I have daydreamed about making waves using dynamite in small lakes. Seems like it would work, doesn't it?
Another daydream idea was winching a big object through the water (again in a small lake) back and forth towards each shore. Seems like that would work too... but would likely take so much
energy and such heavy duty engineering that it would be way to expensive.
I thought of a system where water is pumped into big recycled silo tubes with home made pumps powered by V8 chevy engines, and then released all at once through preformed channels. Seems like it could work.
Enough people make their own little lakes. You could do it pretty cheeply if you have a source for water and a friend with excavating equipment. I heard that there are inexpensive ways to treat the bottom so that its water tight. You could sculpt it just right.
What about dropping or rolling huge things in at one end of a small custom shaped lake? Like a big gas storage tank pumped full of water, which after dropping would then be pumped out so it could float back up, be locked back in place and pumped full again. Or maybe keep the sucker full of water and just winch it back up a big ramp for every wave. These things could work! Ever see footage of the waves calving ice bergs make?
This is what happens when you drive long disances looking for waves and don't get any. When the surf is good these ideas seem silly.
Home made wave pools for the people! I have a dream...