A wave pool (100; 300; 400) comprising: a channel containing water and having a bottom contour having a slope that rises upward from a deep region, the bottom contour further including a shoal that is an extension of the slope; one or more foils (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006) at least partially submerged in the water, each foil (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006) arrangeable vertically proximate the deep region of the channel and adapted for movement in a direction along a length of the channel, each foil (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006) having a curvilinear cross-sectional geometry that defines a leading surface that is concave about a vertical axis to provide drag to generate a primary wave laterally in the water that contacts the leading surface of the foil (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006) and that is adapted to generate a solitary wave toward the shoal in the water from the movement, and a trailing surface, wherein the trailing surface narrows from a maximum width of the foil (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006) adjacent the leading surface to a point at an end of the foil (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006) such that the trailing surface decreases the drag of the foil (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006) and minimizes oscillatory waves that trail the primary wave from the water moving past the leading surface of the foil (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006), and wherein the trailing surface is configured for flow recovery to avoid separation of the flow of water in the wave and to mitigate drag from the foil (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006) in the water from the movement; and a moving mechanism having a track along the length of the channel proximate the deep region of the channel, the moving mechanism for moving the one or more foils (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006) along the track in the direction along the length of channel to generate a surface gravity wave from the solitary wave by each of the one or more foils (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006). a channel containing water and having a bottom contour having a slope that rises upward from a deep region, the bottom contour further including a shoal that is an extension of the slope; one or more foils (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006) at least partially submerged in the water, each foil (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006) arrangeable vertically proximate the deep region of the channel and adapted for movement in a direction along a length of the channel, each foil (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006) having a curvilinear cross-sectional geometry that defines a leading surface that is concave about a vertical axis to provide drag to generate a primary wave laterally in the water that contacts the leading surface of the foil (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006) and that is adapted to generate a solitary wave toward the shoal in the water from the movement, and a trailing surface, wherein the trailing surface narrows from a maximum width of the foil (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006) adjacent the leading surface to a point at an end of the foil (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006) such that the trailing surface decreases the drag of the foil (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006) and minimizes oscillatory waves that trail the primary wave from the water moving past the leading surface of the foil (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006), and wherein the trailing surface is configured for flow recovery to avoid separation of the flow of water in the wave and to mitigate drag from the foil (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006) in the water from the movement; and a moving mechanism having a track along the length of the channel proximate the deep region of the channel, the moving mechanism for moving the one or more foils (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006) along the track in the direction along the length of channel to generate a surface gravity wave from the solitary wave by each of the one or more foils (500; 600; 704; 906; 1006).