There’s no need to check the surf forecast – the surfers seeking waves at this remote spot, set in rural Texas hours away from the salt-water ocean, don’t have to rely on Mother Nature bringing a swell.
At the BSR Surf Ranch in Waco, the surf is always up. And for Southern California surfers flocking to the artificial waves, that’s part of the lure.
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With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic halting travel to popular destinations such as Hawaii, and restrictions and uncertainty with international travel, Southern California surfers have been seeking out a unique surf safari in an unlikely place far away from the coast.
For those following the evolution of artificial wave parks, they say the future of surfing has arrived. And it could be a glimpse into a new wave of man-made surf set to pop up in the near future in Palm Springs, just two hours away from the coast.
Surge in wave pools
Man-made wave pools have existed for decades, but technology shortfalls made for mediocre waves that never quite caught on.
But in the past few years, several surf parks have created a buzz, the most famous being the Surf Ranch in Lemoore, created by 11-time world surfing champ Kelly Slater. It’s setting: the agricultural center of the state near Fresno.
But in order to ride that wave, you have to either be one of the best surfers in the world or have big bucks and connections to rent out the private facility.
The BSR Surf Ranch, on the other hand, allows the public to rent by the hour or book private sessions – giving everyday surfers access to perfect waves that can be set for different skill levels.
But BSR, first created for barefoot water skiing, wasn’t quick to catch on after it opened in 2017, especially following news that a New Jersey surfer died from a brain-eating amoeba it is alleged he contracted at the park in 2018.
The facility shut down for months to add safeguards, reopening in March 2019.
Brandon Lowery, one of the BSR partners, said the park invested in a $2 million filtration system, calling it one of the best in the world.
“The pool is safe, it has one of the most innovative filtration systems in this category,” he said. “We’re overly, hyper-cautious, because it’s the right thing to do despite the conversations around it.
“Our guest experience is No. 1, that includes the health and wellness of our guests, not just how much fun they have.”
Fast forward to 2020, and the coronvirus shutdowns, and surfers are packing their bags for Texas. Especially as the crowds at their own home surf breaks have become intolerable with an influx of people hitting the coast during the pandemic, as other entertainment options and some sporting activities remain limited.
Lowery said when COVID-19 hit, the park had to shut down and re-calibrate operations in response. He’s not surprised at how the park once its opened back up has been received by surfers.
“It’s still surfing,” he said. “It’s just a unique platform to improve upon, but also to have fun.
“You’re guaranteed waves, that’s a big value. It’s a controlled environment, but it’s not going to replace ocean surfing at all.”
Pay to play
Huntington Beach surfer Rick Blake traveled to Waco recently with a group of 18 friends who rented a private session for the entire day, each forking over about $700, plus the round-trip flight to Dallas, which they scored for about $100.
“I knew it would be cool, but it was better than I ever expected,” said Blake, a 40-year ocean surfer. “How many waves you get, it’s totally insane.
“I’ve never had so many waves in my life.”
Blake described the different settings: one called Lowers, to mimic Lower Trestles just south of San Clemente, and another setting for barrels or airs, or rolling beginner or longboard waves.
An hour-long public session runs $60 for beginner, $75 for intermediate and $90 for expert. A “beach pass” to hang out and watch is $20.
Blake was one of the skeptics, not thinking he’d enjoy man-made waves after four decades surfing in oceans around the world.
“I think it’s pretty comparable to any surf trip and maybe better because you’re guaranteed waves,” he said.
Surf photographer Kurt Steinmetz has been going to BSR since it opened and joked that early on, he couldn’t pay a pro or young surfer to go on a trip to the wave pool.
“Now, Texas is all the rage,” he said. “The wave is pretty darn fun and worth the trip.”
Jay and Vicki Reale, of San Clemente, a few weeks ago hosted a surf excursion for 16 people to BSR called the “Texas Tube Tour.” Typically, the group of bodyboarders go to Tavarua, Fiji. But with travel restrictions, they switched to Texas.
“People who had planned surf strips are left going ‘I want to travel somewhere, I can’t go international, where can I go where I can get good surf’?” Jay Reale said.
His round-trip ticket cost from LAX? $51.
“Domestic travel has been super cheap, staying in Waco is super cheap,” he said. “You can do the whole surf trip for maybe under $500, depending on how many sessions you want to book.”
