Semi-Convincing Evidence That Austin’s Wavegarden May Be Worthwhile

It may not be Slater’s barrel, but it’s worth a head dip. NLand surf park opens tomorrow, and needless to say, the folks behind the pool are psyched. They just released this clip, detailing everything you need to know about the wave: Perfect lefts, perfect rights, 35-second rides, for all skill sets, lessons for beginners. And, it’s got three separate sections, the reef (high performance), the inside (beginner), and the bay (party wave). Only time will tell if they got this one right, and hopefully it’s not reminiscent of the Wales debacle. It also can hold 140 surfers, which is a crowd, but Austin is a hot spot for California transplants, so for those surfers who’ve headed inland to keep the city “weird” or whatever, will feel right at home. The city’s booming, Austin grows at a rate of 110 people a day, which is astonishing. And setting all purism aside, as a surfer you can’t look at this not be intrigued by the fun. The catch is, of you wanna ride the “reef” (the only one worthwhile) it’ll run you $90 USD for the hour. So it’s kind of like not paying for parking, spending an hour in the water and coming back to a ticket, but with less resentment. Because everyone hates a meter maid.