The Big List 2022: prices, times & notes for all the world’s wave pools
How many surf-able wave pools are there in the world? As of today, there are 19 wave pools in the world open and semi-open to the public with dedicated surfing hours – Hint: to find a wave pool opening near you soon, check the WavePoolMag Surf Planner.
UPDATE: If you are looking for the new 2023 Wave Pool Price Guide please click here
In this guide, we list hours, prices and features of the world’s surfable wave pools topping it off with insider insights from the pros. Listings are grouped by Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia and The Americas. So dig in, plan your session, froth, apply liberal amounts of sun block, froth some more and get out there!
The surf-able wave pools are: Alaia Bay, Adventure Parc Snowdonia, The Wave, Siam Waterpark, Sun City, Wadi Adventure, Urbnsurf, Surf Lakes, Sunway Lagoon, Wave Park, Kobi Reyes, Surf Stadium Japan, Fazenda da Grama, Palm Springs Surf Club, Waco Surf, Typhoon Lagoon, Kelly Slater Surf Ranch, Skudin Surf American Dream, West Edmonton Mall, Big Surf Arizona (RIP)
EUROPE: Alaia Bay, Adventure Parc Snowdonia, The Wave, Wavegarden HQ, Siam Waterpark
The Lowdown: Situated in the zone referred to as “Les Iles” (The Islands), the initial stages of construction of the surfing lagoon – which spans 8500 m2 – has been completed and is open to the public. The Cove at Alaia Bay has the same wave-generating modules as The Wave and Urbnsurf, but the pool itself is smaller because they removed the shallow wading area (typically reserved for surf lessons) when they designed the pool. Instead, beginners get more wave variety in specially dedicated sessions
Type of wave(s): Wavegarden Cove
Wave’s Technical Information: Cove Technology – Wave height: 3-6 ft, Left and Right break, Length of Wave: 30-60 yards/meters.
Hours of operation/Seasonal Hours: 14 hours of operation each day in summer with reduced transition season and winter hours. Call for details
What it costs to surf Alaia Bay: Advanced, Expert, Pro, and Beast sessions are available. The Alaia price structure has three tiers: Peak, Normal, and Best depending on when you visit. Peak times are the busiest slots while Normal is your average weekday rate. The prices listed as Best are for the lowest-usage times and could prove to be a good value as things in Switzerland cost more than elsewhere in Europe. Hourly cost: $117 – $160US. Check for bulk-buy discount packs
Pool Structure: Concrete Pool (Cove)
Waves per hour: Cove about 900 waves per hour
Atmosphere: Outdoorsy French Swiss vibe surrounded by Old World Alpine scenery
Adventure Parc Snowdonia – Northern Wales
The Lowdown: The world’s first commercial surfing wave pool has a sporty adventure vibe with surfing cabins, training facility and resident pro. The oft-overlooked thing about Adventure Parc Snowdonia is that, despite a low waves-per-hour produced by the machine, there are fewer surfers in the water so riders get a good amount of waves. The rides are quite long as well.
Accessibility: Open to the public, Adaptive Surfing (formerly Handicap Accessible), All-ages, Beginning surfer, Intermediate surfer, Advanced surfer, Coaching available, Lessons available, Surf Camps
Type of wave(s): Long, slowish left and right
Wave Generating Technology: Wavegarden Lagoon
Wave’s Technical Information: Wave height: 2-4 ft, Wave height: 4-6 ft, Both Left and Right Breaks, Length of Wave: over 100 yards/meters, Mushy (slow-breaking), Hollow performance-oriented, Adjustable
Hours of operation/Seasonal Hours: Season is from March to December. Prices are listed for Peak and Off-Peak prices. Peak prices apply to bank holidays and school holidays. Off-Peak prices apply at all other times. Equipment rentals include O’Neill wetsuits and Firewire Surfboards.
