Surf Park Sharks is back for 2026, featuring some of the most exciting new surf park development projects in the world.
Three finalist teams pitch live in Virginia Beach on September 2 at Surf Park Summit. Meet the finalists, the semifinalists, and the investor panel judging them below — and what this year’s field says about where surf-anchored development is heading.
Surf Park Central returns Surf Park Sharks to the Surf Park Summit on September 2, 2026 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Sharks is the Summit’s live real estate developer pitch competition, giving emerging surf park developers a shot at real feedback from some of the industry’s top investors and operators. Featured developer teams pitch live on stage for the chance to receive marketing benefits, sponsorship, and future funding.
The 2026 competition is presented by Surf Park Central, and sponsored by surf park architectural leaders, AO, and AGRU America one of the most innovative and leading liner, plastics, and infrasturcture providers to surf parks in the world.
What Surf Park Sharks Is
A “Shark Tank” style pitch competition built specifically for surf park real estate developers.
- When: September 2, 2026, during the Surf Park Summit (September 1–3, Virginia Beach, VA)
- Where: Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront, in front of 400+ industry stakeholders
- The format: Up to six semifinalists are selected from open applications; three finalists present live to a judging panel of real surf park investors considering debt, equity, and hybrid capital models.
- The prize: Bragging rights, marketing spotlight, and prizes worth $15,000, including a Surf Park Summit 2027 Silver Sponsorship Package and free access for the winning team
- How they’re scored: Commercial feasibility of vision and business plan · Land, location, deal and structure · Management team · Management of development risks · Technology selection · Project fundability
Who can enter
Open to surf park projects at the capital-raising stage. Applicants must have a clear vision for the surf park, an established management team, an identified geography or region, land and entitlements or a demonstrable process to acquire them, a business model with detailed pro forma and development costs, a concept of which wave technology they will use, and no more than $10MM in equity raised to date.
Meet the Sharks
Three judges covering the full arc of a surf park deal — the capital stack, the design and engineering, and the operating reality after opening day.
Tom Hudak — Vice President, Investments, EPR Properties
Tom Hudak is Vice President of Investments at EPR Properties, where he oversees the company’s existing entertainment and retail assets and pursues theatre and retail real estate acquisitions nationwide. Before joining EPR, Tom was Vice President of Real Estate at AMC Theatres, responsible for new theatre site selection across the United States.
EPR Properties (NYSE: EPR) is the diversified experiential REIT — a publicly traded real estate investment trust that specializes in select enduring experiential properties rather than conventional commercial real estate. Its portfolio spans theatres, eat & play venues, attractions, ski resorts, experiential lodging, gaming, cultural venues, and fitness & wellness, alongside an education segment of private schools and early childhood centers. EPR is one of the few public capital sources that underwrites experience-driven real estate as its core business — the exact lens a surf park has to survive.
Josh Martin — President & Creative Director, Martin Aquatic
Josh Martin leads the executive management of Martin Aquatic while casting its overall creative vision and directing the work of its design studio. He helps clients envision aquatic projects through renderings and concept models, leading master plans that translate the groundwork laid by architects and planners into constructible realities. He holds an MBA from Rollins College and more than a decade of project experience.
Martin Aquatic Design & Engineering bridges creative design with industry-leading engineering to bring aquatic projects “from sketch to splash.” The firm works across water features, resort amenities, water parks, themed entertainment, aquatic facilities, and surf installations. Selected work includes Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, Carnival’s Celebration Key, Norwegian’s Great Life Lagoon, Belmond Cap Juluca, Margaritaville Beach Resort Nassau, Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, Kings Island Soak City, and Mattel Wonder Indoor Waterparks.
Andrew Ross — Chairman & Chief Development Officer, Aventuur
Andrew Ross focuses on developing large-scale, integrated recreation and leisure destinations built around a surf park as the central feature of the ecosystem. Before Aventuur he was Founder and CEO of URBNSURF Group, leading the development of URBNSURF Melbourne — the first surf park in the Southern Hemisphere — and prior to that served as Managing Director of two international energy companies.
Aventuur is a global creator of integrated surf park developments, with a stated purpose of enhancing physical and mental wellbeing. The company works from offices in Los Angeles and Perth, Western Australia, with surf park developments in Perth and Auckland, New Zealand.
The 2026 Finalists
Three teams take the main stage on September 2, pitching live to the judging panel and the full Summit audience.
1. Ida Surf Park — Boise, Idaho
Idaho’s 1.9 million residents sit more than 700 miles from the nearest ocean surf — a twelve-hour round trip for a session the ocean may or may not deliver. Ida Surf Park closes that gap with Wavegarden Cove technology, producing up to 1,000 waves an hour across every skill level, from first-timer whitewater to advanced performance sections, running every day of the year.
The lagoon anchors a multi-phase recreation and hospitality district in the Treasure Valley, one of the fastest-growing metros in the country and one with no flagship recreation anchor. Phase 1 covers the lagoon, core amenities, and initial hospitality; later phases add lodging, retail, wellness, and entertainment.
