Who says you need an ocean to enjoy the thrill of surfing?
Ho daddy, surf’s up. Or at least it will be in the near future at a surf resort headed to Palm Desert, California, with man-made waves expected to give surfers a true ocean experience.
DSRT Surf Resort will be located within Desert Willow Golf Resort and city-owned land. In addition to the 5.5-acre surfing lagoon, the project will feature a 92-room hotel and 83 residential villas.
“It’s a pretty monumental feat to provide something that’s good for the community, in terms of use, jobs, and economic revenue,” Marco Gonzalez, one of the project’s partners, told the Orange County Register.
Gonzalez said the developers hope to break ground by the summer, with a 2023 opening planned.
The surf pool will hold about 7 million gallons of water. With evaporation, filtration, and other factors, the pool will use about 24 million gallons annually.
Which leads to the obvious question of how such a project can get approved when drought and water issues are such a problem in southern California.
Developers say the project will actually save water, thanks to their “surf for turf” program.
“The city of Palm Desert has identified turf areas for removal that won’t have any impact on play at Desert Willow’s golf courses,” DSRT Surf says on its website. “We intend to implement the turf reduction plan on the golf course surrounding us in such a way that we will be able to reduce the golf course water use by an amount equal to or greater than the water which we will need in our surf pool.
“Through this initiative, our surf pool will not use any incremental water above or beyond what is currently already being used today at Desert Willow,” DSRT Surf continues.
In addition, about one-third of the resort’s total water use will be used to irrigate the golf course.
The surfing itself will be of the highest quality, according to the DSRT Surf team, which includes lifelong surfers and several world-class professionals.
The waves will be powered by Wavegarden Cove and feature ocean-like waves in clean, clear waters. They will include rights, lefts, barrels, walls, and turn sections for experienced surfers, as well as gentle inside sections for families and beginners.
The company promises “surfing all day and into the night with limited crowds and optimized wave conditions.”
In addition to the rooms, surfing, and surrounding golf course, the resort will include a spa and fitness center, restaurants featuring locally sourced food, and other activities such as yoga, pickleball, and volleyball.
“We received unanimous approval, no speakers in opposition,” said Gonzalez. “I think it speaks to the work we did on the community side, environmental side, and how we worked with city staff to make this project as good as it came out.”
The project has actually been in the works for several years, but delays occurred as the pandemic arrived. But approval this month from the Palm Desert City Council means it’s full speed ahead.
Only seven artificial surf parks are open around the world, including one in Arizona, Texas, and Florida, according to Surfline.com.
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