Weekday and weekends
Beginner – £40 child ($52USD) and £45 Adult ($60USD)
Intermediate 1 – £45 ($60USD)
Intermediate 2 – £45 ($60USD)
Advanced – £50 ($65USD)
Peak – School & Public Holidays
Beginner – £45 child ($60USD) £50 Adult
Intermediate 1 – £50 ($65USD)
Intermediate 2 – £50 ($65USD)
Advanced – £50 ($65USD)
Equipment Hire: O’Neill Wetsuits, Firewire, Mick Fanning and Softech boards
Specials: Adventure Parc Snowdonia has redesigned their surf stay offering to simplify the process to allow visiting surfers to design a bespoke itinerary. The surf park did this so guests can explore the restaurants, spa, adventure activities and wave pool. Replacing the previous packages for 2022, surfers will receive an exclusive 10% discount on the best available rate across the hotel rooms & suites.
Membership: Memberships run for the full year and it’s designed to help surfers spend more time in the lineup for less. Each membership card costs £75 and gives users a 30% discount off intermediate and advanced waves. Adventure Parc Snowdonia said they did this to support and reward their local and loyal surf community throughout the season.
Atmosphere: Quiet and relaxed. Outdoorsy family environment.
Apparel: Wetsuit 4/3, Wetsuit 3/2, Full suit, Spring suit, Gloves, Boots, Hoods
The Lowdown: The Wave in Bristol is the UK’s first Wavegarden Cove – and was also the first to open in the world. The facility is the company’s flagship wave pool, but there are plans for at least a further 6 ‘Waves’ in the UK and Ireland. A site has already been secured in London and the planning process is currently underway for this. Since opening in 2019, The Wave has become a regular break for many of the UK’s surf community, with surfers heading inland from the South West and South Wales, while Londoners drive 2 hours west to score a reliable session.
WavePool Construction Progress: Complete
Type of wave(s): The Wavegarden Cove produces everything from gentle knee-high rollers to head-high slabs via their top-secret machinery.
Wave Generating Technology: Wavegarden Cove Technology
Surf Technical Information: Advanced waves run between 4-to-6 feet while intermediate waves stay in the 2-foot-range. Rides run between 12-15 seconds on each section of the wave pool
Hours of operation/Seasonal Hours: The pool is open as much as daylight allows, with the longest summer days open for surfing from 7am-9pm. The Clubhouse opens an hour before and is open a minimum of an hour after final surf for food and drinks.
What it costs to surf The Wave: Off-peak prices start as low as $40 for children and $53 for adult for a 1-hour advanced surf, which increase to $60 and $73 in peak summer season. 90-minute beginner lessons range in price, but average about $66 for children and $80 for adults. The Wave has 6 levels, Beginner, Waikiki, Intermediate, Advanced, Advanced Plus and Expert. The Expert level comes in either Barrels or Turns. An hour of pure barrels will cost you about $80.
Accommodation: The Camp at The Wave hosts 25 safari tents, making it one of, if not the, closest accommodation to a surf break anywhere in the world. Starting at $146 per night, the tents sleep up to 8 people and are equipped with proper beds, a cooking stove, running water, a log burner and camping toilet. The Camp also has hot showers and a toilet block.
Other facilities: The Clubhouse at The Wave has a café/bar that provides breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks, as well as a lake viewing balcony to enjoy sunset drinks with mates. In the Clubhouse you will also find a great surf shop.
The Lowdown: The wave has been an Atlantic ocean secret spot hidden on an island of great natural surf. But it’s a solid destination for European wave pool hunters looking for something exotic in an already exotic location – the Canary Islands. The pool has starred in a few surf videos, most notably a Volcom session with groms and rising UK star Lucy Campbell. But the most comprehensive clip that gives a real feel for the place is a Spanish bro-fest. The guys rented the pool and walk viewers through ten minutes of the Siam Park experience complete with high-fives and hoots.
Accessibility: Reservation Process [email protected] or call 902 06 00 00
Wave Generating Technology: Murphys Wave’s
Technical Information: Fast right and left off a steep wall that backs off before a dumping closeout on the shallows.
Hours of operation/Seasonal Hours: Open all year but surfing by reservation only before pool opens or after it closes to swimmers
What it costs to surf Siam Park: For surfing after regular business hours, must call or email: [email protected] or call 902 06 00 00. Hard to gauge but prices estimated between $52-$880 depending on how many surfers rent out the pool per hour.
