Coachella Valley expects to wave in new surf park
A group of surfers is stepping in to reimagine the future of surfing, and they’re doing it in Palm Springs.
‘We’re very excited to call the shots and deliver our own brand to Palm Springs,” said Eric Munoz, Co-founder, partner and Chief Development & Public Affairs Officer for Pono Partners.
Plans are underway to update and upgrade the former Wet N Wild Palm Springs, which announced the sale to Laguna Beach based Pono Partners, LLC in January.
“We are going to provide a new experience for families to enjoy. The new name of the park will be ‘the Palm Springs Surf Club,'” said CEO and partner James Dunlop, in a statement to News Channel 3.
“We are going to build a state of the art wave pool as our center piece. This will be a “travelling” type wave,” explained Dunlop. He said he hopes to open the water park in 2020, but added “due to the nature of the upgrades to the park, the timeline is not set in stone.”
Director of Planning Services Flinn Fagg said although the group has submitted minor permits for replacement equipment and demolition of a play structure, nothing has required approval by the planning commission yet.
“They have indicated that they will submit a master plan of the proposed changes at a future date,” said Fagg.
“This is the future of surfing,” said Munoz. “We are very fortunate to open in Palm Springs for a number of reasons.” Munoz said the proximity to the airport made it an ideal location.
“Because we’re going into an existing water park, this will also really accelerate our delivery,” said Munoz. “We plan to bring a lot of respect, fun, and an intimate experience.”
“There will be a beautiful new restaurant, spa, gaming room, live entertainment stage and bar. We are keeping a number of slides and the lazy river,” said Dunlop. “It will be a completely new experience for everyone from children to adults to enjoy.”
“We are very excited to open to the public and have been very warmly greeted by the people and city of Palm Springs,” said Dunlop. “I hope everyone will enjoy what we deliver as this park is a lifelong dream for all of us that are involved in this venture.”
Munoz expected to be able to share more of their vision in the next four to six weeks.
