Surf parks having a viral moment
You won’t find ice skates but you will find a hockey stick when you look closely at surf parks in little towns like Waco, Texas
When 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 stick in the surf industry but we found one. Of course “hockey stick” is just the term MBAs use to describe the desired shape of rapid growth in an industry. This chart below from Surf Park DB shows that it is an awesome time to be in the surf park industry.
Looks like a hockey stick to me!
This data only includes the total number of surf parks with traveling waves that have been built over time and are still operational today. Though not every park on this list is open to the public—some are research and development facilities—it is encouraging to see this exponential trend. Growth indicates that surf parks are worthwhile investments and longevity suggests that they are here to stay.
Before this year ends, you’ll have to check out Surf Park DB again because this chart will be due for an update. Six more surf parks are aiming to open in 2024. In aggregate they are estimated to cost $2 billion, meaning the final months of 2024 alone would amount to almost 20% of the total funds invested in the currently operational surf parks across 35 years. Seeing real estate investors and financiers contribute numbers like these provides confidence that surf parks can be commercially successful.
Another indication of future success is the fact that surf parks have been running for decades. The crown for longest standing surfable wave pool goes to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon in Orlando, Florida which opened in early 1989. No longer in its heyday when Kelly Slater was surfing it as a youth, Typhoon Lagoon is available for surfing by request. In fact, many of the earliest wave pools are now more commonly frequented by swimming toddlers than surfers.
When it comes to wave pools dedicated solely to surfing, Waco Surf is the testament to the potential longevity of surf parks. After opening in Waco, Texas on March 2nd, 2018, it remains one of the most popular surf parks in the world with notoriety for being fully booked months in advance. And right now Waco is giving surf parks a viral moment. Video footage released last week by a Swatch sponsored event shows some of the most impressive skateboarding inspired surfing ever caught on camera from Waco’s clean waves and consistent air sections.
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When placing these videos next to the hard data, it is clear the momentum in the surf park industry isn’t slowing down.
For more surf park stats check out Surf Park DB. DM us on Instagram for a 30 day free trial of the pro version.