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Sneak Peek: Kelly Slater’s Austin, TX Wave Pool

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Jan 16, 2025 5:02 PM ET

After hanging in limbo for years, the long-awaited Kelly Slater Wave Company installation in Austin, Texas has broken ground. Aerial photos – courtesy of the Austin Business Journal (see below) – show a large swath of America's heartland, awash in dirt, and ready for the new wave pool retrofit.

If you’ll recall, this site was formerly home to NLand Surf Park. It was one of the first synthetic surfing operations on US soil during the modern wave pool boom. Helmed by Doug Coors, the same Coors of the beer business, NLand opened in October of 2016. But it wasn’t long for this world. In late 2018, the property sold for an undisclosed amount (although district tax officials valued the property at $4,806,149 for tax year of 2018). And the Kelly Slater Wave Co. was part of that deal.

Now, seven years later, construction of the new-and-improved pool has begun.

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The new construction is a partnership between Arizona-based Discovery Land Company and the Kelly Slater Wave Company. While Slater’s team (or the WSL, which now owns the wave-making tech) haven’t said much about the Texas pool facility, the team at Discovery described it as such:

“In a groundbreaking partnership between Discovery Land Company and legendary surfer Kelly Slater, Austin Surf Club aims to redefine residential living by offering a 2,200 ft long surf basin equipped with state-of-the-art high-volume wave technology – a canvas for surfers of all ages and skill levels to perfect their craft. Indulge in farm-to-table dining experiences, and explore a world of well-being at the state-of-the-art spa, all within an innovative community that celebrates the essence of adventure and connection.”

Aside from the OG Surf Ranch in Lemoore, CA, the KS Wave Co. recently expanded to the Middle East with Surf Abu Dhabi. And this year, on the 2025 Championship Tour, the world’s best surfers will head to the UAE for the first-ever elite surfing competition on Middle East soil in history.

Stay tuned for that. As for the Austin Surf Club, there’s no set open date…yet.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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