Exciting news out of Southern California as construction on the DSRT Surf project is officially underway. The development team was joined by city council members, community groups, investors, and surf park pioneers from around the world in celebration of a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday morning in Palm Desert.
The project from Beach Street Development and Operations is slated to open in the summer of 2026 and will be California’s third surf park after the WSL Surf Ranch, using KSWaveCo technology, began operations in 2015. This year we also saw the Palm Springs Surf Club open after retrofitting the old Wet ‘n Wild water park with Surfloch technology. That opened in January of this year (subsequently experiencing some teething issues).
Building a Surf Destination
DSRT Surf will feature a Wavegarden Cove, which can hold up to 70 surfers in the water at one time and handle 1,200 surf sessions per day. Wavegarden says the pool can produce up to 900 perfect ocean-like waves per hour. This project is the second Wavegarden Cove destination to break ground in the U.S., following Atlantic Beach in Virginia Beach, VA. Wavegarden made worldwide headlines recently with the opening of URBNSURF Sydney.
Besides the latest wave technology making DSRT Surf an international destination, the park will also feature world-class amenities. According to Beach Street Development’s press release, the park will feature a 139-key boutique hotel and “barefoot” luxury residences. The project is nestled within the world-class Desert Willow Golf Resort. When construction crews complete the project, it’s believed that more than 1,000 people will visit the destination each day.
“Today marks an exciting moment for the Southern California surfing community and for the city of Palm Desert,” said John Luff, Managing Member of Beach Street Development and Operations. “DSRT Surf is introducing the largest Wavegarden Cove in the United States. Today’s groundbreaking ceremony culminates years of development and starts the next chapter in bringing this unique and iconic vision to life, expanding the Southern California surfing landscape.”
Focus on Sustainability
The location has been a point of contention in the surf park industry and the general public regarding water usage. However, DSRT Surf focuses on sustainability with its “Turf for Surf” initiative. The parks will offset water usage by converting 20 acres of non-playable turf at the adjacent Desert Willow golf course to drought-tolerant and native desert landscaping. This initiative will save 34.8 million gallons of water annually – 11 million gallons more than the 23.8 million gallons the surf lagoon will require.
“We would like to acknowledge the hard work and contributions of everyone in reaching this important milestone,” said Fernando Odriozola, Chief Commercial Officer at Wavegarden. “Palm Desert is such an iconic area, and we can’t wait to start building the first Wavegarden Cove in California. Exchanging ‘Turf for Surf’ will create an amazing oasis in the desert that will become a true asset for many people
to enjoy.”
“This is truly a Palm Desert quality proposal,” said Palm Desert Council Member Kathleen Kelly in a prior meeting regarding the project. “The applicants have gone through considerable efforts to make sure that this will be a broad-based community resource.”
Recent studies show that surf parks use less water than other sports destinations.
The project is a massive undertaking and will be completed in phases. The surf lagoon is part of phase one, and Beach Street Development aims to open that part of the resort to the public by Summer 2026.
Surf Park Central CEO Jess Ponting attended the groundbreaking event, and a full report will follow. Interested in investing in this project? Visit their website for more information.
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