An idealistic socialist might hope that wave pools could become life-changing community resources. Built with an egalitarian spirit and government support they might help transform the most marginalised towns into more desirable locations to live. Imagine the arid regions of inland OZ enhanced by a series of wave parks?
However, while the beach/ocean has always been accessible in ninety-nine percent of cases, it seems the wave pool is destined to be dominated by the laws of capitalism.
Fresh in the Tracks Inbox is a media release pitch by a US development company, Meriwether, advertising their new wave pool/golf course estate in LOS CABOS, MEXICO, where you must buy in to belong, and get barrelled.
The ‘CABO REAL SURF CLUB, A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY IN LOS CABOS’.
“Cabo Real Surf Club is designed to embody the adventurous spirit of the Baja Peninsula,” said Graham Culp, managing partner at Meriwether Companies. “This community represents a celebration of Los Cabos’ ideal climate, natural beauty and culture, offering members an inspiring lifestyle that seamlessly integrates surf, exceptional golf, family time and wellness in a captivating locale.”
Located on the southern tip of the Baja peninsula Los Cabos is about a two and half hr plane ride from LA. The coastline plays host to a bunch of real waves and is also celebrated for its big-game fishing. The Baja peninsula has long been a popular location for travelling surfers seeking good waves just south of the US border, but The CABO REAL SURF CLUB, with its exclusive wave pool and golf course, doesn’t sound like a place to savour cheap tacos and Pacificos after a session.
The CABO REAL SURF CLUB will utilise Endless Surf technology and boasts its wave basin will feature hundreds of customizable waves per hour, in endless configurations, allowing up to 25-second rides with controllable wave heights up to seven feet – suitable for beginners, families and seasoned pros.
Sounds great but have you got the bucks to buy in? If you want to join the Cabo Real Surf Club, you’ll need to be either an owner in the estate, or a guest of one. There are plans for at least 200 homes, but a three-bedroom joint adjacent to the wave basin will currently set you back $US 2.5 million (almost 3.9 million Aus dollars).
The press release claims that the Los Cabo venture already has $50 million USD in homesite sales confirmed. A similar venture in Australia, combining a wave pool and golf course, failed to get off the ground when developers couldn’t make the economics work. Despite several high profile investors The Wiseman’s Surf Lodge, just north of Sydney, was scrapped a few months before construction was due to commence in 2023.
The CABO REAL SURF CLUB somehow seems more likely to become a reality. If it does get off the ground, surfing a sophisticated wave pool in your own exclusive estate will be a new status symbol. The whole venture makes one wonder if there will be a different spin on that famous slogan, for a certain group of surfing elite, namely, ‘Only an owner knows the feeling’.
