Welcome to the future!
Every morning, or so it seems, there is an announcement of some new surf-themed resort and/or wave tank being developed in the United States of America. Today’s is two being planned near Palm Springs, California. One in Indio the other in Coachella and how thrilled will Luke Davis be? The world’s second most handsome surfer has made the Coachella Music Festival his second home! But let’s read, very quickly, and then discuss.
Honokea Surf Villages and Resorts, a Hawaii-based company that helped design a recently opened surf park in Austin, Texas, says it has land under contract in Indio for an outdoor recreation facility that would include a “surf lagoon,” skate park, BMX track and acquatic track for stand-up paddleboarding.
That proposal joins one from Matteson Capital, working with Quiksilver Hotels and Resorts, which pitched a surf park and recreation facility for Palm Desert two and a half years ago. Agreements between the company and the city have been renewed once, and Matteson is due to present new plans to the City Council in April, city staff said.
“The development of standalone surf parks and man-made surf destinations, with the focal point being a high-quality surf pool or surfing lake, is not necessarily new, but it is picking up a lot of momentum in the last five years,” said John Luff, founder and president of Surf Park Central, a six-year-old trade publication for the surf park industry.
Luff said two surf parks have opened in the U.S. in the last five years, and he estimated 30 to 50 more are in various stages of development.
He was familiar with both Coachella Valley proposals, and believes several other developers may be eyeing the desert for their own surf parks.
The surf park industry has its own trade pub? 30 to 50 parks in various stages of development? An “acquatic” track for SUP? And really 30 to 50? Thirty to fifty? I mean, think about those numbers for one minute. That is a lot of wave pools. More wave pools than there are waves on the East Coast and Gulf Coast combined.
I suppose I’m just confused by it all. Has America gone totally surf mad? Are there studies being done where citizens of inland towns are begging for waves? Grandmas begging for SUP tracks? If this is all true then we are on the precipice of a massive surf industry boom. 1980s style! And BeachGrit will be there to capitalize bringing you the hottest inland gossip and a brand new chlorine resistant speedo.
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Yes , you Can!! But only after you beat your wife and have peanut butter relations with your dog!! Hopefully this will keep those 909 drags from coming to my beach and trashing it..
Will metal mulitia have a surf team?
See what happens when you pay your staff in contra T’Shirts, they don’t follow up with parts 2 and 3 from margaret River. You should never have insulted MC – he is a content machine and would have delivered reports every day, in multi parts as well!!
You oughta interview that John Luff bloke. I think maybe he was bullied by surfers at high school and is now hell bent on silently destroying surf culture, revenge-served-cold style.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/…
Considering all the fecal matter found in public pools….maybe wavestorm can finally come out with their new model, shitstorm
Daily Mail reference beep beep
The business model is to build surf park and retirement village combined so all us geriatrics can surf till death in peace
I’m sure all these announcements keep leaving out the price for a reason. How much to ride? Is it per hour? Do they let X number of people in at a time and you still have to hassle for waves? Will you still have to dawn patrol to get it uncrowded? Will the guys with mullets and Oakley Blades be the cool locals in Palm Springs? Details Chas….
Beachgrit should go public, borrow $1Billion, buy staff champagne Porches, host lavish parties, 20yr lease 1000 walmart size retail shops in the desert; then ‘design’ a 4000 piece rag range to fill them all with. Then sit back and wait for Middle America to roll in = Profits.
Oh and don’t forget to buy a bunch of over priced accessory brands for $200mil each.
What about scarves? Don’t forget scarves.
sounds bliss, break out the hydrofoil and molly.
Chandler wouldn’t like that.