<![CDATA[Surflytics Blog]]>https://blog.surflytics.comhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TwS1!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb08352d3-a42d-49a1-94ff-4385eac5a97a_500x500.pngSurflytics Bloghttps://blog.surflytics.comSubstackSat, 09 May 2026 11:24:25 GMT<![CDATA[What does world-class hospitality at a surf park look like?]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/what-does-world-class-hospitalityhttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/what-does-world-class-hospitalityMon, 04 May 2026 23:28:23 GMTI’ve visited five public traveling wave surf parks in the United States at least once. Here’s what I’ve learned makes a world-class hospitality experience at a surf park:

Obvious Flow

Atlantic Park feels the most like a theme park. I often refer to it as the Six Flags of surf parks, but cleaner. Starting with the prominent gate surrounding the venue to the gates inside that require a wristband to electronically give you access to locker rooms, board rentals, and the pool outside, Atlantic Park has a commercial, professional, and polished feel.

This isn’t exactly what you want as a surfer because while it does feel seamless, it doesn’t have the relaxing yet dynamic vibe of a surf break. But the upside is that you always know what to do, where to be, and you always have someone to ask.

The front desk flows nicely to the board rental, wetsuit, then locker room areas and once you step outside it is clear to head to orientation where the boards are laid out and and grab your rash guard under a large tent. Any question are answered quickly by the approachable, professional and attentive staff.

Importantly, when in the water you aren’t left on your own. In each session I did there was at least one staff member in the water and one by the take off point. You also pass by the friendly lifeguards on your way into the pool. I never felt lost trying to catch waves and when I bombed there was someone checking that I was ok. I had assistance for every wave.

Food, Delivered

I have two go-to meals after a surf session: a poke bowl or a loaded burrito. While Skudin Surf is the only venue where I can get this after I surf, Palm Springs Surf Club is the only venue where eating and hydrating is quick and easy. As soon as I got to a lounge chair after my session a staff member brought me a towel and was ready to take my food order. At many venues this sort of table service is reserved for VIP/cabana guests but PSSC makes every guest feel taken care of.

After exiting the pool and feeling the hot, dry central California climate again, I couldn’t hydrate fast enough. My poolside neighbors even offered me one of their drinks probably after seeing how dry my lips were. Luckily a full bar is just a few feet away. I got water, reapplied sunblock, and before I knew it I was back at the chair munching on bacon, jalapeno pizza. The quick meal gave me a reason to hang out at the park longer than I would have. Otherwise I would have been sitting in my rental car in their parking lot searching for the nearest cafe with decent food 5 to 10 minutes away.

A Full Beach Day

Most surf parks feel artificial. The waves are always fun but they never come close to the feeling of surfing at the beach on a summer day. Revel Surf does come close. Their sandy shore combined with a high diving station, river wave, skate park, volleyball and soon pickleball courts makes the entire space lively and extremely family friendly.

There is so much going on every where you look even just sitting at the park is entertaining, but it also doesn’t feel overwhelming. So you can easily spend half your day there with a group of any size which is why most of their guests are non-surfers. For them the surfing is just another spectacle to enjoy. The only thing missing was a truck serving frozen lemonade.

Perfect Weather

There are only two indoor traveling wave pools in the world today: Skudin Surf American Dream and the West Edmonton Mall Surf Club. Both venues are inside of indoor water parks which means the experience offered to surfers does have its limitations in terms of accommodations and wave quality, however they have the incredible advantage of enabling people to surf consistent waves in perfect weather all year long. The wave pools can also be used both for surfers and non-surfers, maximizing the utility of the space and machine.

The location is not only perfect for its weather, but also because there are hundreds of people in the water park on a regular basis. That means free advertising to a clientele made up mostly of people who haven’t surfed yet before. There’s a real opportunity to turn first time customers into regulars and give vacationers an activity to try.

Incredibly Fun Waves

Waco Surf has been around since 2018 and still remains one of the best overall surf parks around the world. Its waves are incredibly fun for surfers of all skill levels and physical abilities, from complete beginners to pros. The fun factor was put on full display after the Swatch Nines event where inflatables and skate and bike ramps were installed at the venue and the world got to see pro action sports athletes simply play in the pool.

