As wave pools sprout up in California’s inland regions, a shift in focus is brewing to a new frontier in the Golden State: coastal communities. Newport Beach officials recently approved an impact study for a wave pool project that would repurpose 15 acres of the city’s golf course, just over four miles as the crow flies from the infamous closeout tubes of the Wedge.
The study will review ramifications of the projects like traffic, pollution, and water consumption. It’s expected to take a year to complete at a cost of USD $277,000, footed by the applicant of the surf park – an LLC registered in Costa Mesa called Back Bay Barrels. It’s not clear if Back Bay Barrels have selected a particular type of wave technology for the plan. The LLC’s registered agent didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.
The “surf farm” project proposal, as it’s been referred to, includes two buildings alongside the pool – one that’s three stories and another that’s two – that will feature retail, dining, locker rooms, storage, overnight rooms, and a 290-space parking lot.
Newport Beach’s City Council was quick to point out that the approval of the impact study does not equate to a green light on the project itself. Councilmember Erik Weigand clarified at a recent council meeting that this is a step in a process that will eventually field public input.
“This is simply the consultant doing a study on the impacts on the community with a surf park in place,” Weigand said.
The land is privately owned and would require a zoning change – a formidable obstacle that spelled the end of the Coral Mountain wave pool project in La Quina, California two years ago.
Even if the pool is approved after the study, it’s unlikely that it will become the first seaside wave pool in California. That status will probably go to the OceanKampdevelopment just down the coast in Oceanside, California, which is scheduled to open in 2026.
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