In recent years, Brazil has become one of the most active wave pool markets in the world. What is becoming clear is that not every project is chasing destination tourism. A growing segment is focused on the urban club model, positioning surf as a structured, recurring practice embedded in city life.
Within that broader movement, Surf Center represents one of the inland expressions of this shift. In Curitiba, the project is operating on a full daily schedule, with consistent session turnover and sustained member demand.
With new units already moving forward and international conversations underway, we spoke with Co-Founder Luiz Balioli to understand how the model is performing under real load, what has evolved since opening, and how Surf Center sees its path from single site to network.
How it Started
From day one, Surf Center has said they want to develop the largest international network of indoor surf clubs.
“For that to be viable, technology could not sit on the side of the business,” said Luiz Balioli.“It had to be the replicable core of an urban, scalable product designed for continuous improvement.”
Luiz added that by developing proprietary technology, they were allowed to combine an indoor, heated, and fully predictable wave environment. The result is a compact pool engineered to fit dense urban areas where square footage is expensive, bringing accessibility and operational efficiency.
“Based on our internal data, we operate with one of the lowest, and possibly the lowest, operational costs per wave in the market, which is essential if the goal is to build a network rather than a single destination.”
Industrializing an Emotional Experience
He described the core difficulty as translating surf into an operational system that can function reliably at scale.
“The biggest challenge was industrializing an emotional experience,” Balioli said. “We often refer to it as building a wave factory, where high demand industrial equipment operates in close proximity to people, inside an urban and premium environment.”
He explained that delivering that experience consistently required structural durability capable of handling repeated hydraulic cycles, mechanical systems supported by planned maintenance and redundancy, and a control platform that could turn hydrodynamic variables into safe, repeatable sessions.
“The system must integrate into the realities of the built environment, including noise, logistics, safety, user flow, and comfort. Quality has to remain stable throughout the day, and that stability cannot come at the expense of cost per wave. A sustainable network depends on operational efficiency, not only on CAPEX.”
Wave Control and Programming
Today, Surf Center operates with more than 80 wave programming variations. According to Luiz, that range is central to how sessions are structured.
“The system allows us to tailor the experience by level, from initiation to progression and performance,” he said. “We can also configure sessions by format, whether that is a guided lesson, technical training, a fun-oriented session, or focused maneuver repetition.”
He emphasized that programming can also be adjusted around specific objectives. If someone needs to work on drop consistency, wave reading, or overall performance flow, the programming can be adapted accordingly. “The goal is to create clarity in what each session is designed to deliver.”
Curitiba as the First Operational Site
Curitiba has functioned as an operational test ground. Since opening, the site has run at high frequency, which, according to Luiz, accelerated learning across multiple dimensions.
“Operating daily at that intensity generated practical learnings,” he said. “We adjusted calibrations to improve perceived wave consistency and to reduce variation between sessions and throughout the day.”
The Club Model in Practice
At Surf Center, the club concept defines the entire experience. The model is structured around belonging and continuity, rather than isolated sessions in the water.
“Our proposal is to create a place where people feel they belong, where they build routine, and where the experience touches both body and mind. That is what we mean when we say, ‘The Wave That Moves You.’”, Balioli said.
The structure extends beyond scheduled surf time. It is designed to support both social interaction and individual progression within the rhythm of city life. “Programming is also curated with intention. The goal is to reinforce elements that can be difficult to access in large urban centers.”, Luiz said.
Expansion and Long-Term Direction
With its first unit operating at scale, Surf Center is now directing attention toward geographic growth. The shift reflects a transition from proving the concept in a single market to preparing it for replication across multiple cities.
Construction has begun on new units in São Paulo, in the Congonhas area, and in Ribeirão Preto. These locations mark the next operational stage for the company.
“Our plan is to be present in more than 20 Brazilian cities over the next seven years,” Luiz said. “Beyond Brazil, we are already in conversations and conducting studies for potential projects in Europe and the United States, aligned with the vision of building the largest international indoor surf network.”
According to him, expansion is guided by clearly defined criteria. Each prospective city is evaluated through a combination of market, operational, and structural considerations.
“We look at urban demand and sports culture, implementation feasibility in terms of space and permits, operational efficiency including energy and maintenance, real proximity to users so surf becomes part of their routine, and strong local partners with execution and governance capacity,” he explained.
Within Brazil, the broader surf ecosystem also informs that strategy. The country is known globally for its competitive talent, yet, according do Luiz, infrastructure access varies significantly depending on location.
“Brazil produces elite surfers, but predictable infrastructure is still limited in many urban centers, particularly away from the coast,” Balioli finalised.