Pool Structure: Concrete Pool – Resort
Waves per hour: 60-90
Atmosphere: Family waterpark, but also a raving nightclub for private parties
Apparel: Spring suit, Bikini, Boardshorts
Africa, Middle East, Australia, Asia: Sun City, Wadi Adventure, Urbnsurf, Surf Lakes, Sunway Lagoon, Wave Park, Kobi Reyes
Valley of the Waves – Sun City, South Africa
The Lowdown: The famous Sun City resort in South Africa also hosts a chlorinated wave pool in the center of their waterpark. Built for resort goers, they do offer the odd surf session upon request and reservation
Accessibility: Open to the public, All-ages, Beginning surfer, Intermediate surfer, Advanced surfer
Type of wave(s): Combination
Wave Generating Technology: Whitewater/Barr+Wray
Wave’s Technical Information: Wave height: 2-4 ft, Both Left and Right Breaks, Length of Wave: under 30 yards/meters
Hours of operation/Seasonal Hours: Summer: 09h00 – 18h00 Summer (September to April) Gates open at 09h00 and close at 17h00. Water features shut down at 17h30. Winter: 10h00 – 17h00 Winter (May to August) Gates open at 10h00 and close at 16h00. Water features shut down at 16h30. The Valley of Waves closes for a month between May and July for annual maintenance. The Valley of Waves may be closed or close early due to private functions on an ad-hoc basis.
What it costs to surf Valley of the Waves: Call for surfing prices and reservations +27145573444
Price Breakdown for pool admission Sun City Resort residents: FreeOFF-PEAK RATES PEAK RATES Adults $8US $11USChildren (Ages 4–12 yrs) $4.75US $5.75USSenior Citizens $4.50US
Wadi Adventure – United Arab Emirates
The Lowdown: The wave made famous in Dion Agius’ “Electric Blue Heaven” clip is accessible and surf-able now. It’s a steep right or left off a wall that weakens a bit as it spreads out to centre pool.
Accessibility: Reservation Process
Wave Generating Technology: Displaced water a la Typhoon Lagoon and Siam Park by Whitewater/Barr+Wray.
Hours of operation/Seasonal Hours: By reservation
What it costs to surf Wadi Adventure: Prices: $18 park entry then $48 for each one-hour surf session. Six surfers maximum per session. Each surfer gets about six waves in the 60 minute session that is split with half rights and half lefts.
Private Parties V.I.P. session – the wave pool is open only for you and your friends $460 . Private session – private rental of the pool including personalised wave settings $400. Semi Private session – private access to the advanced wave but not the near shore beginner waves $275.
Pool Structure: Concrete Pool – Resort
Waves per hour: Unknown
Atmosphere: Family waterpark, but also raving nightclub for private parties
Apparel: Spring suit, Bikini, Boardshorts
Urbnsurf – Melbourne Australia
The Lowdown: The first public wave pool in Australia located 20 minutes outside of downtown Melbourne adjacent to the Melbourne Airport opened in January 2020 and has since set the benchmark for surf park operations. You will find surf club competitions, concerts, corporate events and heaps more here as Urbnsurf redefines the wave pool business model. But for us just wanting to go for a session, see below…
Accessibility: Open to the public, all-ages
Type of wave(s): Everything from a killer ‘slab’ setting to gentle beginner rollers to their super popular cruiser sessions.
Wave Generating Technology: Wavegarden Cove
Wave’s Technical Information: Wave height: 2-7 ft, Both left and right breaks, length of rides: beginner 8-10 seconds, intermediate/advanced 12-16 seconds
Hours of operation/Seasonal Hours At this time it’s seven days a week with the first surf slot kicking off at 6am and the last session logging in at 9pm. Note: Not all wave settings are available at all hours. Check schedule.
