The surf is flat, ocean water is cold, maybe the wind is mucking up conditions — would you travel a few miles inland and pay for machine-made waves?
Developers proposing a surf park in Newport Beach have a vision for a place where newcomers can learn to ride waves, intermediate surfers can fine-tune their skills and seasoned riders can train in a controlled environment, all just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean.
More details for the Snug Harbor Surf Park envisioned at the Newport Beach Golf Course are revealed in a recently released environmental impact report and the developer of the project is also giving insights into what is proposed.
If all the necessary approvals go through, Newport Beach would be the first town in Orange County to have its own wave pool by spring 2028.
The city’s Planning Commission is set to hold a study session on the proposed project at 6 p.m. on June 19. The city will be taking comments from the public on the environmental impact report through July 7. The proposal would likely go before the Planning Commission in coming months. It wouldn’t necessarily have to go before the City Council.
The project would be located at the privately owned Newport Beach Golf Course just off the 73 and 55 freeways.
The 5-acre surf lagoon would have warming pools, a spa and a seating area. There are also plans for a three-story clubhouse and an athlete accommodations building set on the 15.38-acre site.
Snug Harbor proposes to use Wavegarden Cove technology to generate up to 1,000 waves per hour in its man-made lagoon by moving water similar to ocean swells. The tech is considered the most sustainable in the industry, said Adam Cleary, Snug Harbor Surf Park founder and CEO, who is part of a three-generation Newport Beach surf family.
“At the push of a button, wave characteristics can be adjusted, making them accessible to beginners and professional surfers alike — with as much as an 8-foot wave and over 20 second rides,” Cleary said in an email, noting that Wavegarden currently operates 10 surf parks in Australia, Brazil, Europ and the United States.
Artificial wave pools have popped up around the country and the world in recent years. While they have existed for decades, early versions had trouble mimicking ocean waves. As technology got better, so did the ability to create waves both experienced surfers would flock to, as well as a place newcomers intimidated by the unpredictability of the ocean – or the thought of sharks lingering nearby — could enjoy.
Surf Ranch in Fresno, created by 11-time world champion Kelly Slater, became a pinnacle of wave technology, but has a hefty price tag in the tens of thousands to access. Waco Surf in Texas has become a go-to destination in recent years, and the closer Palm Spring Surf Club has gained traction since it opened last year.
A Palm Desert-area project called DSRT Surf — which will also use Wavegarden Cove technology — is expected to open next year. Also expected in 2026, is a wave pool 3 miles from the beach in Oceanside.
Snug Harbor, however, would be the first built just a short jaunt from ocean waves in Orange County, which boasts a plethora of surfing options — from the West Newport jetties to the pier area to the Wedge — just a few miles away.
Longtime Newport Beach surfer Tom Cozad has surfed several wave pools in recent years around the globe, including three with Wavegarden technology located in Switzerland, Japan and Korea.
“They are always fun, they are consistently top notch,” he said.
Cozad thinks the idea would work, even in wave-rich Newport Beach, because there are so many surfers across Southern California, not to mention tourists who come here from around the world seeking out surf.
“I think it’s a great idea,” he said, noting he thought it was also good the developers proposed to keep golfing on site.
The vision is that Snug Harbor will be a revolutionary facility “where surfing will be accessible, enjoyable and achievable for anyone, ensuring that Newport Beach not only cultivates world-class surfers, but also celebrates a healthier and more active lifestyle,” Cleary said.
“The wave park is designed to flatten the learning curve and transform surfing. Surfing good waves in the ocean is at the mercy of Mother Nature, and those perfect waves only happen a handful of times a year — making for crowded conditions,” he added. “Snug Harbor will be a place where anyone, at any age, can master surfing without battling crowded beaches or unpredictable waves.”
Building machine-operated waves next to the ocean is similar to building a soccer stadium near soccer players, offering a place they can train consistently in a controlled environment, he argued. “By removing Mother Nature from the equation, you also eliminate variables like too low of a tide, too high of a tide, inconsistent waves, lack of swell, wrong swell direction, and the like.”
The name Snug Harbor is a nod to an old bar near the cannery area that used to be a staple in the community in the early 1950s, he added. “It was all locals, unpretentious, and full of fun. We’re bringing Snug Harbor back in a new way to keep those fond memories going.”
Plans have been shared with the community for more than a year, he said.
The project requires a major site plan review by the city because of its size and will need city officials to approve a conditional use permit for an outdoor commercial recreational use and for construction of a building of the size proposed, among other things.
Golf would remain a part of the footprint, with portions of the existing course to the north of Irvine Avenue (holes 10-18) and south of Mesa Drive (holes 3-8) remaining, with a golf cart path connecting the holes, according to the environmental report.
The project proposal includes parking for golfers, a starter shack for the course and golf cart storage in the basement level of the proposed clubhouse.
“The project has been designed with golf in mind,” Cleary said.
The three-story clubhouse would be about 50,000 square feet and would have a reception area, surf academy, fitness facility, yoga center, administration offices, staff areas, locker rooms, retail store, restaurant, a coffee bar/snack shack and other incidental uses.
The two-story athlete accommodations area would be 9,432 square feet and have 20 units, each containing a bed, bathroom, closet, and a patio space facing the surf lagoon.
There is no residential component to the project, Cleary said.
The environmental report outlines 14- to 18-foot tall solar canopies to be used in portions of the parking areas to provide onsite renewable energy.
The draft EIR can be read at newportbeachca.gov/ceqa, with hard copies available to view at City Hall and all city library branches. The 45-day public comment period runs through July 7.