Besides the engineering, a large part of what makes the waves fun is that it is easy to be successful in the water. The takeoff is easy enough for surfers across many skill levels and staff is always there with you to guide you to the correct position. When someone wipes out they are rarely directly in the way of another surfer leading to less conflict and accidents. It also helps that the water temperature is always comfortable and you don’t have to wait a long time for waves to come.

Today, each surf park is quite unique with a different set of pros and cons but it won’t be long until one emerges that combines the best of all the others. Until then there is a lot that parks can learn from each other and so far there is no real disadvantage to doing so because they do not compete directly with each other. That may change before the end of this year as we see parks come online that are in very close proximity…

To stay updated on upcoming surf park developments, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to Surfyltics.

]]><![CDATA[Ground Breaking News: Literally!]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/ground-breaking-news-literallyhttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/ground-breaking-news-literallySat, 31 Jan 2026 17:02:18 GMTMany surf park projects are talked about around the world, but the ones worth the chatter are those that reach key milestones that turn a dream into reality.

Breaking ground is a strong signal that th…

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]]><![CDATA[2025: More Money, More Problems]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/2025-more-money-more-problemshttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/2025-more-money-more-problemsWed, 31 Dec 2025 22:12:00 GMTAhh, 2025. Another great year for surf parks but nothing close to normal! From hostile takeovers, to pros launching pools, standing wave shut downs, and NIMBYs, this year had it all. At Surf Park DB,…

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]]><![CDATA[The Truth About Your Wave Pool Choices]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/the-truth-about-your-wave-pool-choiceshttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/the-truth-about-your-wave-pool-choicesSun, 09 Nov 2025 23:05:28 GMTJust because surf parks are new doesn’t mean they are that dissimilar from other recreational venues, which have existed for centuries. In modern day, recreational spaces and experiences have been re…

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]]><![CDATA[The indoor surf park that slipped past you]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/the-indoor-surf-park-that-slippedhttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/the-indoor-surf-park-that-slippedThu, 02 Oct 2025 22:22:40 GMTWe usually reserve surf park announcements for the official dates they are live but this one is interesting enough that we couldn’t wait to talk about it. It may have slipped past you—the hype of Atl…

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]]><![CDATA[Grand opening of Atlantic Park: A high-tech wave pool operating like a well-oiled machine]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/grand-opening-of-atlantic-park-ahttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/grand-opening-of-atlantic-park-aTue, 19 Aug 2025 21:47:56 GMTYesterday I arrived at Atlantic Park, the surf park in Virginia Beach partially owned by Pharrell Williams. Only two days after opening it feels like it has been there for years. Here’s what I witnes…

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]]><![CDATA[Surf Park Book: Preview #2 - Palm Springs Surf Club]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/surf-park-book-preview-2-palm-springshttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/surf-park-book-preview-2-palm-springsThu, 19 Jun 2025 14:16:10 GMTThe greatest desire of a surfer is perfect waves and no one else around. The surf park industry has the first half of that equation dialed but, of course, wherever there are fun waves, there will be …

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]]><![CDATA[Surf Park Book: Preview #1]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/preview-surf-park-bookhttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/preview-surf-park-bookThu, 03 Apr 2025 17:52:00 GMTLast night I watched Chasing Mavericks for the first time. It’s a staple in the surf world that I avoided up until now because it looked cheesy as hell. But I was too quick to judge. After my friend …

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]]><![CDATA[Put more surf parks in cold places!]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/put-more-surf-parks-in-cold-placeshttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/put-more-surf-parks-in-cold-placesSat, 15 Mar 2025 18:51:33 GMTHere’s a very biased argument for you—surf parks will be more successful in cold places than warm places.

