Will Newport Beach Get a Wave Pool?

The location of the proposed wave pool is on the take-off end of John Wayne Airport, and it would usurp a portion of the land currently occupied by the 18-hole Newport Beach Golf Course.

According to plans submitted to the city: “The Snug Harbor Surf Park Project (Project) would remove all existing improvements on the Project site including the driving range, pro shop, restaurant and bar, and three holes of golf, and redevelop the site with a 5.06-acre surf lagoon that would provide four distinct surf areas for both experienced and beginner surfers.”

So, no more driving range, and a downsizing of the course to 15 holes.

But there’s more than just the pool. The park would include: “viewing platforms, seating, three warming pools and a spa…three-story amenity clubhouse building that would be approximately 50,341 net square feet and would contain a reception area, surf academy, fitness facility, yoga center, administration offices, staff areas, locker rooms, retail store, restaurant, a coffee bar/snack shack, and other incidental uses…9,432 net square foot athlete accommodation building that would have 20 units. Each unit would contain a bed, bathroom, closet, and a patio space facing the surf lagoon.

Can they pull it off? Bring a wave pool to Orange County amidst dissent from a bevy of surf purists and golf enthusiasts? The project still has many more approval hearings, but if all goes well, they could be pumping out waves by Spring 2028.