Does anyone remember those Bartender school commercials that used to run on daytime TV? It was a specific school for a specific task – serving drinks. But running a surf park? The wave pool world does not have a university program. Surfing does, but not surf parks specifically. Those who excel in the wave pool space tend to have a background cobbled from hospitality, resort and adventure tourism experience.
And then there are some people who just have a true grit sensibility that helps them to excel at whatever they decide to apply themselves to. Amy Hunt is such a person. The level of knowledge and moxie to deal with the many layers, nuances and chaos control to run a surf park, Amy has in spades.
The skills needed aren’t so much about having a wave pool-specific background, although in some years there will be a certificate for that – the skill set combines qualities like unicorn communication abilities along with creative problem solving meshed with hyper attention to detail.
I discovered this thread during our conversation with Amy. She learns quickly, cares about the details and works tirelessly. The wave pool at Waco Surf is just one, small component to a 500-acre ranch that includes a cable park, lazy river, water slides, cabins, ponds, an island with lemurs and more.
In this conversation we are gifted keen insights as Amy drills down the details of operation at what is today, America’s favorite surf park.
