When will wave pools open back up? It’s a complicated question. And the answers are as varied as the patchwork of safety measures enacted locally and globally to curb the spread of COVID-19. Facemasks are required for all customers at Costco but for those picking up a 12 pack of LaCroix at Target, you can do so mask free. In short, everybody is doing something different in these very uncertain times.

But one thing we do know is that Waco’s favorite surf spot will wake up again. BSR Surf Resort announced they are opening their doors and firing up the PerfectSwell wave machine today ending a 7-week closure.

“As of Monday, May 11th our surf park reopens. We are continuing to abide by physical distancing guidelines and keep sessions to 9 or fewer guests,” the company said in a statement. “The health and safety of our guests and teams are of utmost priority to BSR. Because of this, we are limiting the cable dock to 8 riders at a time and following the COVID-19  guidelines set forth by the CDC for physical distancing and sanitization.”

The company also advised visitors to continue to wash your hands frequently and stay home if they feel ill.

BSR Surf Resort staff photographer Rob Henson said, “We are properly social distancing with six feet of space between all reclining chairs, limited numbers in the cabanas and at least one surfboard length between surfers.”

At the onset of COVID-19, many wave pools including BSR enacted extra safety measures per local government guidance in hopes of staying open during the pandemic.

“At any given time, we would have no more than 10-12 people spread across 100 acres, well within the suggested number of persons per area,” Ashley Darling of BSR Surf Resort told us. “We took measures to sanitize all high-touch point areas every 15 minutes as well as sanitized rental equipment between guests. We were operating under the impression that as an outdoor park, not only were we abiding by the suggested regulations but that we were an essential business.”

But then the world hit the big, red emergency stop button.

The Wave in Bristol shut doors on March 19 a few days before Urbnsurf in Melbourne. Far Far A Bay, the new indoor PerfectSwell wave pool in New Jersey, was sighting on a March 19th launch that never happened. All three remain closed at the time of this article.

The spotty regulations across the USA have confused many. Texas lockdown rules are run on a county-by-county basis with Waco’s McLennan County easing restrictions recently. In California, lockdown rules are governed statewide, with individual counties like rural Medoc in the north resisting and implementing their own regulations.

Orange County beaches made national news headlines when people gathered to protest safety measures put in place by Governor Gavin Newsom. Beaches in The OC recently opened under the “active recreational use” guidelines.

“We thank you immensely for your patience and support of

BSR over these last few months, we’re so excited to welcome

our guests back!”

In Europe, the lifting of regulations begins today as well in France with citizens allowed to travel 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) from home without signed papers or documentation. The UK is lifting some bans but will implement a 14-day quarantine for persons arriving in the UK.

Many economies are looking at unemployment levels not seen since the Great Depression and everyone is desperate to get back to work. Coupled with this humans are going stir-crazy after several weeks of staying indoors.

Shanghai Disneyland announced they will open today. The company sold out limited tickets in just a matter of minutes. Safety guidelines at the Magic Kingdom will include limited park entrance, increased disinfection of surfaces and enforced social distancing measures in lines and on rides.

Other theme parks globally announced plans to follow suit and reopen with strict safety measures in place. The CDC offers the following guidelines to help prevent infection.

COVID-19 is spread through respiratory droplets from infected persons. People who are infected often have symptoms of illness but others without symptoms can also spread the virus. Social distancing of six feet helps prevent the spread of COVID-19. A person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes – although this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. Washing hands with soap and water and using an alcohol-based hand rub helps kill the virus. Information from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic suggests that this virus is spreading more efficiently than influenza, but not as efficiently as measles which is highly contagious.