Surfing culture is one of the world’s greatest mysteries. With many surfers being laid back and totally selfless, it makes for a weird atmosphere when they compete against one another. The sport also usually requires particular beaches with good surf conditions, and even those conditions can be highly variable from hour to hour. A new wave of landlocked “surf parks” may help with both of those issues, though, with the first one in North America set to open this Friday.

For the surfers that are without an ocean, this new “surf park” in Austin, Texas looks to be the perfect respite for anyone looking to “shred gnar” (I’m so sorry). However, the ride to open it hasn’t been a smooth one. NLand, the company that owns the surf park, has faced some obstacles in their chase for the perfect chill spot. Most notably, they were first set to open in June, but were slapped with health violations by the county for not meeting the standards that apply to public pools. After fixing the issues, they released this statement in anticipation for their opening.

“NLand has built a state-of-the-art water treatment system that utilizes bio-filtration, permanent media filtration, ozone and chlorine to treat the water. Independent testing shows the water quality meets or exceeds standards set by organizations such as the World Health Organization and the Environmental Protection Agency. The lagoon is 100% self-sustaining, using a system that captures water from the property.”

Here’s a clip promoting the park and what it will look like:

The park will feature variable waves for beginners, moderate surfers and experts, and founder Doug Coors is excited to get this long-held dream of his open:

I fell in love with surfing almost 25 years ago when I was living in Hawaii. I followed my passion around the globe to Spain, Nicaragua, Mexico, Costa Rica, Australia, and other remarkable places. As an engineer and a surfer, it was my dream to find the technology to bring surfing inland so more people could experience the exhilarating sense of freedom this sport brings. I wanted to make this sense of freedom available to all: novices, pros, and everyone in-between, including those who don’t surf yet.

Some of these surf parks have opened elsewhere, but as the first of its kind in North America, I wonder if this craze will end up catching on around the U.S.? Is surfing due for a renaissance of sorts? If you have the time and patience, why wouldn’t it? Nothing like catching some sun while playing around in the water. Sounds like the perfect idea for fun. And now, you don’t even need to live near the beach.

[Surfer Mag]

About Sam Blazer

Sam is a self proclaimed chess prodigy. He once placed seventh in the state of Ohio in Chess when he was in kindergarten. He will rarely if ever mention though that only eight people were entered in this tournament. Contact him at sblaze17@gmail.com