paddle out.

Got an invite? Your next session is one click away.