Surfers have been waiting for years to catch waves at the Palm Springs Surf Club – a man-made pool that opened Monday, Jan. 1, hours from the Pacific Ocean.
The opening marks a milestone for Southern California surfing and the evolution of artificial wave parks, also adding to the list of entertainment offered in the Coachella Valley. It is the first of three planned wave pools in the region, with DSRT Surf in nearby Palm Desert getting ready to break ground in a few weeks and the Thermal Beach Club, in a 22-acre lagoon, also in the works.
“Seeing this wave pool being built, this is really the next chapter in the history of surfing,” said David Hilts, who started surfing in Huntington Beach in 1965 and has been watching the build out of the abandoned Wet & Wild waterpark for the past three years. “It’s really exciting. Never in a million years would I have ever thought, living in Palm Desert, that I would ever see a wave pool. And we’re going to get three of them.”
The new-wave developments are creating a buzz and curiosity in the surf world. Within hours last month of reservations opening to the public for spots in January, all the available hour-long sessions were scooped up by wave riders wanting to test out the intermediate, right- and left-split peak, and the expert-level barreling waves. The beginner wave is expected to launch in spring.
The Palm Springs Surf Club’s tagline: “Surfing for Everyone.”
Hilts was one of the first in the door Monday, buying a $20 entry ticket to watch surfers catch waves, getting pumped up for his first crack at the wave pool on Jan. 7, with three more surf sessions booked through the month.
The wave looked fun, though the advanced option has a tricky take off, he said.
“A lot of guys eating it,” he said, noting the intermediate wave looked like it will be “no problem.”
Though the official opening date to the public was Monday, some surfers had the opportunity to make the pilgrimage to the…
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