Oy vey! Second wavepool announced for Palm Springs!

Israeli-owned wavepool company Wavegarden tightens grip on world market…

Back in January, you’ll remember, or not, Cheyne Magnusson announced he was going to bring his Waco sorcery to a new wavepool in Palm Beach.

The Hawaiian, who has hair like a spitfire and who singlehandedly altered the course of aerial surfing at BSR cable park, had been signed to design and set-up a pool at the old Wet ‘n’ Wild site in Palm Springs, California.

Today, the terrifying ménage à trois of Clifton and Damien Hobgood and Josh Kerr simultaneously announced they’d been signed up to sell a new wave tank which is being installed at the Desert Willow Golf Resort, also in Palm Springs. There’s gonna be a “Surf Center” featuring two hotels and between 40 and 88 villas, which you can buy, as well as a Wavegarden Cove, and all under the handle DSRT Surf.

Yeah, took me a while to realise those letters ain’t an acronym. Like Slater’s VSTR or Tumblr etc.

My old pal Marcus Sanders at Surfline jumped on a phone call to DSRT Surf’s partners, John Luff and Doug Sheres, so I didn’t have to.

Let’s crib a little.

In the planning stages for two years already, and planning to break ground at the end of 2019, DSRT Surf is expected to cost somewhere just south of $200 million dollars once all the amenities are built out.

According to Luff, a surf pool on its own would be tough to make work, economically, “unless it was in the perfect location.” But once you layer in the additional income from hotels, restaurants and retail, things start making more economic sense. Especially when you factor in the proximity of 25 million people living within a few hours drive.

It works both ways, too: “The surf pool will have legs and generate a lot of revenue,” Luff said. “And without the surf pool, the development itself wouldn’t be as attractive.”

The call to go with Wavegarden Cove technology was another business decision.

“Is it the best air wave?” Luff said. “No. But do they have the most well-rounded model? Yes. I think the Cove has proven, dollar-for-dollar, that it’s best on the return. And we will be open to the public, but the focus will be on a slightly more premium experience. And people staying at the resort would get priority, but anyone could come — we want to make it inclusive, so all levels of surfers can come and feel like they got enough surf in to be satisfied.”

Opens 2021 etc.

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Phat-wan kerr
Phat-wan kerr
7 years ago

I try to churn out a freshy every morning but to be honest I can’t see it being a pleasant thing to wake up too.

Chief Hot stuff
Chief Hot stuff
7 years ago

I’m thinkin
Freak on a leash by korn.

Ed
Ed
7 years ago

My reply was regarding the business model Mr Wayne was suggesting.

Buy a condo and surf perfect waves for free will have a market for cashed up old surfers or even younger professional parents who want to push there children into a “authentic beach ,surfing lifestyle”.

mundus
mundus
7 years ago

Have any of the Wavepools turned a profit yet?

capn birdseye
capn birdseye
7 years ago
Reply to  mundus

THIS is the question I want answers to! I just cant wrap my head around how the pool itself can be profitable and deliver a satisfactory wave count to everyone there. Can someone explain how the cove will work – do you sit on a peak with 40 fellow surfers? Cause no one is going to pay for that. If you blow your take off – then what happens? A foam ride into the shallows? Head hung in shame? What if your a VAL and you manage to fall off and get in the next guys way? Does he blow a valuable “wave credit”? Should a fist fight ensue? So many questions.

Marco
Marco
7 years ago
Reply to  capn birdseye

12-15 people on each of the “advanced” peaks, catching 12-15 waves per hour. Intermediate and beginner waves inside with less structure. It’s a 5.5 acre pool, so probably 60ish people capable including soft tops on the inside.

WavePrizm
WavePrizm
7 years ago

Can these wave pool “basins” hold up to an earthquake? Can they meet building
standards for an earthquake zone? Who is responsible if a major failure occurs?
https://www.desertsun.com/s…

NEGATRON
NEGATRON
7 years ago
Reply to  WavePrizm

To be fair if an 8 plus hits…
What happens to a catchment of water will be so far down the list as a concern.
I’m sure common sense and cost will stop one from being built at the top of a hill.

John Non John
John Non John
7 years ago

If the depleted aquifers under the arid desert floor stay hydrated until opening day, will it suck less than surfing in Kelly’s Ranch cow fart air after a long drive to the also arid landscape of Cowfartlandia?

StarJamma
StarJamma
7 years ago

Anyone who claims a wave pool tube in the desert deserves a scorpion in their poolside Villa.

Superworm
Superworm
7 years ago

Added to Online Dictionary:
proven
adjective
demonstrated by evidence or argument to be true or existing.
“a proven ability to work hard”
(of a new method, system, or treatment) tried and tested.
“a system based on proven technologies”
or
as in the Webber sense of the word.
“complete and utter nonsense”

grumpy local
grumpy local
7 years ago

This is all well and good but the big question is what variety of brain-eating amoeba and/or flesh-eating bacteria do the waters in Palm Springs host?

John Wayne
John Wayne
7 years ago

Is Palm Springs the new Playgrounds of the Mentawai’s?