There’s one problem. Getting a slot is nearly impossible, with sessions through October sold out and November dates not yet released.
“It’s always, always, always sold out,” said Huntington Beach bodyboarder Joe Katchka, who talked his wife into the trip a few weeks ago with a promise to stop by the Magnolia Farm, another Waco tourist draw created by home improvement reality stars Chip and Joanna Gaines.
Could it work in So Cal
An on-site manager told Reale said about 60 percent of the people traveling to the wave park are from California.
That could mean good things for wave pools planned for Palm Springs, Reale noted, especially when conditions at the coast might be less than ideal.
There are currently four wave pools in the works for Southern California’s desert area, including one using BSR’s technology.
Lowery said the wave generator can be operated on an iPad, calling the system a “very dynamic wave technology that makes over 100 different types of waves with the push of a button.”
It’s not just about the surfing, he said. Much planning has gone into “hospitality experience,” with new amenities to be added soon, including an athlete recovery station with ice baths, sauna and massage tables. A skate program will be added for an on-site skate ramp and there will be an emphasis on clean eating with a food and hydration center.
“We try to make it an experience. We’re not a surf park, it’s more of an experience that has a surf program,” he said. “Beyond surfing or anything, we have a great culture.”
At the wave pool, nothing is left to chance – though a lightening storm is the one thing that could stop operations.
“Anytime you go on a surf trip, there’s always the chance you’re gonna get skunked. The waves will be bad, the wind won’t be right, or your friends get all the good waves and you’re not in the right spot,” Reale said.
The wave pool isn’t just for everyday surfers. A team from San Clemente-based USA Surfing, among them Olympic hopefuls, traveled to the facility recently for training, using the waves’ consistency to practice difficult tricks.
“Getting the opportunity to have back-to-back waves to work on your surfing, I think it’s incredible for that,” said Santa Ana surfer Courtney Conlogue, the women’s representative and a board member for USA Surfing. “It’s very similar to what you experience in the ocean, once you get up on the wave.”
There were differences, of course.
“When you’re surfing in the ocean, a big part of it is reading the ocean, predicting what it’s going to do,” she said.
Having wave pools in Southern California would bring another layer to the surf culture, Conlogue said.
“You can escape the crowds, especially if you get a private session and bring your friends and treat it like as surf trip,” she said. “I would love to have one here, it would thin the crowd out a little bit. There’s positives and negatives about surfing expanding – crowds get denser in the lineup. I think it would do really well here, for us individuals who want to score waves and only have a certain amount of time.”
Surf’s up in Waco
Tom Cozad, of Newport Beach, recently traveled to BSR Surf Park with his wife, Susan, and a group of other surfers to test out the waves.
He took note of the California culture sprouting up in the small Texas town, with local kids skateboarding and wearing surf brands, looking like kids he sees around Newport Beach and Orange County.
“It’s interesting to see that in a non-beach area, having that beach swagger,” he said.
That’s the hope for the surf industry as wave pools bring the culture – and the apparel and hardgoods – to land-locked places away from the coast, expanding the industry’s reach.
“It starts to become the endless possibility of places where people are far from the beach and surfing and don’t have that easy access,” said Sean Smith, executive director for the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association.
Palm Springs is a no-brainer, he said, but there’s also areas such Las Vegas or Arizona or inland Florida where pools could do well.
Not to mention the tourism dollars the pools can bring, especially if more traditional surf travel options stay shut down.
“Surfers generally are very nomadic, they love to travel and explore,” Smith said. “Getting on a plane or hoping in a car and driving for two-days straight, there is that sense of adventure.
“Surfers, we do get bored being at our home break week after week,” he said, “and the lockdown really made that hit home.”
One notable difference at the wave pool verses the ocean is the lack of localism and the confrontational attitudes you can get when traveling to a new surf spot from locals who want to keep crowds off their waves, Cozad said.
“If you go to a wave anywhere in the world, you’re going to get vibe. But the people were so nice there, they were willing to teach you, they enjoyed you riding their wave,” he said, raving about the Texas barbecue they stopped for and the oddity of being surfers in the middle of Texas.
“Before I went, I thought it was a fade,” he said. “But now I think it’s here to stay, it’s not going anywhere. I think these pools are going to get bigger and better, more challenging, and cheaper and more accessible.”
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