The thesis: a surf park built for a rural market, with RV parks as a lower-cost approach to hospitality — density of stay without the capital load of a hotel.
Founder / Project Lead: Brandon Watson, working with Sportainment Consulting, Thinking Adrenaline, and Cardiff Capital Collab on feasibility, operations, and development strategy.
Website: idasurfpark.com
2. Hidden Lake Surf Resort — Buckeye, Arizona
One hundred twenty acres, sixty of them already water. The lake at the center of this site is not proposed — it is private, river-fed, and already there, with established water infrastructure, in the Sonoran Desert. The land is owned, not optioned, and bordered by BLM public land along the Gila River.
A 12.5-acre Endless Surf lagoon anchors a resort hotel, beach club, marina, villas, casitas, and glamping. Approvals are in place, the property sits in a federal Opportunity Zone on a separate groundwater supply, 37 miles from downtown Phoenix. Buckeye is among the fastest-growing cities in the country, with the 34,000-acre Teravalis master plan next door.
The thesis: water strategy as the differentiator. Most surf parks begin with a search for water; Hidden Lake begins with water access at its core.
Founder / Project Lead: Drew Boyles, Managing Partner. Sponsor and Managing Partner of Hidden Lake, an entrepreneur and CEO with 30+ years building and operating businesses, bringing development experience from both sides of the dais — as a developer, and as former Mayor of El Segundo, California.
Website: hiddenlakesurf.com
3. PA National Surfing Club — Montage Mountain, Moosic / Scranton, Pennsylvania
“Let my people go surfing.” WaveGarden Cove at Montage Mountain brings world-class surf to Northeast Pennsylvania — up to 1,000 waves an hour, up to 90 simultaneous surfers across beginner and advanced zones, more than 25 configurable wave types, and rides of 18 seconds and longer, at 0.3–1 kWh per wave.
The site sits in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre corridor, an established four-season tourism region already drawing millions of visitors a year for skiing and outdoor recreation — less than two hours from New York City and Philadelphia, with 30 million+ people within a short drive and no competing wave park within hundreds of miles. Design runs through 2026, construction in 2027, phased opening 2028.
The thesis: a category-defining attraction bolted onto infrastructure that already exists — and an economic development play, capitalised in part through non-dilutive grant funding, for community health, jobs, and a new identity for NEPA’s recreation economy.
Founder / Project Lead: Daniel P. McDonough, Founder & CEO. A Scranton/Moosic native with 23+ years of industry experience and a Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business MBA, Dan leads strategic vision, the equity raise and cap table strategy, and serves as primary liaison with WaveGarden.
Website: panationalwavecove.vercel.app
4. Cleora / Salida, Chaffee County, Colorado
Where modern living meets mountain spirit. Cleora is a 3D-printed community on the Arkansas River in Chaffee County, developed by True North — and its master plan now carries a full-scale standing wave with amenities at its centre, on a dedicated block off Main Street. The site is fully entitled and shovel ready: civil work is 100% complete, the Metro District is formed, and vertical construction is already underway across 106 lots and 172 doors.
The thesis: Salida sits on one of the most popular commercial rafting stretches in North America, with an established river-surf culture and the highest density of 14ers in Colorado.
Founders: Greg Kenny and Clint Haynes
Website: https://cleora.co/
The 2026 Semifinalists
Selected from this year’s applicant pool and reviewed by the Surf Park Central judging panel.
1. Molaya Bay Resort & Residences — Lidice, Panama
Latin America’s first mountain surf lagoon resort and residences. Developed by Trinityhills Capital and Southern Winds Capital with a hospitality partnership from Marriott International, the 22+ acre mixed-use project pairs a 2.8-acre ES36X Endless Surf lagoon with a 111-key Tribute Portfolio by Marriott hotel, 130 branded condos and 262 third-party managed units, a members’ clubhouse, performance lawn, cabanas, canopy bungalows, and a resort campground.
The site sits 34 miles from Tocumen International Airport and 35 miles from downtown Panama City, 15 miles from Pacific beaches, in a 75–85°F hurricane-free climate that supports 365-day operations. A 15 MWp solar plant powers the project at roughly 30% lower energy cost and sells excess power through PPAs and the spot market. Panama adds a dollarised economy and tourism tax exemptions, and no comparable surf, hospitality, and residential hybrid exists anywhere in Central America.
The thesis: combine best-in-class features in a tropical destination 34 miles from an international airport, with a top-tier hotel operator attached.
Founder / Project Lead: Abdiel Basto, COO & Managing Partner
2. Smoky Mountain Surf Co. — Knoxville, Tennessee
Endless waves, zero coastline. An indoor, stand-alone surf park built around a 40–50 ft Citywave® stationary wave — the first of its kind in the Eastern United States — delivering a customizable constant wave from four to six feet, with a surf shop, restaurant, and bar alongside it.
The park is planned inside Prosperity Crossing, a 250-acre mixed-use development under construction in West Knoxville, anchored by eight turf soccer fields hosting regional and national tournaments and surrounded by hotels, retail, dining, and apartments. The complex projects 10,000 visitors per tournament weekend across 42 weekends a year plus 5,000 local weekday visits. Knoxville’s Tennessee River wake surf community supplies a core audience already primed for the wave.