What it costs to surf at Urbnsurf: Prices start at $69AUS for intermediates and go up to $129AUS for expert sessions. Urbnsurf has an advanced pricing system, offering memberships and punch cards for heavy users which helps bring the price-per-surf-session down. See extensive list below:
Sessions
Cruiser / Cruiser Turns $79
Intermediate $89
Advanced / Turns $99
Expert $144
Multipacks
3 x Beginner Lessons $210-$240
3 x Cruiser / Intermediate Lessons $289-$319
10 x Cruiser / Intermediate Sessions $620-$710
10 x Advanced Sessions $799
10 x Expert Sessions $1160
20 x Seasonal – Winter $1299-$1469
20 x Seasonal – Autumn / All Year $1379-$1549
20 x Seasonal – Spring $1399-$1509
50 x Seasonal – Winter $2759-$3109
50 x Seasonal – Autumn / All Year $3159-$3559
50 x Seasonal – Spring $2959-$3329
5 Week Challenge $289-$379
Coaching
Beginner Coaching $149
Cruiser Coaching $199
Intermediate Coaching $199
Lessons
Learn to Surf $74-$89
Beginner I Lesson $74-$89
Beginner II Lesson $74-$89
Cruiser Lesson $109-$129
Intermediate Lesson $109-$129
Surf Skate Lessons $39-$89
Memberships
Gold Membership $2800-$3100
Aqua Membership $1200-$1600
Foundation Membership $2800-$3100
Hires
Surfboard Hire 2 Hrs / All Day $25 / $30
Softboard Hire 2 Hrs/All Day $10 / $15
Wetsuit Hire 2 Hrs / All Day $15 / $20
Skateboard Hire 2 Hrs / PPE $10 / $10
Pool Structure: Concrete Pool with surrounding amenities including Three Ducks restaurant, bar and shop
Waves per hour: 900-1000 waves per hour. Surfers can plan on 10-12 waves per fully booked session.
Surf Lakes – Yeppoon, Australia (Not Public Yet, But soon)
The Lowdown: Demo center for new Surf Lakes technology that uses a round hub to push out waves from the center of a lake. The waves fanning out break on a series of reefs and points. One of the largest and most ambitious wave pool projects to date
Accessibility: Private for now but soon to be public. Surf Lakes expect to open to the public pending local permitting – could be this year (2021) or next!
Type of wave(s): Central hub wave making tower
Wave’s Technical Information: Wave height: 2-8 ft, Lefts and rights along a series of reefs, points, ledges at possibly 2400 waves per hour. Inventors of the ‘5 Waves’ concept, which produces 5 different breaks at one location
Price Breakdown: You can buy one the standard size for $20million or the XL size (like Yeppoon) for $30million. Or wait for the local council to approve all the permits – stay tuned!
Pool Structure: Manmade Lake with chlorinated water
Waves per hour: 2400
Atmosphere: With Barton Lynch and Occy as ambassadors the finished project is more high-performance sport-focused than party-focused.
Apparel: Boardshorts or short wetsuits – it’s warm on the Capricorn Coast
Sunway Lagoon – Selangor, Malaysia
The Lowdown: Swimmer-focused wave pool that has limited surfing hours, like many other waterpark attractions. It’s best known for Taj Burrow’s clip in “Fair Bits” when the crew added a jet ski to help gain enough speed to launch airs.
Accessibility: Reservation Process [email protected] or call 902 06 00 00
Wave’s Technical Information: Fast right and left off a steep wall that backs off before a dumping closeout on the shallows
Hours of operation/Seasonal Hours: Wave pool is open to surfing from 6pm-7pm weekends and holidays and by reservation only.
Price Breakdown: For surfing after regular business hours, must call or email: [email protected] or call 902 06 00 00. Prices estimated between $52.00-$880.00 – Kids under 6 free, special pricing kids 6-11, but not sure if that applies to surfing.
Email for more details: [email protected]
Pool Structure: Concrete Pool – Resort
Apparel: Boardies and bikinis
Wave Park – Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
The Lowdown: This is the largest Wavegarden Cove project to date (2021) with 56 modules (The Wave Bristol has 40 by comparison) and is part of a multi-billion dollar resort development an hour outside of Seoul. The wave pool is run under the name Wave Park and opened on October 8, 2020
WavePool Construction Progress: Completed
Type of wave(s): The Cove produces everything from gentle knee-high rollers to head-high slabs via their top-secret machinery.
