On a warm, sunny day in late May, sand squeaks beneath my toes, kids frolic on the shoreline and the distinct summer scent of coconut sunscreen hangs heavy in the air as surfers hang ten.
Squint and you could be on a beach anywhere in the world but blink again – you’re in the middle of Texas, y’all – the last place you’d expect to be surrounded by surfboards.
Waco Surf is four hours’ drive from the nearest surf beach on the Gulf Coast, yet the whir of this man-made wave pool is a siren call for pro surfers and grommets alike.
Waco Surf is four hours’ drive from the nearest surf beach. Photo / Waco Surf
Halfway between Dallas and Austin and around 300km from Houston, Waco Surf is a 20-minute drive from downtown Waco in the middle of nowhere – a Texas-sized wave pool on a Texas-sized ranch.
With its laidback vibe, beach cabins and family-friendly activities including a waterpark, my first impression is of stumbling upon a fun summer camp, before I’ve even seen the surf.
With its laidback vibe, Waco Surf boasts a waterpark and lazy river.Photo / Waco Surf
Just like the real deal, the undulating waves are attention-stealing and mesmerising – perfect barrels rolling in, cresting in frothy swell that laps the sandy shore.
“I tell people, you’ve seen the stoke, you’ve got the froth and from this point on, this place is just going to get consistently weirder,” says Waco Surf co-owner and general manager Mike Schwaab.
The weirdness is something Waco Surf leans into, Mike’s wife, co-owner and ex-Sydneysider Amy Hunt tells me, trading on the surprising juxtaposition of an inland wave park in Texas.
Its allure lies in its simple premise – perfect sets on call – and the unexpected location, complete with four resident lemurs, only adds to the quirky appeal.
The wave pool isn’t the only attraction – the 90ha area also contains three water slides. Photo / Waco Surf
There’s no such thing as a bad surf day here with a programmed ‘playlist’ of 30-plus sets – including the eight beginner, intermediate, advanced and pro waves Waco Surf is known for – powered by PerfectSwell technology.
Each wave has its own personality so surfers can try different turns and techniques.
With a capped number of surfers for public and private sessions, Waco Surf is also the ideal spot for young grommets to learn to stand on a board or sign up for beginner training.
Beginners can start with the easy-rolling swell of The Coaster (“like a day at Waikiki or Malibu”) to The Wedge barrel wave and The Peak, a set of four waves for advanced riders.
“The advanced set is a proper wave,” Mike asserts. “As a dude who’s lived around the world and surfed in New Zealand, Australia and Hawaii on advanced waves, it’s a proper wave.”
So, how does a surfer who has lived in California, Sydney and Hawaii end up in Texas?
“Because of the surf,” says Mike. “Waco has the most consistent surf of anywhere I’ve ever lived. You just hit a button and you get to go surfing.”
At Waco Surf, you get to just hit a button and you go surfing. Photo / Waco Surf
It’s why Waco Surf attracts surfers from coastal US states such as Hawaii, California and Florida as well as Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
While the team is tight-lipped about celebrities who have visited Waco Surf, Texan actor Matthew McConaughey is rumoured to be a regular as was Chris Evans while filming nearby.
Pro surfer Kelly Slater and US skateboarder Tony Hawk have also been known to drop in.
That goofy footer over there on the waves could be Brazilian pro surfer Yago Dora or you might spot one of the world’s best barrel riders, Australia’s Jack Robinson.
While man-made surf parks are not new, more have surfaced worldwide in the past decade. There are PerfectSwell venues in Brazil, Japan and New Jersey. Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch has an inland wave pool in California and Auckland will have a world-first heated wave pool in late 2026.
Yet a surf lagoon in the middle of Texas is definitely left of centre. A viral video of Hawaiian pro surfer Seth Moniz doing a backflip there in 2018 put Waco Surf (then known as BSR) on the map among the global surf community.
The wave pool isn’t the only attraction – the 90ha area also contains a cable park for wakeboarding and three water slides, each more squeal-inducing than the last for bona fide speed and aerial thrills.
It’s also a chilled-out spot for a day out or a longer stay. Groups grab inflatable rings and drinks to meander around the lazy river (allegedly America’s longest) that loops around the wave pool while visitors can swim up to The Dive Bar or head to the Surfside Shack on the private beach for refreshments.
Visitors at Waco Surf can swim up to The Dive Bar or head to the Surfside Shack on the private beach. Photo / Waco Surf
Alongside the camp-style cabins and houses for larger groups, guests can stay at the boutique surf hotel or use RV spots for motorhomes.
In peak summer season, Waco Surf is open from 6am to 11pm daily. Open almost all year round, the surf lagoon is drained at the end of December and reopens on March 1. Even if it’s cold, keen surfers will don wetsuits and surf – the demand doesn’t slow down.
Alongside camp-style cabins, there are houses for larger groups, a boutique surf hotel and RV spots. Photo / Waco Surf
“As a surfer, you need so many variables to line up to have a good day in the ocean,” Mike says. “You can spend money on a surf trip to Bali or the Maldives and get skunked. Whereas if you come here, you know you’re gonna score.”
Discover the thrilling world of Waco Surf, where artificial waves provide an unforgettable experience for surf enthusiasts in the heart of Texas.
