An innovative Surf Resort Concept with fractional ownership built around a wave pool
During the past week, the first waves at Surfland Brasil in Garopaba have rolled through our latest Wavegarden Cove surfing lagoon and top professional surfers, including Yago Dora, Matt Herdy, Joao Chumbinho, Tatiana Weston-Webb, Jess Mendes, Luana Silva as well as elite skateboarders Pedro Barros and Keegan Palmer, have collaborated with our fluid dynamic experts to program the world´s most extensive Wave Menu. With the soft opening scheduled for November 17, this milestone marks our second facility in Brazil and seventh globally. The condominium is open to the public and features a 78-bed hotel, offering visitors the opportunity to enjoy the waves for a session cost ranging from 75 to 90 euros. Tickets can be purchased on the Surfland Brasil website.
The Surfland Brasil development, which includes the wave pool and a vast array of customer amenities, was created by André Giesta of Giesta Enterprises. The project adopts an innovative product and commercial format with fractional apartment ownership – a system akin to the shared economy trend exemplified by platforms like Airbnb, Uber, and Bike Share. Featuring 278 apartments priced around 30-40K euros and ranging in size from 60-100m2, owners collaboratively share assets and divide costs, embracing a model where everyone benefits.
“Surfland Brasil is more than a resort; it’s a condominium, a hotel, a surf park, and much more,” said Giesta, appointed as CEO of the complex. “We added a 78-bed hotel to allow visitors to enjoy the waves and now this destination is a paradise for anyone who loves the outdoors and wants to pass their vacations in one of the most alluring surf spots in the world.”
The vision for Surfland Brasil is to cater for a diverse clientele, ranging from beginners to elite surfers, with a focus on the family market. Giesta´s decision to incorporate a Wavegarden Cove with 52 modules allows for the creation of over 20 different waves, striking a perfect balance between wave length and variety, while offering perfect conditions for all surfing levels. With optimal surfing conditions in the nearby ocean available only 35% of the year, Surfland will guarantee world-class waves 100% of the time to attract surf tourism and foster a stable economy for the local community.
Josema Odriozola, CEO of Wavegarden, expressed enthusiasm about the project, stating, “It’s great to be in Garopaba. This surf town on the south coast of Santa Catarina, with its beautiful beaches and ideal weather, is now even more alluring with the addition of our Wavegarden Cove. Working hand-in-hand with some of the country’s top surfers to program our Wave menu prior to the soft opening this week is a real privilege. The lagoon was filled with water just days before we arrived and unfortunately had high levels of iron in it. Nonetheless, over the coming weeks our Water Treatment System will transform its color from brown to crystal clear.”
Project ambassador and WSL# 8 Tatiana Weston-Webb has been surfing the beaches around Garopaba her entire life and acknowledges the benefits this will bring to the local community and Brazilian surfers as a whole. “Surf parks like Wavegarden are the future of surfing and the town has already started to explode. The benefits for the local community are already noticeable,” explained Weston-Webb. “I have spent almost 4 hours in the water over the past few days and the I´m really impressed with the Turn and Barrel waves. I have been able to do anywhere from 4-6 turns per wave and I´ve been getting some really good barrels.”
In addition to the surfing lagoon, the complex will gradually open infrastructure for various sports activities like a skatepark designed by Pedro Barros, swimming pools, tennis courts, beach tennis, surf museum, restaurants, jogging track, gym, yoga shala, spa, and play areas for children. The entire site has been carefully designed to make the least possible impact on the environment, integrating green roofs and prefabricated buildings, solar panels, rainwater harvesting and native flora into the infrastructure. Notably, Surfland Brasil has been honored with an international landscaping award, further highlighting its commitment to excellence in design and environmental integration.
Beyond Surfland in Garopaba, we remain the dominant player in this sector and have a busy period ahead with new facility openings scheduled for various parts of the world, including Sydney, Australia; Edinburgh, Scotland; and Virginia Beach, the East Coast of the USA.