Wave Generating Technology: Wavegarden Cove Technology
Wave’s Technical Information: Wave height: 2-7 ft, Both left and right breaks, length of wave: 60-100 yards/meters depending on the size of the Cove pool
Hours of operation/Seasonal Hours: Mon-Sun 10:00 – 17:00
What it costs to surf at Wave Park:
Surf Sessions
Bay Whitewater $53USD
Beginner/Intermediate $65USD
Advanced $65USD
Surf Lessons
Bay Whitewater $82USD
Reef level up $90USD
Admission
Adult $33USD
Child $26USD
Rentals
Wetsuit $8USD
Softboard $13USD
Hardboard $33USD
Waves per hour: 400-600 waves per hour
The Lowdown: Shizunami is a thriving surf town about four hours by car southeast of Tokyo. The bullet train from Tokyo central takes a little over two hours to nearby Shizuoka station. Surf Stadium Japan is also one of the world’s first surf parks close to an existing natural surfing location. The wave tub itself sits on a 2.4-acre site a stone’s throw from the Pacific ocean. AMW says that Shizunami will demonstrate how high-performance surf can be achieved in urban, surf-centric, relatively smaller footprint locations, referred to by the company as “surf arenas.”
WavePool Construction Progress: Completed
Accessibility: Open to the public, All-ages, Beginning surfers, Intermediate surfers, Advanced surfers
Wave Generating Technology: American Wave Machines Perfect Swell with some new improvements and enhancements
Wave’s Technical Information: Both Left and Right Breaks, Length of Wave: 30-60 yards/meters, Semi-hollow to hollow and performance-oriented. 110 waves per hour come in three-wave sets at between 1:10-1:30 apart. Waves are waist to head-high.
Hours of operation/Seasonal Hours: Dec–Feb: 10am-5pm, Mar-May: 9am-6pm, June-Sep: 8am-8pm, Dec- Oct-Nov: 9am-6pm.
What it costs to surf at Stadium Japan: Entry: Adults (13 years and older) 550-1650 yen ($5-$14). Children (12 years old and younger): Free – 825 yen ($7)
Trial session: 3300 yen ($30): This includes surfboard, wet suit and safety equipment plus an instructor.
Beginner Session: 6600 yen ($60)
Intermediate Session: 8800 yen ($77)
Advanced Session: 8800 yen ($77)
Expert Session: 9900 yen ($85)
Private session: From 230,000 yen ($2000) per hour which includes customized waves of your choice. This price varies depending on the season.
Note: Membership registration is required to purchase tickets. If there is a vacancy on the day of the session, e-tickets will be sold to those who come directly to the facility. Surf Stadium advises to check the availability up to 23:59 the day before you want to go surfing.
Pool Structure: Concrete pool facility with sand added
Waves per hour: 110
Atmosphere: Beach party Japan style
Apparel: Mostly boardshorts and bikinis. 3/2 fulls and spring suits for fall/winter
The Lowdown: Twenty minutes by car from Kobe Japan is Kobe-Reyes, a Big Surf Arizona type wave that is rarely pushed above waist-high. It’s currently the only surf-specific wave pool in Japan and does a booming business despite the lack of solid surf
WavePool Construction Progress: Completed. Open to public
Type of wave(s): Small, soft peak that splits left and right
Wave Generating Technology: Murphys wave-style flush system
Wave’s Technical Information: 2-3 ft, Lefts and rights in a reservoir lake suitable for beginners and longboarders or those small wave A-Listers
Structure: Manmade Lake with chlorinated water
Price Breakdown: $92US for 100 minutes of shared pool time
Waves per hour: Unknown
Apparel: Trunks and bikinis in summer when the pool hours are expanded. Wetsuits in limited hours of transition season. The company recommends wearing reef shoes.
The Americas: Fazenda da Grama, Palm Springs Surf Club, BSR Surf Resort, Typhoon Lagoon, Kelly Slater Surf Ranch, Skudin Surf American Dream, West Edmonton Mall, Big Surf Arizona (closed for 2021)*
The Lowdown: While not public-facing like current Coves in Switzerland, Australia, England and South Korea, the Fazenda da Grama project hopes to attract Brazil’s rich and famous with golfing, horses, spa facilities, restaurants, an event space and the usual surf park fare as this Cove facility is the centerpiece of a condo development focused on active living and sports leisure. The pool spit out its first waves in June 2021 and is now the darling to Brazil’s wealthy surf set.
Accessibility: Private residences and club memberships.
Type of wave(s): The cove produces everything from gentle knee-high rollers to head-high slabs via their top-secret machinery.
