Wave settings, prices, opening dates for the Palm Springs Surf Club
How much is it to surf the Palm Springs Surf Club? Surf sessions start at $100 for beginner groups, $150 for intermediates, and $200 for advanced surfers. General club entry begins at $20. Reservations are available online at the PSSC website. Waves offered are A-Frame Intermediate, A-Frame Advanced, Rights & Lefts, Beginner Waikiki and Private Session. See bottom of page for full listing and description.
The Palm Springs Surf Club (PSSC) announced it is set to open its doors on January 1, 2024 after some delay and much eager anticipation. The revamped waterpark imagineered by Cheyne Magnusson will be the first surf park in Southern California. Thomas Lochtefeld’s Surf Loch design will power the wave pool, producing surf from two to seven feet and catering to surfers of all skill levels.
How the Palm Springs Surf Club came to be
The project began with Cheyne Magnusson, who previously fine-tuned wave systems in Waco, Texas, and professional surfer Kalani Robb. They partnered with James Dunlop to create a next-generation wave prototype at the site of the former Wet ‘N’ Wild waterpark in Palm Springs. Following a successful test pool launch in 2019, investor and tech executive Vinny Smith joined the project, bringing in hotel developers Tim and Colin O’Byrne to realize the vision of a premier surf destination.
The Palm Springs Wave Pool Team
Vinny Smith acknowledged the challenges faced during development, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and praised the team’s effort to transform the old waterpark into the current state-of-the-art facility.
“Opening The Palm Springs Surf Club marks the realization of a dream that was once unimaginable – catching waves in the desert,” said Vinny. “We have assembled a passionate team to create an extraordinary space that will provide world-class entertainment and bring together people from within and beyond the surf community.”
Vinny continued that his team did the seemingly impossible, transforming a dilapidated water park into a surf park of the future.
“Much appreciation goes out to the hundreds of people who worked on the site over the past couple of years. This team took a dilapidated park that was built in the late 1970s and created what you see today. To make things even more challenging, Cheyne, Tim and Colin drove this effort during the COVID years, an extremely difficult time to complete such a huge project.”
Waves, Amenities and Prices for Palm Springs
The Palm Springs Surf Club, located 2.5 hours by car from Los Angeles, spans 21 acres and combines resort features with leisure attractions. The club is designed to be inclusive, offering activities for both surfers and non-surfers, including dining venues, waterslides, lounge pools, a lazy river, event spaces, and a social club.
PSSC’s wave technology, developed by Tom Lochtefeld of Surfloch Wave Systems, allows for customizable waves and can accommodate up to 25 surfers at once. PSSC said they priotize sustainability, using significantly less water than a golf course and generating a substantial portion of energy in-house.
Additional amenities include a lazy river, waterslide attractions (to open later in 2024), cabana rentals, and dining options such as the sustainable Amala restaurant and Drifter’s, a quick-service eatery. A retail store will offer surf gear and accessories, and a variety of rental boards will be available for surf session reservations.
Surf sessions start at $100 for beginner groups, $150 for intermediates, and $200 for advanced surfers. General club entry begins at $20, with reservations available starting December 13, 2023, on the PSSC website. All prices are subject to change.
In an emotional post, the wave pool’s imagineer Cheyne Magnusson took to Instagram to thank everyone who had been involved in the long process.
“Gosh. What to say. So many people to thank for making this moment possible I don’t know where to begin. The journey hasn’t been easy. The next part is for the surfers and hopefully you all like it.”
Wave Settings
Beginner Waikiki
Waikiki is designed to be the ideal wave for those who have never surfed or those who have surfed a few times and just want to get the feeling of standing on a board and riding in the early stages of their surfing journey. If the surfer is good enough to angle and go down the line, the wave does have an open face on the outside edge as it peels along the reef. This is the wave for you if you want to try surfing for the first time. Coming Spring 2024
Intermediate A-Frames
The A-Frames are designed to offer a split peak experience which two surfers can ride in opposite directions on the same wave. There is a closeout section at the end which is intended to be there for a finishing maneuver. We throw 3 wave sets at 15 second intervals between waves with approximately one and a half minutes between sets.
Advanced A-Frames
Advanced A-Frames are not for the faint of heart. These slabby cylinders give surfers the option to pull in off the takeoff and come out in time to do one or two more turns if you are quick enough. The end section makes its presence known on these waves, its thick and powerful so bring all the power you can to it. Like the mellow A-Frames, stay in the pocket. These waves come in 3 wave sets with an 8 second interval between waves and approximately one and a half minutes between sets.
Lefts and Rights
The lefts and rights extend the length of ride in our pool by about 3-4 seconds and are designed to be user friendly for skill levels from intermediate to pro. These are designed to offer a legit first section for a big turn and hold the face throughout the rest of the ride. The end section is playful and great for laybacks or for the more technical surfer the blow tail reverse has been a favorite. These waves are thrown out as a 3-wave set with 15 seconds between the waves and about one minute and twenty seconds between sets.
PRIVATE SESSIONS
PSSC private sessions allow for a customizable and intimate surf experience, including wave profiles that are not offered in a public capacity. Here you have the ability to surf your favorite wave on repeat or switch the wave settings on demand. Our private selection includes our “Clean Easy Tube”, “The Slab”, “Air Section”, and more!
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