Photo: Wavegarden
California just got a new surf spot, and it’s only about 100 miles from the ocean. Wavegarden is celebrating the opening of DSRT Surf in Coachella Valley. It’s just the second park on U.S. soil currently operated by the Spanish tech company, which has its other American wave pool in Virginia Beach’s Atlantic Park. The company had originally powered Austin, Texas’ NLAND Surf Park, which opened in 2016 and closed just two years later after a sale to the WSL and Kelly Slater Wave Co.
The new DSRT Surf appears to be a testament to how far wave pool technology has come over that decade. In a press release from the company, Wavegarden says the pool can produce 1,000 waves per hour and offers a a “definitive catalogue of more than 60 world-class waves.” One such wave type was designed specifically for training aerials, pumping out air-friendly ramp sections in 30-second intervals. The brand also highlighted a setting it calls the “Twister,” a barreling wave it describes as “powerful, wide, and technical.”
“I never imagined I would be testing aerial waves in the middle of the desert. Wavegarden has about seven incredible waves for turns, five for barrels, and around 12 variations for aerials. It’s the best wave pool in the world,” says Jacob “Zeke” Szekely.
Photo: Wavegarden
“This facility is an absolute machine for making people happy,” added John Luff, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Beach Street Holdings. “I had very high expectations, and even so, they surpassed them. Especially with the barrels — I didn’t think a surf pool could have such a powerful spit; it completely blew me away. The barrel is so long that it actually gives you time to take a conscious breath in there.”
An exact date when the pool will be open to the public hasn’t been announced yet, although “late summer” is still on the books. That technically could be any day at this point. And while an official booking platform hasn’t opened on the DSRT Surf website just yet, the company says sessions will start as low as $60 per hour. That’s a significant price point difference from California’s other wave pool, Palm Springs Surf Club. The lowest session there costs around $100 for beginner-friendly waves in a group session.