DSRT Surf is well known as one of the best surf destinations in the world. Strategically located on the globe, the pools receive constant swells all year around (day and night) and offers waves for all levels of surfers.

DSRT Surf has over 20 surf spots around

The area has a few NOVELTY spots that our surf guide Ben Gravy will proudly take you for that epic uncrowded session.

https://www.playgroundsurfr…

John Wayne
John Wayne
7 years ago

You could surf until you were 90 !

John Wayne
John Wayne
7 years ago

This is the sort of surf pool resort that makes perfect economic sense to me. Its basically a straight up real estate play with a surf pool thrown in for the buyers. Just like the old golf course model. You as owners get allocated times, which you can pass on to your customers, who rent your pad out when you are not there. Simple. The purchasing of your land / apartment / house will pay for the pool. The strata fee’s will be high and pay for the upkeep. The retail avenue / coaching / restaurants add another layer of income. The owners of the development will either live off the returns or on-sell the management rights and walk away with a nice little annuity income stream. I am sure they have done the math. They probably need to sell 1/3 to get it off the ground, another 1/3 to be feasible and the last 1/3 is money in the back pocket.

I really thought that this is where the Slater Wave Co would go. I am not sure why they have not yet. But it seems this is really the market that makes heaps of sense to me. Especially if you have the 5th largest economy in the world on your back door step and a serious amount of airports not far away. Pretty simple. I think there is probably room for many more. Lets just hope that the VALS stick to the pools.

There are a lot of golf resorts across the globe and many over 50’s type retirement offerings out there…..how many actually tailor to the surfer in a true first world sense. I would be happy to have a spot at a place like this if the wave tech was good and it was close to home base. This is the first time in history where the surfer is actually retiring with cashola to burn. This sort of place could give you a nice little earn on the side whilst giving you some fun times.

Ed
Ed
7 years ago
Reply to  John Wayne

It all makes sense to me too but its all been done before-

https://wavegarden.com/firs…

John Wayne
John Wayne
7 years ago
Reply to  Ed

Had not seen that. Thanks. 91 lots for the Surf part of the resort – Average cost pf $840k AUD. A nice little $76 million – one would think after paying for the pool there will be some money left in the till.

Albino Pelican
Albino Pelican
7 years ago

It’s as proven as anything can be on a couple PowerPoint slides, which is to say not at all.

Also really like the statements that “a surf pool on its own will be tough to make work, economically” and then “the surf pool will have legs and will generate a lot of revenue”.

@surfads
@surfads
7 years ago

I prefer Uptown GALs

Chief Hot stuff
Chief Hot stuff
7 years ago

A GAY VAL for desert.?
Yuk!

Chief Hot stuff
Chief Hot stuff
7 years ago

Yay!

James Bickerton
James Bickerton
7 years ago

Luff by name , Luff by nature . I can see Mr Luff advising Kerrrzy about busting airs ?

Kerrrzy “all you need to do is luff up, head to wind” …. ?

John Wayne
John Wayne
7 years ago

Don’t for get this one – a family favourite perhaps?

https://www.youtube.com/wat…

James Bickerton
James Bickerton
7 years ago
Reply to  John Wayne

Natürlich ! Wir Lieben Nena .

James Bickerton
James Bickerton
7 years ago

I love the Instagram photo No 1 .You don’t need to PAY the pool ENTRANCE FEE or travel to the DESERT to share a wave with a nubile female on a LONGBOARD as most of the right hand points world wide have a gaggle of these girls ( god love ‘em ) who will TAX you for nothing …. ?

Chief Hot stuff
Chief Hot stuff
7 years ago

I don’t mind coughing up a few shekels.

James Bickerton
James Bickerton
7 years ago

Tax Cuts, for the downtrodden and struggling , on the Northern Beaches ,are on there way , though the way things are going , I would suggest you top up your private health insurance premiums rather than pissing it up against the wall at the wave park because governments like candles cannot burn at both ends …?

Chief Hot stuff
Chief Hot stuff
7 years ago

Yeah, Na, she’ll be right digga!
We get our cosmetic surgery done in tha Phillos 🇵🇭

James Bickerton
James Bickerton
7 years ago

A bit of the old cirugía plástica ,and you’ll be on Cloud 9 in no time !
https://m.youtube.com/watch…

Chief Hot stuff
Chief Hot stuff
7 years ago

Hallo evlibody!

John Wayne
John Wayne
7 years ago

The tax cuts, as you well know, are not for the down trodden……..the Australian middle class has been long looked after by the Liberals. Peter Costello is remembered as the greatest Treasurer in Australian history……I don’t agree. He should be thought of as the guy who was given a shit load of cash from the resources boom (once in many lifetimes resource) and then gave it all back to middle income Australia, for a few votes, in the form of tax cuts without barely saving a penny. He just needed to look at Norway to learn what a sovereign wealth fund was and see how that could benefit future generations. Joke.

But wait – they want to further privatise health care as well……..

Superworm
Superworm
7 years ago
Reply to  John Wayne

“can you spare some change?”
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…


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