Fueling the Inland Surfing Real Estate Movement with Surf Park Sharks

San Diego, CA – If you’re like most people, surfing is an aspirational sport you’ve always wanted to try, but it’s getting easier to do that, in freshwater lagoons around the world. Surf parks, part of the broader industry of surf-anchored real estate, are an emerging and innovative area of real estate development that creates surfing destinations inland, in some cases hundreds of miles away from the ocean. These crystal clear pools are designed to bring perfect waves, residential housing, and high end hospitality experiences that attract repeat visitors at a higher rate than even ski mountains.?

This niche but rapidly growing industry isn’t just a pipe dream – experts estimate this market to be a $4 billion industry today, expanding at 20%+ CAGR per year, with facilities already in operation around the world, from Melbourne Australia ( URBNSURF ) to Waco Texas ( Waco Surf ), to multiple European destinations like Munich, Germany ( O? SURFTOWN MUC ), Bristol, UK ( The Wave ) and Switzerland ( Ala?a Bay ). The list doesn’t end there, with surfable waves also in South Korea (Wave Park), Japan (Surf Stadium Shinzunami), and even Abu Dhabi ( Surf Abu Dhabi ). With an average development cost per venue of $120-180 million USD, this industry is one of the most unique corners of the real estate industry.?

These real estate development ventures offer developers and investors a unique opportunity to create vibrant communities where the dream of surfing is within reach of entirely new demographics while driving significant economic benefits for developers and operators. Surf parks represent a massive growth area in mixed-use development.

Developers and Operators in this industry are a tight knit group, connected through industry events, led by Surf Park Central, the global industry trade organization for this sector. At SPC’s 2024 Global Summit, the industry took another leap forward to support emerging developers to pitch their visions for inland surfing meccas, specifically for new surf park development projects around the world. This manifested in a new segment called “Surf Park Sharks”, similar to the popular “Shark Tank” television show featuring entrepreneurs pitching investment opportunities to famous investors for notoriety and hopes for equity funding.?

Surf Park Sharks 2024 brought together six early-stage developer finalists to stand before a panel of highly qualified investors who are active in the surf park space, to pitch their projects, vision, and pro formas to see who would emerge as a winner. Prizes were worth $15,000 USD in sponsorship and benefits. Finalists had the opportunity to share their vision with a live audience of hundreds of highly qualified stakeholders, but also with investors representing more than $23 billion USD in real estate transactions on a global scale.

Read more about Surf Park Sharks and the surf-anchored real estate industry at SurfParkCentral.com.

Chris Gallardo Joey Lawrence Tony Miller Luke Altschwager La Ola Group David Chavez