Yes, I live in New England where we surf at sunrise in the dead of winter when it is just abou…

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]]><![CDATA[2024: Wave Pool Pilled ]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/2024-wave-pool-pilledhttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/2024-wave-pool-pilledMon, 06 Jan 2025 23:00:46 GMTThe surf world is officially wave pool pilled. There is no denying it—2024 was a historic year for surf parks. The proof is in the data. At Surf Park DB, we track and analyze surf park and wave pool …

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]]><![CDATA[Two new surf parks just opened!]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/two-new-surf-parks-just-openedhttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/two-new-surf-parks-just-openedTue, 12 Nov 2024 01:03:03 GMTIt’s time to celebrate! Since last week two new surf parks opened to the public. We’ve also got some progress updates on a couple other parks and we even threw in a throwback for you this week. Let’s…

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]]><![CDATA[Last Week in Surf Parks]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/last-week-in-surf-parkshttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/last-week-in-surf-parksMon, 04 Nov 2024 22:03:48 GMTWe’ve got some good news! And some sad news. That’s how it goes in the world of surf parks. In case you missed it, here are the 5 updates from last week that we’ve been frothin over:

1. Lost Shore Sur…

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]]><![CDATA[Surf parks having a viral moment]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/surf-parks-having-a-viral-momenthttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/surf-parks-having-a-viral-momentTue, 22 Oct 2024 14:05:57 GMTWhen you are examining a business opportunity what you want to see is a hockey stick. It’s a sign that you are in the right place at the right time. You might be surprised to hear about a hockey stic…

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]]><![CDATA[The Pickleball of Water Sports]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/the-pickleball-of-water-sportshttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/the-pickleball-of-water-sportsFri, 27 Sep 2024 15:18:31 GMTI’ve spent countless hours researching surf parks. Where they are, when they will open, how much they cost to build or to surf, key players, etc. There’s so much data, but it has been scattered. Unti…

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]]><![CDATA[How to meet your hero]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/how-to-meet-your-herohttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/how-to-meet-your-heroThu, 19 Sep 2024 00:41:34 GMTWhat would you say if you met your hero? It’s not a silly thought exercise at a certain point in life. After you’ve committed to doing the things you love to do, you get closer to coming across your …

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]]><![CDATA[Wherever You Go, There's Dharma]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/wherever-you-go-theres-dharmahttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/wherever-you-go-theres-dharmaFri, 06 Sep 2024 03:15:10 GMTI’ll admit that I only recently learned that dharma is not an alternate spelling of karma. That’s how removed I’ve been from Eastern cultures. I can only blame myself for being too lazy to read books…

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]]><![CDATA[Big airs and drink tickets: The future of surfing]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/big-airs-and-drink-tickets-the-futurehttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/big-airs-and-drink-tickets-the-futureThu, 15 Aug 2024 15:24:34 GMT
Source: SurferToday

Surf parks are one of the biggest accelerators of change in surf culture today. They’re bringing tons of new people into the sport who previously wouldn’t have been able to ride wa…

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]]><![CDATA[Surf clips that boggle the mind]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/surf-clips-that-boggle-the-mindhttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/surf-clips-that-boggle-the-mindFri, 09 Aug 2024 01:04:07 GMTThe clips below are mesmerizing. Finding them wasn’t easy because most surf footage is actually pretty boring.

Every basketball player at your neighborhood court spends time watching the games of thei…

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]]><![CDATA[Surfing waves of change. Cha-ching!]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/surfing-waves-of-change-cha-chinghttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/surfing-waves-of-change-cha-chingThu, 08 Aug 2024 00:48:28 GMTSurf parks make surfing profitable

Surfing is undergoing a massive transformation. While the value of the global surf market has declined by over 50% since 2019, the number of surfers has grown:

  • Global…

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]]><![CDATA[Addicted to surfing]]>https://blog.surflytics.com/p/addicted-to-surfinghttps://blog.surflytics.com/p/addicted-to-surfingTue, 06 Aug 2024 14:26:06 GMTI started a company shortly after I started surfing. No coincidence there. Through surfing I realized something about life that changed my perspective on work.

See some people try surfing, struggle to…

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