Atlantic Park Surf launched last week, heralding a new era for wave pools in America. The hotly anticipated surf element to the $350 million, 10-acre redevelopment project dramatically alters East Coast surfing. Now, the wave pool will hold its first competitive surf invitational, the Chlorine Clash, set to run on August 25 from 8 to 11 p.m.
The event will take place on the calendar between the East Coast Surfing Championship and the Outer Banks Pro. Both are major regional events on the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series calendar.
According to the surf park operator, Beach Street Development, the invitational will feature eight WSL qualifying series surfers along with eight wildcard entries. Contestants will compete head-to-head and the contest format will include both barrel and turn waves.
“Our goal at Atlantic Park Surf is to bring new contest formats and new events to the Virginia Beach surf community. The Chlorine Clash will be the first of many ways we activate Atlantic Park Surf,” said Blake Hess, COO of Beach Street Development.
Virginia Beach surfers Blayr Barton and Michael Dunphy, who sampled Atlantic Park’s offerings before the official opening date, are among those invited.
Wave Pool Surf Contests
Along with the upcoming Virginia Beach wave pool event, wavepool-based surf competitions have expanded globally. In 2024, the WSL hosted its first Longboard Classic in Abu Dhabi using KSWaveCo technology. Early 2025 saw the Surf Abu Dhabi Pro CT event where Caitlin Simmers and Italo Ferreira took wins. In June 2025, Stab High Japan spotlighted party surfing at the Shizunami wave pool, judging on rotation, style, and loft. Munich recently hosted the Nations Trophy event that pitted Europe’s top surfers against each other in the Endless Surf powered wave tank.
In South Korea, Siheung Wave Park hosted multiple events. The 2023 Wave Park Surf League featured a 10-week contest series. In May 2025, the SAWAKAMI Asia Challenge paired Korean and Japanese national surfers. The WSL’s July 2025 Korea Open crowned Kanoa Hee-Jae as the first Korean WSL event winner.
Private Event for Surf Community and Sponsors
The Chlorine Clash will be a private event benefiting the nonprofit Waterman’s Dream Inc. Sponsors listed by Atlantic Park Surf include WRV, Bishard Homes, Bay Local, Priority Title & Escrow, Rip Curl, YETI, Dryrobe, SunBum, and Xtratuf.
