NLand Surf Park is Making Waves in Texas

Doug Coors and his team at the soon to open NLand Surf Park have finally begun making waves in Austin, Texas.

Originally Published on July 7, 2016 by Michael Theis of the Austin Business Journal.

Construction and testing activities continue to hum at NLand Surf Park in Southeast Austin.

The largest man-made surfing lagoon featuring Wavegarden’s hydrofoil wave generating system is coming to NLand Surf Park in Austin, TX. Photo: Austin Business Journal

The 160-acre water park is located near the intersection of State Highway 71 and Navarro Creek Road near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Its central feature is a massive wave pool — the size of nine football fields — where surfers will soon be able to shred on artificial waves. The park is backed by Coors Brewing Co. heir Doug Coors of Colorado.

Plans for the park were first revealed in 2015. Developers originally hoped to open the park by spring 2016 but that date has been pushed back. Coors said in a statement to surfing news website Surfline that the park would not open until “early summer.” In a brief statement July 7, NLand Surf Park spokesperson Chris Jones said there was not much to report on the opening date.

“We haven’t shared any specific information about the park opening yet,” Jones wrote.

Photo: Austin Business Journal

In aerial photos taken July 7 by Austin Business Journal, the lagoon appears nearly finished. However, other aspects of the park such as the parking lot are still incomplete.

The rectangular lagoon is bisected by a boardwalk that stretches its length. The wave generating equipment is housed underneath this boardwalk. The park will use Wavegarden Inc. equipment to generate its waves. The equipment creates waves by drawing a hydrofoil through the water at speed. While we were flying overhead Thursday, the park’s operators appeared to be testing the wave generating equipment, with a line of waves emanating outward from the boardwalk, its long crest traveling down the lagoon.

One question everyone has on their minds is how NLand Surf Park’s Wavegarden is going to stack up against KS Wave Co…we shall soon see. Photo: Austin Business Journal

Construction at NLand Surf Park is being handled by White Construction Co. and overseen by project management firm Rider Levett Bucknall.