Virginia Beach Celebrates Surfing Milestone With Opening of Atlantic Park, Home to the First Wavegarden Cove in North America and Waves Designed for Beginners to Pros.

August 11th, 2025

• Atlantic Park features a 46-module Wavegarden Cove as its centerpiece, capable of generating up to 1,000 waves per hour and offering more than 25 types of waves 

• Stewarded by Virginia Beach native and global superstar Pharrell Williams, Atlantic Park harnesses the energy of the city’s distinct culture and its legacy as the birthplace of East Coast surfing  

• Atlantic Park becomes the 12th Wavegarden Cove facility to open to the public, further reinforcing Wavegarden’s position as a global leader in the surf park industry     

Wavegarden’s presence in the US market is now established with the opening of Atlantic Park, operated by the experienced American firm Beach Street Development. Located in an urban environment in Virginia Beach – the birthplace of East Coast surfing and just steps from the Atlantic Ocean – the surfing lagoon, featuring Wavegarden Cove technology, will open to the public on August 16. 

In addition to being a major attraction for visitors, the facility’s opening resolves a long-standing challenge for East Coast surfers: inconsistent wave conditions.

“Virginia Beach is the perfect location to open our first Wavegarden Cove,” said Fernando Odriozola, Wavegarden’s CCO. “It has a strong surf community and a high visitation volume – the only thing missing was great waves. Now that’s covered, we’re excited to see the town and broader community thrive.”

The venue’s technology features a 46-module Wavegarden Cove capable of generating up to 1,000 waves per hour, with a Wave Menu offering over 25 wave types. These range from soft, long waves ideal for beginners to powerful waves that allow advanced surfers to perform turns, airs, and barrels – all delivered with the lowest energy and water consumption on the market.  

A handful of top American surfers were among the lucky few to test out the facility’s world-class waves during the commissioning of the Wave Menu – a unique collaboration in which surfers provide detailed feedback on each wave to Wavegarden’s fluid dynamics experts, who then adjust the wave’s power, height, peeling speed, and shape in real time.

East Coast professional surfers Cam Richards, Michael Dunphy, Mason Barnes and Blayr Barton were elated by the world-class conditions. 

“The issue of inconsistent conditions that we surfers on the East Coast constantly face has just been solved,” said Richards, who previously spent much of the year traveling to train and prepare for competitions. 

Credit Wavegarden – Cam Richards. Atlantic Park in Virginia Beach

“When it comes to surfing, Virginia Beach has a deep, rich history and a legendary crew of surfers,” added local surf champion Michael Dunphy. “Now, we finally have the waves to match.” 

Credit Wavegarden – Michael Dunphy. Atlantic Park in Virginia Beach

Female surfers Camden Hoover and Bella Faircloth were quick to become firm believers in Wavegarden’s technology. Both scored what they described as the best barrels of their lives during their very first session.   

“The barrel waves were super good, super hollow, with an easy entry and exit – they were my favorites,” exclaimed Faircloth, who, at just 13 years old, dreams of making a career in competitive surfing.

Californian professional surfer and wave pool aficionado Jacob Szekely was in awe of the quality and variety of waves. 

Credit Wavegarden – Jacob Szekley. Atlantic Park in Virginia Beach

“This is the best surf park in America,” declared Szekely. “And it has the best air section, by far.”  

Atlantic Park Surf’s 55-minute sessions will be available year-round, with seasonally adjusted hours, and can host up to 40 surfers at once. Surrounding the lagoon is a premium beach club environment, complete with lounge chairs and cabanas, giving surfers and guests a place to relax before or after their sessions. Non-surfers can also purchase daily beach passes to enjoy the beach club’s amenities and atmosphere.      

With this new project, Wavegarden continues to strengthen its position as a global leader in surf parks. The company currently has 12 surf parks in operation worldwide,

with two more coming soon to the United States. Both projects are being developed by Beach Street Development: DSRT SURF in Palm Desert, California, slated to open in 2026, and HTX Surf in Houston, Texas, recently announced and currently in development.      

A $350 Million Global Project 

Wavegarden’s surf lagoon is the centerpiece of the $350 million Atlantic Park complex, which also includes live music venue, shopping, dining, residential units, and boutique lodging. A standout feature is the redevelopment of The Dome – a large cultural and live music venue integrated into the facility. This space celebrates local culture and music, and its creation has been led by global superstar and Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams.

“Thanks to Wavegarden’s innovative technology and centrally located within the birthplace of East Coast surfing, Atlantic Park is unlike any other surf park in the world,” said Blake Hess, COO of surf park operator Beach Street. “Our entire team is proud and excited to open up this first-of-a-kind development to the Virginia Beach community and to the thousands who will make the journey to surf here.”

Atlantic Park is the result of a public-private partnership among the City of Virginia Beach, the Virginia Beach Development Authority, Venture Realty Group, Pharrell Williams, W.M. Jordan Company, Bishard Development, and Priority Title/H2O Investments. In collaboration with OVG 360 and Live Nation – both global leaders in entertainment – they operate and program The Dome.

ABOUT WAVEGARDEN 

Wavegarden is an innovative engineering company dedicated to the research, design, manufacture, installation, and commissioning of wave generation systems, and the construction and operation of surf lagoons. 

Wavegarden´s technology is making waves successfully at 12 facilities worldwide, capable of accommodating more than 90 surfers per hour, generating +25 different types of waves to cater to all surfer profiles, with the lowest energy and water consumption in the market. Remaining true to our mission to share the incredible experience of surfing perfect waves with everyone around the world, the company has an extremely high growth potential in this emerging sector, with more than 10 projects currently under construction and 50+ projects in development across the globe.   

ABOUT ATLANTIC PARK  

Atlantic Park is a first-of-its-kind indoor/outdoor experience, offering more than 10.2 acres of surfing, shopping, working, live entertainment and boutique surf lodging in the heart of the Virginia Beach oceanfront. Centrally located and integrated within an urban environment adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic Park Surf is unlike any other surf park in the world and is the first Wavegarden Cove Surf Lagoon in North America.

Stewarded by Virginia Beach native and global superstar Pharrell Williams, Atlantic Park harnesses the energy of the city’s potential, distinct culture and legacy as the birthplace of East Coast surfing.  

For more information, visit atlanticparksurf.com or follow @atlanticparksurf.