Wave Generating Technology: Wavegarden Cove Technology
Wave’s Technical Information: Wave height: 2-7 ft, Both left and right breaks, length of wave: 30-100 yards/meters depending on the size of the Cove pool
Hours of operation/Seasonal Hours: Unavailable, but we’ll keep you posted
What it costs to surf Praia da Grama: Guests of residents and those with memberships will be able to surf the pool. So, surfers must either purchase property or have a membership to access the development’s central wave pool. It runs on the same model as an exclusive golf club membership. Or you can buy a 500 square meter villa for $11,500,00Real ($2.4millionUS.)
Waves per hour: 11-900 waves per hour
Palm Springs Surf Club – Palm Springs California
The Lowdown: Top secret and under wraps wave pool by Cheyne Magnusson did the big reveal last year that it will be powered by Tom Lochtefeld’s SurfLoch tech. According to Surf Loch, their systems can create a maximum of one swell every eight seconds or 450 swells per hour. Those 450 swells break over different surfing zones creating thousands of rides per hour. Frequency can be adjusted downward as needed for attendance or other operational purposes.
WavePool Construction Progress: Completed and tested demo pool which was razed to make way for a bigger pool.
Accessibility: Public wave pool like Urbnsurf or The Wave.
Type of wave(s): Knowing Cheyne’s penchant for ramps and wedges, expect some big fun.
Wave Generating Technology: SurfLoch wave systems.
Wave’s Technical Information: The test pool was powered by 8 caissons and a tad smaller than the BSR Surf Ranch and used the existing outline of the previous Riptide Reef pool at Wet’n’Wild which. The number of caissons for the new pool is unknown but the outline of the wave tank will go deeper and wider to accommodate more powerful swells and more users.
Hours of operation/Seasonal Hours: With the Palm Springs climate, year-round surfing is anticipated.
What it costs to surf at the Palm Springs Surf Club: Don’t know yet, but we keep bugging them to get the lowdown for when they open this summer – stay tuned!
Waves per hour: 450 swells breaking across different zones.
The Lowdown: The USA’s second public pool and the first commercial American Wave Machines Perfect Swell facility. The pool is very popular and resembles a more natural surf break than many other technologies. The surf park recently changed ownership and is now known as Waco Surf.
Accessibility: Open to the public, All-ages, Beginning surfer, Intermediate surfer, Advanced surfer options. Reservations, waivers are required as well as showing up an hour before your session.
Wave Generating Technology: American Wave Machines Perfect Swell
Wave’s Technical Information: Both Left and Right Breaks, Length of Wave: 30-60 yards/meters, Semi-hollow to hollow and performance-oriented. 120 -160 waves per hour come in three-wave sets at between 1:10-1:30 apart. Waves are waist to head-high
Hours of operation/Seasonal Hours:
During off peak times the surf park usually runs 8am-8pm. During peak season they run waves most days 6am-11pm.
What it costs to surf Waco: Since the changeover from BSR Surf Resort to Waco Surf, the new crew have added accommodations, so guests who stay on site get a discount in the wave pool via the Stay and Surf option.
Beginner Session $89-109+tax for one hour for Stay and Surf prebooked guests. Includes surfboard.
Beginner Session $79-99+tax for one hour for the Space Available sessions. Includes surfboard.
Intermediate and longboard session $109-129+tax for one hour for Stay and Surf prebooked guests.
Intermediate and longboard session $99-119+tax for one hour for the Space Available sessions.
Expert session $119-139+tax for one hour for Stay and Surf prebooked guests.
Expert session $109-129+tax for one hour for the Space Available sessions.
Private sessions start at $1,750+tax/hour and can be booked up to 12 hours consecutively.
They also offer all day beach club passes to hang out and watch the action at $19+tax, or upgrade to a private beach club cabana for the day, starting at $149+tax/per day.
Pool Structure: Concrete pool facility with sand added
Waves per hour: 120-160
Atmosphere: Barbecue and cable park vibes.
Apparel: Mostly boardshorts and bikinis. 3/2 fulls and spring suits for fall/winter
Other questions: Call or text (254) 447-1194
Typhoon Lagoon – Orlando Florida
The Lowdown: The pool generates roughly one 3-5-foot-wave every 90 seconds, a burgery right and left off the deep end that rushes into a closeout on the inside bar. Typhoon Lagoon offers Surf School lessons and the water park can be rented out for private surfing before and after swimming hours
Wave Generating Technology: The equipment and contract was done by WhiteWater Industries Ltd & Barr+Wray.
