By Jess Ponting
Have you noticed a recent uptick in articles concerning surf parks? I’m not talking about the newspaper articles referring to specific projects in their regions, but rather in the professional media servicing the hospitality, engineering, construction, investment, and real estate development industries.
In recent times articles framing surf parks as a legitimate emerging real estate asset class have appeared in The Buy Box – a newsletter catering to qualified real estate investors, an article by hospitality real estate intelligence juggernaut CoStar, as well as ConstructConnect, Building Design +Construction Network, Paragon Construction Consulting, real estate media platform Propmodo, commercial real estate journalism sites Green Street News and ConnectCRE, Forbes, and the Engineering News Register.
In fact, a major article on surf parks is being released on the Thesis Driven substack, a publication aimed at real estate developers and investors, which enjoys over 15,000 qualified subscribers. It is written by Brad Hargreaves – a serial entrepreneur who has orchestrated exits from his startups valued at over half a billion dollars. Brad is taking surf park so seriously that he is going to deliver a keynote presentation at Surf Park Summit in November.
It’s not surprising that surf parks are gaining traction beyond the enthusiast community with a growth curve like this:
While overall numbers are low, the growth rate is spectacular – 1,300% in a decade (2015-2025), with 450% growth from 2015 to 2020, and 289% between from 2020 to 2025. This includes an amazing 157% growth between 2023 and 2024. Average year-over-year growth for the last decade in dynamic surf park development has been 130%.
On the back of this growth, solid revenue, and very impressive land value increases, the surf park industry is rapidly emerging as a new, viable sector within leisure-anchored real estate. With a growing number of wave generation technologies now capable of producing perfect waves on demand, surf parks are being recognized as not only feasible but also attractive, reliable real estate anchors, capable of supporting hotels, residences, and commercial amenities. With increasing competition in the market, the sector is poised for expansion, offering scalable and profitable opportunities similar to ski resorts or golf communities.
Developers are leveraging surf parks as the centerpiece for mixed-use developments that include hospitality, retail, and residential elements, appealing to surfers and broader family demographics.
We previously reported on The Lost Shore Surf Resort being the first to secure institutional financing from the Scottish National Investment Bank and BAE Systems’ pension fund and predicted how we might look back at this development as the beginning of the flood gates to institutional investment cracking open. Indeed, we are now seeing a collaboration between Sculptor and Discovery Land Company on the multi-surf park, lifestyle residential real estate development, Austin Surf Club, Sullivan Street participating with The Wave, and BTG Pactual investing in the ‘Beyond the Club’ development by KSM Realty in Brazil.
It’s increasingly clear that surf parks are no longer a speculative novelty or the domain of niche enthusiast media—they are entering the mainstream of real estate and investment discourse. With their proven capacity to drive land value appreciation, generate operating revenue, and act as reliable demand anchors for mixed-use developments, surf parks are becoming serious contenders in the leisure-anchored asset class.
The convergence of technological reliability, rising consumer interest in skill-based recreation, and growing institutional validation signals a maturing sector. As media attention intensifies and capital flows begin to scale, surf parks are positioning themselves as the next frontier in destination real estate—where lifestyle, innovation, and investment opportunity meet.
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