We interview Tim Curry, known as TC, who is setting out on the arduous venture to create an oasis of surf in the parched desert surrounding Las Vegas. I am sure the Las Vegas population will be STOKED to hear this and the millions of visitors to the city will be able to practice their cutbacks alongside the locals.

Many of you out there may be dreaming about creating your own wave pool in your area. Hopefully, this relaxed chat with TC will put it into perspective for you and feed you with a few insights. If you’re unsure of where to start on your journey get in touch with Wave Pool Mag. We’ll be able to help you out.

Show notes

• Growing up in Newport / Huntington Beach and Vooli.
• TC jetted into Vegas in 2004 – he tells us why…
• Land acquisition, rezoning and the “Fun Agents“.
• How TC first heard about wave pools – we talk about Kelly Slater’s original video which is fast becoming the starting point for many people’s interest in the wave pool space.
• TC explains his concept of a beach in Las Vegas and we discuss the appeal of surfing to aspirational surfers.
• How TC fully realized that he wanted to create a beach in Las Vegas with surfable waves and the current lack of opportunity in the city.
• What stage he is at with “The Beach Las Vegas”.
• We go off on a tangent about wave pool competitions and compare them to skateboarding.
• Going public with the project and not being fearful of public lash back, like in France in mid-2019.
• Procuring the land for “The Beach Las Vegas” and discussing various elements like Crystal Lagoons, dog beaches and the challenges of setting up such a large development. We chat about the 3D renderings from the SURFLAND project in Brazil and Sheraton’s history in wave pools with their project at Oceandome in Japan.
• What’s the process when you’re engaging ambassadors in the business?
• What’s the timeline for the Las Vegas beach? 3 years…
• Why surf is growing so radically at the moment and what will the affect of wave pools actually be?
• We compare skateboarding, wakeboarding, flow riding and snowboarding to surfing in a pool.
• We talk about residential development on the beach at Las Vegas.