Palm Desert surf resort expected to break ground this summer

Plans for a new surf resort are moving forward in Palm Desert after development delays and pandemic-related changes.

Developers say it could only be a couple more years before people can hit the waves at DSRT Surf, a new $200 million dollar surf resort that got unanimous city council approval last week.

A 7-million-gallon surf lagoon is the resort's cornerstone, surrounded by hotel rooms, villas and recreational amenities. It's planned for 18 acres of vacant land at Desert Willow Golf Resort.

Doug Sheres with Desert Wave Ventures said when the pandemic hit, plans had to be reconfigured to take into account how people want to vacation in the era of Covid, including a shift from hotel rooms to more short term rentals.

"Giving people a little more space and the ability to be on their own if they want it," Sheres said. "Certainly when you stay in one of these villas, you can be on your own, or you can walk over to the hotel and join the action."

But the project is more than just a tourist attraction. Friday, teacher Krysten Gonda and the Desert Mirage High School surf club met to watch a surf competition live from Hawaii on their lunch break.

The problem is: for a group of surf enthusiasts, they don't make it the beach very often. Gonda hopes DSRT Surf will bring the waves a little closer to home.

"It means that we can go more often, which means that (my students) can get better," Gonda said. "That's the thing that I'm most excited about, is to see the untapped talent. We have kids with natural talent that, if we can give the consistency, we might have potential competitive surfers in our midst."

Surf club students said DSRT Surf will benefit the valley, but more importantly, it's a business that believes in giving back to the community.

"We're extremely grateful," Caitlyn Hill said. "Often times, we feel overlooked and for a group to be looking at the locals who live inside the valley, it just means everything to us."

DSRT Surf is expected to break ground this summer and completion is expected by 2024.