Put more surf parks in cold places!
For fun and profit
Here’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 about 20 degrees outside. And mind you, some of us are still out there when it’s like a two foot wave. I desperately want a surf park.
No, the Northeastern U.S. isn’t exactly a surfing hub but most people here at least like the idea of surfing. It’s the reality that can be what normal people consider brutal. Surf parks change that.
Surf parks offer consistently fun waves in comfortable water all year round without seaweed in your hair, sharks joining your lineup, or a layer of ice forming on the top of your board. This is a win both for casual and core surfers. There’s no doubt in my mind that we will all happily pay for this sort of luxury.
Would you surf in the snow even with a thick as wetsuit, booties, and gloves? Probably not. You would probably stay home curled up on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa. Because you’re a sane person. But what if I offered you that same thing after a fun surf session in a heated pool? I’d have your credit card in my hand.
There are already successful traveling wave pools in many cold weather places: Alaïa Bay in Switzerland, The Wave in the UK, Wavepark Siheung in South Korea, Lost Shore in Scotland, and O2 Surftown in Germany.
None of these are in locations that you typically associate with surfing. Many people would even be skeptical that there is enough interest in surfing in these areas to make it worth the multi-million dollar investment that is a traveling wave surf park.
But the data shows that (1) people living outside of surfing hubs want to surf, (2) the wave pools there are filling up, and (3) surf parks are not just about surfing.
In South Korea, where half of the year is hot and humid the other half below freezing, surfing is estimated to have grown from 40k to over 400k from 2014 to 2017. That's a 900% increase in a three year period, pre-COVID, and before the Siheung surf park even opened.
The surf parks in Europe are collectively some of the most popular in the world, serving well over 100,000 customers annually.
Much of Alaïa Bay’s success comes from amenities that non-surfers enjoy too like their restaurants and co-working spaces. Food and beverage revenue is an important line item for many other surf parks too, even those in warm climates.
Despite the fact that only about 1/3 of traveling wave pools are in cold weather places, my bet is that we will continue to see explosive growth in surfing within colder climates and surf parks will accelerate and can capitalize on that growth.
It’s unfair to me that old England already has a surf park and New England doesn’t yet. Maybe America has bigger priorities, but maybe heated pools, consistent waves, surf-themed cafes are what we all need right now. Meanwhile the water is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. If I could feel my hands I’d be crossing my fingers that the Boston surf park rumors are true. Until then I’ll tell anyone who will listen to put more surf parks in cold places.
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