Wave’s Technical Information: Wave height: 3-4 ft, Both Left and Right Breaks, Length of Wave: roughly 30 yards/meters. According to Whitewater West, “Typhoon Lagoon is a Hydraulic system whereby water is pumped in to a series of silos and when the gates are released water plunges into the deep end of the pool generating a wave or varying heights. Typhoon Lagoon generally fill the silos half full generating a wave of 4-5 feet high. When the silos are fully filled an eight foot wave is created.”
Hours of operation/Seasonal Hours: Year round including some holidays
What it costs to surf Typhoon Lagoon: $199 for surf lesson packs including equipment and instruction. Park admission is $65 for 1-day pass. There are surf sessions before the park opens and after it closes. Space is extremely limited but you can make surfing reservations online at this link. The renter gets to choose the wave settings. Each 3-hour session comes with 100, 125 or 150 waves – broken into sets.
For 100 Waves: Weekday mornings pricing is $1,150.00, Weekday evenings are $1,250 Morning and Weekend evenings are $1,450.
For 125 Waves: (mornings not available) Weekday evenings are $1,550 with Weekend evenings $1,800
For 150 Waves: (mornings not available) Weekday evenings are $1,850 with Weekend evenings $2,150
Atmosphere: Family environment
Apparel: Spring suit, Bikini, Boardshorts
The Surf Ranch – Lemoore, California
The Lowdown: The world’s best surfer on the world’s best human-made wave captivated anyone who has ever surfed. Now owned by the WSL the perfection of the Surf Ranch is reserved for training, video clips, WSL contests and a few friends of the King. Private parties can rent out the ranch for the day at between $50K and $70K.
What it costs to surf the Kelly Slater Surf Ranch: It’s accessible via private, pros only or with paid ‘spectator’ admission through WSL VIP experiences – although this might’ve changed since the WSL cancelled the Surf Ranch Pro. The wave tank prefers to operate mysteriously, but in reality you can call up and rent the whole place, assuming you have the right number. High-season daily rental is around $70,000 while low-season costs are $50,000. Daily per person rate (at 10 surfers) is $5K to $7K. Hourly cost per person works out to $875 High Season $625 Low Season. For 12 waves it works out to $425-to-$575 per wave, or $9.50-to-$12.75 per second. Easy.
Type of wave(s): Lefts and Rights, hollow with no interrupting sections
Wave Generating Technology: Kelly Slater Wave Co. Systems
Wave’s Technical Information: Wave height: 2-6 ft, Both Left and Right Breaks, Length of Wave: over 100 yards/meters, Hollow performance-oriented
Hours of operation/Seasonal Hours: Private by appointment only but you have to know who to contact – which appears to be one of surfing’s great mysteries.
Pool Structure: Manmade lake, formerly a waterskiing park
Waves per hour: 12-25 waves per hour
Apparel: Fullsuit, Bikini, Boardshorts
Skudin Surf American Dream – East Rutherford, New Jersey
The Lowdown: Multi billion dollar mega mall waterpark in line with the Mall of America in Edmonton, Canada. The surf component here is American Wave Machines Perfect Swell tech modeled after BSR Surf Resort (but indoors). The facility is run by New York surf legend Will Skudin.
Accessibility: Open to the public, All-ages with both public sessions and private sessions available.
Wave Generating Technology: American Wave Machines PerfectSwell technology.
Wave’s Technical Information: Performance wave with rights and lefts suited to all ability levels but super-customisable with fun perks like the Freak Peak. Surfers get to choose from a diverse wave menu with names that sound like theme park rides: The Party Wave, Rubber Ducky’s, Sinatra, and The Vortex. Rides are (relatively) short at only 3-8 seconds per ride.
What it costs to surf SkudinSurf American Dream: Public Sessions: Public Sessions are run in 2-hour blocks in order to maximize both the experience and wave count. These sessions are formatted with wave types based on skill level, with the sessions being labeled either Option A, B, C, or D in ascending level of surfing ability. (Ex. A= Beginner Inside Whitewater; D= Advanced/Expert.) These sessions include a wave technician, instructors, surf caddy, water safety, and complimentary board quiver.
