The USA Surfing athletes will have access to the pristine waves at Lower Trestles, the stage for the LA28 Olympics when it comes to town in 2028, but they will also be using a wave pool near Salt Lake City, Utah, to prepare for the podium.
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“Our primary training ground is right here, at Trestles, in our backyard,” said USA Surfing CEO Greg Hulsizer, but added that the man-made wave pool “will be an amazing resource for all of our teams, one of our tools in our toolbox, one of the places our surfers can train when it opens up.”
The wave pool training is part of a partnership with Kamaka Responsible Development, a San Clemente-based development company that focuses on workforce, low-income and senior housing, and Resin Services, a surfboard glassing company owned by the same family.
The wave pool is being built next to an apartment complex being developed by Wasatch Group, of which Kamaka is part of the parent company, about 20 minutes south of Salt Lake City. The pool, which will be powered by Endless Surf technology, will have a membership program, but also be available to use by the public.
The South Orange County companies, Kamaka and Resin Services, gave an undisclosed “multi-million dollar investment” to USA Surfing last year to show the nonprofit had financial backing during a battle with US Ski and Snowboarding, which made a bid to govern the board sport under its portfolio.
“Kamaka’s commitment gives the next generation of U.S. surfers the ability to train on demand against conditions they’ll face in competition,” USA Surfing coach and two-time US Open winner Brett Simpson said in a statement. “That’s the kind of investment that changes the trajectory of the sport, making it an exciting tool for American surfers preparing to take on the world’s best.”
The wave pool project is expected to break ground in 60 to 90 days, depending on permitting, and the pool could take anywhere from 10 to 12 months to build, winter weather pending, said Jackson Sheppard, president and founder of Kamaka and Resin Services.
The hope is for the pool to be up and running by late summer 2027. The USA Surfing team will have free access to the pool, Sheppard said.
Sheppard said he was born and raised in South Orange County, currently living in San Clemente, the home base for USA Surfing.
Supporting the surf industry and USA Surfing is an impactful mission, said Sheppard, who grew up surfing.
“USA Surfing does such a good job with their amateur competitions and the kids,” he said, arguing there has not been enough investment back into the surfing community. “People need to support it, financially. They need to write a check.”
The USA Surfing team and other national athletes won’t be decided until next year, based on results at various contests held throughout the year.
Wave pools can offer something the ocean can’t: consistent repetitions to nail down technical moves such as above-the-lip aerials. Many elite-level surfers are known, especially in recent years as technology has improved, to use wave pools as part of their training regime in areas such as Brazil and Japan.
“There’s not always consistent swell and waves at Lowers,” Sheppard said. “There’s a bunch of other people competing for the waves at Lowers. Even if you’re the best surfer in the world, you have to watch a wave go by.”
The facility will also have on-site training space, a weight and recovery room and physical therapists on hand, he said.
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The wave pool is being built in Utah because it’s a more financially feasible place to build, with land along the coastline a scarcity, Sheppard said. The developer in Utah wanted to partner on the project, and the numbers penciled out, he said.
“It’s really hard to build a wave pool in California, land is expensive,” he said.
The Endless Surf technology currently has pools in Munich, Germany, and two in Saudi Arabia, and a private wave pool is being built in Cabo, Mexico.
The technology can pump out a wave every four seconds, Sheppard said.
“It’s really good for groups, consistency and getting tons of waves,” he said. “Out of all the surf technologies, it’s my favorite.”
Hulsizer said USA Surfing is excited to have access to the facility when it opens, a place where surfers can go when the ocean turns flat.
“Mother nature doesn’t always come through,” he said. “In the wave pool, you get a consistent wave every time.”
USA Surfing has many tools to develop its athletes, he added, all centered around the goal of making them the best they can be.
“The best training ground we have is right here at Lowers, and that’s a benefit no other team has,” Hulsizer said. “That’s our primary training ground.”
Other training opportunities, not just for Olympians but all the athletes who compete under the USA Surfing organization, include “Power your Performance” workshops. Recent workshops include teaching how to compete under pressure and learning how to understand surf forecasts.
While the partnership with the Utah pool will be valuable, the team may also opt to use other wave pools to train that become available, Hulsizer noted.
Wave pools are popping up around Southern California, with DSRT Surf in Palm Desert already making waves after its recent opening, following the Palm Springs Surf Club that opened two years ago. Another is being built in Oceanside and there have been talks of one in Newport Beach.
Already, USA Surfing has won two gold medals at Olympic games, the first by Hawaiian Carissa Moore in Tokyo, followed by San Clemente’s Caroline Marks winning in Tahiti in 2024.
“Now it’s full speed ahead to prepare our athletes to be on the podium for 2028,” Hulsizer said. “We’re looking forward to bringing the gold home to San Clemente and Orange County.”
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