The Gold Coast inched closer to building a new wave pool today. Surf Lakes announced a Memorandum of Understanding with a developer holding suitable land for a 5Waves project. Surf Lakes hopes to start construction in early 2021 and if all goes according to plan the project will be completed and open to the public within nine to 12 months after the first shovel hits the ground.

According to the statement, for the past 12 months, the Surf Lakes team has been reviewing several potential sites in the Gold Coast area with this selected site being the standout.

“After an exhaustive search, we are positive that this is the right site and location, plus the site owner shares our enthusiasm for bringing this project to life,” said co-founder and Director, Reuben Buchanan. “Our vision is to build a world-class facility for recreation surfing and training that suits all surf craft – not just shortboards.”

Surf Lakes is headquartered in Robina, a master-planned development dotted with golf courses, waterways and lakes. The town of 24,000 is just inland from Mermaid Beach and Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast. Due to confidentially agreements, Surf Lakes cannot say where the location is specifically.

A Memorandum of Understanding is a type of agreement between two parties to express intent to create a project. It is not legally binding. Instead, it acts as a formal alternative to a handshake agreement. After the stack of non-disclosure agreements, it is the first sheet in the tower of legal documents needed to bring a surf park to life.

Surf Lakes said that finalizing terms with the site owner will now progress, along with seeking the necessary regulatory approvals and funding. After that, it’s time to bring out the construction equipment and start digging. A team of town planners, architects and specialist consultants will work with Surf Lakes in the Development Application process.

“The Gold Coast is screaming out for something like this,” said Surf Lakes ambassador Mark “Occy” Occhilupo. “Surf Lakes is ideal because it has perfect waves for every level of surfer. It will be huge for the thousands of surfers who live here, as well as visitors who will be able to surf perfect waves without relying on the ocean.”
 
Surf Lakes made a similar announcement roughly one year ago. In today’s statement the company re-iterated the benefits of both the Gold Coast location and their wave pool technology.

“Surf Lakes Gold Coast is aiming to attract more surfers from within Australia, which will help to boost local tourism and jobs,” the statement said. “It will also deliver a range of economic and community benefits such as high-performance surf training programs, school surfing programs, adaptive surfing opportunities, indigenous focused surf programs and more.”

The full-size facility will offer four left and four right breaking waves suited for beginner, intermediate, advanced, expert and pro. Surf will range in size from two feet to eight feet and offer rides from six seconds to 14 seconds. The 5Waves design can accommodate up to 160 surfers at a time.