Surfing lagoons are not children’s water parks. While children and non-surfers can enjoy the sand and water like they would at any other beach experience, the lagoon is specifically designed for the sport of surfing.  

Surfing lagoons are no longer cost centers. Man-made surf technology has evolved rapidly over the past decade, fundamentally changing park economics. Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch (seen in the photo below) was an early man-made model–and has been a mecca for surfers for many years–but produces just one wave every few minutes, limiting hourly use to ~4 surfers and making it expensive to operate and maintain (and not visually attractive to anyone but surfers).

Now contrast this to Wavegarden, which can generate up to 1,000 waves per hour across multiple zones, accommodate 80–90 surfers at once, and support 150,000+ sessions per year — making it a far more scalable, revenue-efficient platform for surf parks (and is beautifully designed).

A children’s water park and Kelly’s Surf Ranch, both misrepresentations of the emerging asset class opportunity

Instead the surfing lagoons and the surrounding experiences are beautifully designed, highly profitable inland “coastal” destinations, where the lagoons are profitable as a standalone asset but–more importantly–serve as an anchor amenity boosting surrounding land value and development.

Praia da Grama,100km inland and 1.5-hour drive from Sao Paolo

The pioneering developers of these large-scale, surf-anchored real estate developments follow a general playbook:

• Land Acquisition: Secure a sizable site (often 40–100+ acres) in a tier one or attractive market — enough land to host a large surfing lagoon and surrounding development. The land itself appreciates significantly once a surf park is in place, due to the surf amenity’s high demand and cachet, which is typically a “1 of 1” in the market.

• Entitlement & Anchor Construction: Obtain entitlements and build a surfing lagoon as the “experiential anchor” amenity. The surfing lagoon, with its beach and waves, creates a unique draw — much like ski slopes in mountain resorts or golf courses in country clubs. It combines aspirational appeal with long-term demand, giving investors access to a growing lifestyle market that has yet to be fully tapped. Note most developers to date have been successful selling local communities on the benefits of these projects, making permitting fairly straightforward.

• Vertical Development: Sell parcels or form joint ventures for complementary uses — residential neighborhoods, hotels, retail villages, restaurants, and other recreational amenities. The surfing lagoon transforms the surrounding area into a lifestyle hub, driving property value appreciation.

• Dual Revenue Streams: Benefit from both operating revenue (the surf facility and related services) and real estate sales/leases (homes, condos, commercial spaces). This OpCo/PropCo structure enhances overall yield and long-term value creation, much like the golf course communities of the past.

Depending on the market & location, surf parks are following into two distinct business models: public-access parks, which focus on high-volume, affordable access, and private clubs, which cater to a wealthier demographic with membership-driven revenue models.

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Aventuur — The U.S. Surf Park Platform

Aventuur is building a national portfolio of Wavegarden-powered surf destinations, anchoring large-scale mixed-use developments. They hold exclusive Wavegarden rights in nine North American markets and are backed by strategic family offices and impact investors.

Highlights

• Exclusive Wavegarden rights in U.S. + AUS/NZ markets
• Projects in Jacksonville, Perth, Auckland, Dallas, Austin, Vegas
• $15M seed raised; $35M+ in closing for Jacksonville
• Pursuing $100M+ programmatic capital raise
• Master developer OpCo/PropCo model with JV verticals

KSM Realty — The Brazil Model That Changed Everything

Oscar Segall pioneered the modern surf club model in Latin America. His projects proved that an inland “beach lifestyle” can transform remote land into high-demand residential communities.

Highlights

• Creator of Praia da Grama — home values grew 10x
• Beyond The Club presold 60% of 3,000 memberships
• Backed by BTG Pactual + surfer Gabriel Medina
• World's largest Wavegarden Cove (62 modules)

The Wave — Cold-Climate Resilience Proven

The Wave showed that surf parks work even in rainy, cold climates. It is mission-driven, inclusive, and now expanding into London and other European metros.

Highlights

• 150,000+ annual sessions
• 1M+ total visitors
• Leading community/wellness surf initiative
• Tech-agnostic: Wavegarden (Bristol), Endless Surf (London)