After seven years of shuffling around partnerships, another company has pulled out of the Cactus Surf Park plan in Gilbert, Arizona. Photo: City of Gilbert
Seven years after Cactus Surf Park was first announced in the Phoenix, Arizona, suburb of Gilbert, there is still no pool, nor any sign of one to come. A third attempt to find a developer to build the project fell through as WhiteWater West Industries and the city of Gilbert have parted ways. You may, or may not, recall that WhiteWater West is the parent company of the Endless Surf pool technology seen in o2 SURFTOWN MUC in Munich, Germany.
“In May 2026, Gilbert and WhiteWater West Industries mutually agreed to terminate the lease for the proposed surf park at Gilbert Regional Park,” Joanna Guzman, a Gilbert spokeswoman, told the Gilbert Sun News. “The Town is exploring a range of options for the site and intends to seek community input before advancing any future proposal.”
The project first got off the ground in 2019 through a $60-million public-private partnership between the city of Gilbert and Strand Resorts that would require the resort to pay annual rent of $284,841. The pool had been scheduled to open in summer 2020, but was later pushed back to summer 2021.
However, in fall 2021, Strand Resorts sold the project to ACA Arizona, LLC, which changed the name to Cactus Surf Park. Amid drought pressure, the surf park released a new plan in 2023 that would reduce water use by 60 percent — a 25-acre park with a wave pool, water park, and restaurant. It’s unclear exactly when, but later, the city brought on WhiteWater West to design, build, and operate the park.
WhiteWater West did not immediately respond to request for further details on why the partnership ended.
Now, the city has no partner, and it’s possible the project will not be revived. However, according to Wave Pool Mag, this doesn’t necessarily mean the city won’t find a new company to build and operate a surf park.
“These projects have a way of coming back to life,” Wave Pool Mag noted on its site. “The surf park space is full of developers looking for locations and concepts.”
While Gilbert struggles to get surfable waves pulsing through its city, across town at Revel Surf Park, surf has been pulsing since 2024.
