URBNSURF Sydney, the eighth surf park that utilizes Wavegarden’s technology, has opened its doors this week.
Good news for Sydney surfers who were used to driving 45 minutes a day to the nearest ocean in search of quality waves, while being exposed to common hazards such as strong currents, overcrowding and even sharks. The URBNSURF group, following the success of their first surf park located next to Melbourne Airport with Wavegarden Basque technology, has invested €46 million to develop a second project in Sydney. The new facility, now open to the public, features a 46-module Wavegarden Cove as well as two restaurants, a surf academy, leisure pool, skate park, surf store, and wellness center. Australia is now the first country in the world to have two surf parks open to the public.
“The fact that our customers like URBNSURF are opening their 2nd facility and are satisfied with our technology is the best endorsement for our business can have,” said Josema Odriozola, CEO and founder of Wavegarden. “It enables us to keep growing and continue adding value to communities and bringing surfing closer to everyone.”
The versatility of Spanish technology allows the creation of surf and beach destinations aimed at all customer profile types, from beginners to experts. With a menu of more than 20 different waves, it will service the needs of more than 5 million inhabitants of the metropolis. In addition, its capacity to host the highest number of surfers, along with the highest quantity of waves per hour, makes it the most competitive option from a commercial and sustainability perspective, consolidating Wavegarden as a world market leader in this emerging sector.
Located at Sydney’s Olympic Park, the facility covers 3.6 hectares and is designed to receive 1,000 visitors per day, 7 days a week. It will also serve as a high-performance center for professional surfers aiming to perfect their technique.
“This is a great moment for the URBNSURF team,” said Damon Tudor, CEO of URBNSURF. “Just like in Melbourne, URBNSURF Sydney offers perfect surfing conditions for everyone, and we are proud to celebrate this achievement and start building our community here.”
Noteworthy, the financing of this surf park there has been a public-private partnership as it was considered strategic for the region, in which the New South Wales (NSW) Office of Sport contributed €620,000 for the development of the high-performance surf center, where many Australian professional surfers will be able to train and, ultimately, improve their World Surf League ranking.
Wavegarden is the only company in the world that currently has 8 open surf parks operating successfully, generating a return on investment of over 20%, and receiving an average of 200,000 visitors per year. The ninth surf park set to use Wavegarden´s technology will open this fall in Edinburgh, Scotland, with others opening in 2025 in Virginia Beach, USA, as well as in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