The thesis: build a surf, play, and eat destination around a smaller-footprint pool — the whole day out, on a fraction of the land.
Founder / Project Lead: Michael Larson, MD
3. Boston Surf Supply — Greater Boston, Massachusetts
The wildcard of this year’s field, and proof that surf-anchored development does not have to mean acreage or greenfield. Boston Surf Supply is an indoor, year-round surf venue retrofitted into a compact urban building — surf, food, community, 365 days a year — in a dense, high-income market of more than four million residents with no comparable indoor surf destination.
The operating model runs 26 sessions a day across 350 days, blending surf with memberships and programming, food and beverage, rentals, retail, and events. Most modeled revenue comes from memberships and ancillary spend rather than session sales.
The thesis: retrofit a surf park into an existing commercial property. Indoor surf is far less exposed to seasonality, which drives a higher return on invested capital.
Founder / Project Lead: Benjamin Voelcker
4. The Knot – Gainesville, Florida
Rock N Roll District is bringing a multi-sport action hub to Gainesville, Florida, anchoring climbing, skating, and a standing wave just minutes from the University of Florida. With a 5.2-acre site under contract, adaptive reuse in motion, and the team’s existing Knot climbing gym already proving the local demand, this is surf as one piece of a bigger, de-risked bet rather than a standalone gamble.
The thesis: A first-of-its-kind mixed-use action sports district – pioneering emerging Olympic sports beside a major university in a secondary market.
Founder / Project Lead: Mike Palmer and Mitchell Eadens
Past Champions
2025 — Crest Surf Clubs, Shirley, Long Island, New York
Crest Surf Clubs earned top honors in 2025 with its vision for a private, membership-based surf club, blending customizable, high-performance waves with an exclusive, community-driven experience designed to redefine modern surf culture.
Crest New York sits seconds off the Long Island Expressway in Mastic-Shirley, commonly referenced as the gateway to the Hamptons. Members and their families get exclusive access to the Clubhouse — lounge and dining, active space designed to make you a better surfer, and a balcony for both private moments and vibrant community. The interiors, by Curious Yellow Design, are a homage to New York surf culture with the comforts of home: wood, cozy couches, thick rugs, and art books.
Brett Portera, Founder & CEO, took the 2025 Sharks title on the Summit main stage and returns to Surf Park Summit 2026 as a speaker. crestsurfclubs.com
2024 — Palm Valley, Gold Coast, Australia
Palm Valley took the 2024 title as one of Australia’s most innovative surf, golf, and lifestyle destinations — integrating world-class surf technology with sustainable golf design, eco-tourism, and vibrant community hubs on the Gold Coast. The project is a study in what a surf lagoon can anchor when it is planned alongside, rather than instead of, an existing recreation asset: surf and golf sharing one masterplan, one clubhouse economy, and one visitor.
Luke Altschwager, Founder, is a former PGA professional with two decades in golf and hospitality management. His vision for Palm Valley is an iconic destination bringing together adventure, wellness, and environmental stewardship, setting a new standard for active, lifestyle-focused resorts. palmvalleygc.com
The Takeaway: What This Year’s Field Says
- The wave is the anchor, not the business. Molaya Bay layers a Marriott flag, branded residences, and a solar plant on top of the lagoon. Ida treats the basin as the front door to a hospitality district. PA National bolts a Cove onto a four-season resort mountain.
- Secondary markets are the growth story. Boise, Buckeye, Scranton, Knoxville, the Panamanian highlands — land is available, populations are growing, and no flagship recreation anchor exists yet.
- Footprint is now a strategy. Boston Surf Supply and Smoky Mountain are betting that a retrofit and a stationary wave reach the same year-round rider at a fraction of the land and capital.
- Entitlements and existing operations de-risk the pitch. A signed franchise agreement, approvals already in place, a graded pad with utilities, land owned rather than optioned.
See It Live
Surf Park Sharks takes place September 2, 2026 as part of the Surf Park Summit, September 1–3 at the Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront Resort. Day one is hosted at Atlantic Park, Virginia Beach’s Wavegarden facility.
Website: thesurfparksummit.com
Questions: [email protected]
About Surf Park Central
Surf Park Central is the global trade association for the surf-anchored real estate industry, connecting the developers, investors, operators, and professionals who design, finance, build, and run surf parks and wave pool destinations worldwide. Surf Park Central publishes original research, industry data, and news, and is the parent company of the Surf Park Summit.
Disclaimer: Surf Park Sharks is presented for entertainment and educational purposes only. Nothing said or shown during the session constitutes investment, legal, tax, or financial advice, or an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security. Participation in Surf Park Sharks does not guarantee funding, investment, or business partnerships, and there is no promise of investment from Sharks or from any judge. Surf Park Central does not earn fees if these projects proceed. Surf Park Central reserves the right to change or modify the eligibility, criteria, or finalists. Project descriptions are supplied by the teams themselves. Attendees should conduct their own due diligence and consult their own advisors before making any investment decision.
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