2025: More Money, More Problems
The surf park industry in 2025 was nothing close to normal. Look under the data and you'll see seismic shifts.
Ahh, 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, we track and analyze data for every wave pool and surf park across the world. Behind the numbers are seismic shifts in the surf park industry, so let’s dive in to what made 2025 so outstanding.
A Drop in the Swell
In 2025, 8 new surf parks (7 traveling waves and 1 standing wave) opened across 5 countries and 4 continents—four fewer than in 2024 but the same amount as in 2023. Overall, the surf park industry is seeing 14% year-over-year growth.
The Brazilian Storm is Back
This year’s pioneers included KSM Realty and JHSF, tied for first developer to build multiple private surf parks. They each opened one new park in São Paulo, Brazil, bringing the city’s total to three. Today São Paulo is the first city with more than one traveling wave pool.
These parks are particularly unique for being backed by pro surfers. Three time world champion Gabriel Medina and two time world champion Filipe Toledo partnered with KSM Realty on Beyond the Club. One time world champion and Olympic gold medalist Ítalo Ferreira partnered with JHSF on São Paulo Surf Club.
A Shift to Private Pools
In 2025, for the first time in history, private access was the dominant type for newly launched surf parks. This includes Brazil’s three new private surf parks which cost $10,000 to $190,000 to access. The most affordable is Surf Center, the third indoor traveling wave operational today.
The other two private parks are The Wave Source, an R&D site for a new wave pool technology in Western Arizona which is now for sale for $14.9M, and SRF Park TLV in Tel Aviv which is not accessible to all because of ongoing war.
The three public parks include Atlantic Park Surf, which hosts the first modern wave pool on the East coast U.S., Irie Surf, another Citywave in Germany, and Surfland Riyue Bay, the first surf park in China.
What’s Up Down South?
One surf park got stopped in its tracks this year: Boca Surf Park planned to open a Wavegarden Cove in Boca Raton, Florida, next to Boca Teeca condominiums which houses many seniors. After weeks of debate and many email complaints from nearby residents, the city rejected the project’s proposal.
It wasn’t the best year for Texas either—Goodsurf Beach Club which featured a Citywave standing wave pool might not reopen in 2025. Up the street, another Citywave venue called Fireside Surf failed to reopen after it closed due to mechanical issues at the end of 2024. Fortunately it appears to have been bought by neighboring venue PopStroke which is expected to keep the waves running alongside its mini golf courses under the brand “Surf n Turf”.
The Tea Doesn’t Stop
There were significant leadership changes at two surf parks this year: The Wave in Bristol and Palm Springs Surf Club in California. Some referred to them as “hostile takeovers.” We leave it to you to decide if that is a correct representation.
What we know is that The Wave shut down without warning, police got involved, and their website was left in a state of disrepair because of a change in ownership after they were deemed insolvent. Customers held their breaths for five days before the venue reopened.
On the other side of the pond, former pro surfers Cheyne Magnusson and Kalani Robb announced their departure from PSSC with the implication that they were pushed to sell their stakes in the venue. As Magnusson put it, “one day, the real story of what went down here will be told, not today though.”
Breaking Ground
Despite this year’s drama, it is clear surf park development is not slowing down. There are a record number of surf parks on the horizon that achieved a critical milestone this year. 8 surf parks broke ground in 2025:
The Point Surfpark, an Endless Surf traveling wave pool in Fellsmere, Florida, expected to open Q2 2026
SURFERS COVE (also known as Surf Village), a Wavegarden Cove traveling wave pool in Óbidos, Portugal, expected to open in 2026
Zion Shores, a private park in Washington, Utah that will host a PerfectSwell traveling wave, and two UNIT standing waves
Bahrain Surf Park, a Wavegarden Cove traveling wave pool in Bilaj Al Jazayer, Bahrain, expected to open Q1 2026
Cannon Beach Texas, the second surf park after Cannon Beach Arizona from developer Cole Cannon, expected to open Q2 2027
El Nido, a Wavegarden Cove traveling wave pool in Punta del Este, Uruguay, expected to open Q2 2026
Surf Park de Luján in Buenos Aires, Argentina, featuring La Ola Group’s first traveling wave pool
The Wave Source mentioned earlier reportedly broke ground and completed their project in just four months
The Future of Surf Parks and Wave Pools
Though the majority of these developments were announced with a public model in mind, we may see surf park developers and operators shift to building wave pools with limited access and exclusive membership club models in order to make the projects financially viable. If so, can surf parks truly be the great equalizer many of us hope they live up to? Time will tell.
To stay in the loop as these trends develop or explore opportunities in the surf park space, make sure you are subscribed to Surflytics and browse the real-time data in Surf Park DB at https://surfparkdb.com.
That’s a wrap for 2025. Thank you to all of our subscribers and our 1,300 visitors! If you’d like to access 2024’s report feel free to use this 14% discount code.
Happy New Year surf nerds!