Surfing Melbourne’s star wave in 2020!

The long wait is over, as Melbourne’s newest surf spot busts open its doors for the public today. The full-sized Wavegarden Cove facility at Urbnsurf is the first of its kind in Australia and only the second one in the world open to the public.

Originally scheduled to open last Easter, the big debut was postponed as the surf park met with construction delays due to heavy rain and also smoothing out a few other issues.

But now Urbnsurf is fully open for business offering beginner, intermediate and advanced sessions along with beginner, individual and group lessons.

Here’s everything you need to know to surf Urbnsurf …

Times

Urbnsurf books hour-long sessions from 6 am to 9 pm seven days a week. Not all settings are available at all times, for example, you can’t do a 6 am beginner session. Wave setting choices include beginner, intermediate left, intermediate right, advanced left, advanced right.

At press time the first surf opportunities on the advanced left (hey, we’re goofy foots at WPM) where the dawn and evening patrols on January 12. But those were tagged “Almost Full” and are most likely to be booked in the next few hours.

Advice for getting your session? Book early unless you love to surf a 6 am slot.

Pricing: Hourly and memberships

Hourly Rates:
Advanced $79
Intermediate $59-$79
Beginner $25-$30
Beginner Lesson $59-$79
Spectator passes are $5

Each surfer can expect 10-12 waves per session when Urbnsurf is fully booked, but should they hit it on an off-day, they will most likely get more waves. Aqua Memberships allow 25 intermediate surf sessions per year and run $117 per month.

The company’s Gold Memberships are for advanced surf sessions and sell at $259 per month for 50 sessions during the year. Advanced surfers can also buy a 10-session punch card for $700. Full details available at Urbnsurf Memberships link here.

Waves and sessions on offer

Advanced wave pool sessions: The Point: 1.6-2.0m 12-16 Sec. Rides

Offers rights and lefts for a variety of turns and barrel waves, most of we’ve become familiar with on social media. If not, you can check the video clips below. It’s rare to surf great waves with a maximum of 18 surfers on each side taking turns and playing nice. Urbnsurf estimates that per 1-hour session, the average is 10-12 waves per surfer.

Intermediate wave pool sessions: The Point: 1.0m-1.5m 12-16 sec. rides

Once you’ve mastered the basics, intermediate surf sessions are perfect for having fun and improving your surfing. Offering playful rights and lefts, intermediate surf sessions at The Point are ideal for confident learners, intermediates with advanced surf sessions in their sights, and for families. Intermediate sessions are best for altcraft like bodyboards, longboards, fish, softboards and finless.

Beginner wave pool sessions: The Bays: 0.5-1.0m 8-10 sec. rides

Urbnsurf beginner surf sessions in The Bays are designed for surfers who are finding their feet (and are eager to progress), or who just want to have fun with their friends and family in Australia’s first public surfing lagoon. Offering safe, gentle, rolling green and whitewater waves, beginner surf sessions are perfect for kids and learning adults.

Learn To Surf Sessions: The Bays, 0.5-1.0m Get up and riding

The Bays are Urbnsurf’s beginner surf zones, and offer safe and gentle waves for new surfers to learn the basics. With the help of expert coaches, learners can be up and riding fast. This is the place to start the wave pool surfing journey.

Where to stay

While there are very few options for staying at Kelly Slater’s wave in Lemoore, Melbourne is a thriving, culturally diverse city with a heavy art and cafe scene, so cool, hip hostels and guest stays abound along with high-end hotels. Urbnsurf is also located next to the Melbourne airport, so generic corporate hotels are available as well.

Video of advanced, intermediate and beginner wave settings

To get an idea of what the waves look like for the different sessions, check the video below which showcases the different wave settings.

In a Nutshell

• The Lowdown: The first wave pool in Australia located 20 minutes outside of downtown Melbourne adjacent to the Melbourne Airport opened in January 2020
• WavePool Construction Progress: Completed
• Accessibility: Open to the public, all-ages
• Type of wave(s): Everything from a killer ‘slab’ setting to gentle beginner rollers
• Wave Generating Technology: Wavegarden Cove
• Wave’s Technical Information: Wave height: 2-7 ft, Both left and right breaks, length of rides: beginner 8-10 seconds, intermediate/advanced 12-16 seconds
• Hours of operation/Seasonal Hours At this time it’s seven days a week with the first surf slot kicking off at 6am and the last session logging in at 9pm. Note: Not all wave settings are available at all hours. Check schedule.
• Price Breakdown: Between $59-79 for intermediate and advanced surfers and $25-$30 for beginner sessions. They also have memberships and punch cards for heavy users which helps bring the cost down.
• Pool Structure: Concrete Pool with surrounding amenities including Three Ducks restaurant, bar and shop
• Waves per hour: 900-1000 waves per hour. Surfers can plan on 10-12 waves per fully booked session.