One 2-hour public session is priced as follows:
$99: Mon-Thurs mornings for Option A
$195: Mon-Thurs mornings for Option B, C, and D sessions
$125: Afternoons and weekends for Option A
$250: Afternoons and weekends for Option B, C, and D sessions
What it costs to surf SkudinSurf American Dream: Private Sessions: Can be booked in 1 hour or 2 hour blocks. These sessions are best for larger groups, events, or having your own private/personal session! They include a cabana setup overlooking the pool (with snacks & drinks), a fully-customizable selection of waves for the group, and a customizable music playlist through our loudspeakers. These sessions also come with a wave technician, instructors, surf caddy, water safety, and use of our complimentary board quiver.
Current rates for Private Dream Sessions are:
$1600 for 1 hour (up to 10 surfers)
$3200 for 2 hours (up to 16 surfers)
Added Notes: Expect anywhere from 1-16 surfers in the lineup. With the ability to generate waves every 30 seconds, the wave-riding output can reach up to 240 rides per hour. Waves average 75-150 per session depending on whether they are split peaks or longer reeling waves. Pool is located just 15 minutes outside of Manhattan. Air and water temperatures hover at around 85 degrees during year-round operation. The group just launched a season-pass package deal that can be found on our website under “Public Sessions.”
Hours: Operational times fall between the mornings and afternoons/nights.
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Pool Structure: Indoor concrete
Waves per hour: 120-160
Apparel: Heated indoor setting, so boardies and bikinis
The Lowdown: Surf Nights at the West Edmonton Mall allows newbies and advanced surfers a chance to session this indoor chlorinated wonder. All sessions are coordinated through the West Edmonton Surf Club
Wave Technology: 1980s water drop system agitates swell into the shallows at 4-5 seconds apart.
Wave Size: 1-3ft and peaky, choppy. Waves come in sets about once a minute.
What it costs to surf Edmonton: Booked as “lessons” each 90-minute session costs $79. Lessons are usually offered once a week and capped at 10 people. After the lesson/orientation, anyone is welcome to come out to the surf club who typically get 2-4 sessions a week offered, usually at night. During the day, the wave pool is open to the general public. We get our chance to surf once the park closes.
Local Knowledge: Surf Club member Daniel Macyk says: “Depending on the day and time, it seems a typical session consists of 10-30 people. On quiet nights you can catch up to 50 plus waves. On busy nights it’s more in the 20-25 range.”
Vibe: Since it’s an indoor pool, the water is usually 25-28 (78-85F) degrees depending on how much sun shines through the large glass dome. Air temperature is typically set to 31C (90F) which makes it a nice relief from a snowy Canadian parking lot.
Big Surf – Tempe Arizona *Rest in Peace
Now closed for good, items were auctioned off in 2022. You can take a tear-filled nostalgic tour through the magic pen of Neil Armstrong as he talks to several surfers who grew up at the world’s best-known wave pool.
The Lowdown: What the waves lack in quality the pool makes up for as an institutional landmark. The fictional character Rick Kane learned to surf here in the 1980s cult classic “The North Shore”. This was surfing’s first glance at wave pools. And while it never made a magazine cover, it stoked a crew of core area wave pool surfers with season passes.
Wave Generating Technology: WaveTek wave system by ADG
Wave’s Technical Information: Wave height: 2-4 ft, Both Left and Right Breaks after a giant closeout. Length of Wave: roughly 30 yards/meters. The wave comes through about every four minutes and riders are required to wait their turn.
Hours of operation/Seasonal Hours: May – September including some holidays. Surfing is open Mon-Sat 9-10 am and 5-6 pm with some Sundays.
What it costs to surf Big Surf: $349.95 for a season surf pass. Price grants access to Waikiki Beach Wave Pool for each evening session. If you want the morning session it’ll set you back $5 for each surf (in addition to the season pass). Season surf pass available for ages 13 and up.
Atmosphere: Aging waterpark with a family environment
Apparel: Bikini, Boardshorts (Arizona summer temps are in the 100s almost each day.
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