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BBC Jersey's Daniel Corden impressed on the wave

It cost £1 million to install, it fires out 75,000 litres of water a minute and it’s the only one of it’s kind in the UK.

Water is fired at around 30mph up a relatively soft, springy ramp so you can ride a board on the surface of the ramp, similar to riding the face of a wave in the sea.

For all sorts

Only hotel guests or members of the Aquadome can book flowriding sessions, although it’s also available to hire for corporate events.

“We’ve had all sorts of people here,” explained instructor Mark Freeman.

“Provided they listen to us it’s a nice safe sport to do, it’s good fun.”

More like wakeboarding

Being an Australian, BBC Jersey’s Daniel Corden thinks he’s a dab hand at surfing, so he was in his wetsuit and down at the Merton Hotel quicker than you can say ‘kangaroo’ to show off his skills.

BBC Jersey's Daniel Corden is a keen bodyboarder

And, hoping Daniel was all talk, I went along armed with a camera planning to photograph lots of dramatic wipe-outs from the great Aussie surfer.

In fact, upon arrival Mark explained flowriding was quite a different skill to surfing.

“Obviously with the water that comes up out the jet to make the front of the wave it’s more like wakeboarding,” Mark told us.

“People that are used to surfing will find it a different experience.”

Mastering the basics

Unperturbed at the news a lifetime of surfing might not make him an expert flowrider, Daniel was still keen to flex his surfing muscles.

Daniel mastered the barrel-roll

Once Mark had briefed, and demonstrated, how to fall off safely (curl up into a ball) Daniel was let loose onto the Flowrider

He mastered the basics of flowriding on the bodyboard pretty easily and Mark was soon encouraging him to try some tricks.

And to my disappointment, under Mark’s careful and enthusiastic instruction, Daniel’s mistakes were far less dramatic than I had hoped.

'It's an absolute ball'

Ten minutes into his session a bedraggled but happy Daniel was confidently kneeling up on his board or flipping over to perform barrel-rolls.

Mark Freeman (L) instructs Flowriding at the hotel

“I’m absolutely knackered,” he said two minutes later, “but it’s an absolute ball.”

Guaranteed wave

Even though Jersey is renowned for it’s surfing, Mark believes the Flowrider can offer year-round benefits:

“With this surf machine you’re guaranteed to get the same size wave, you can get up onto the board almost every single time, and obviously you don’t have to jostle for position.”