Wai Kai, a Surf Park Development Case Study

Surf Park development and wave pool design have come a long way. For evidence of this, we needn’t look any further than Oahu’s new surf park development, Wai Kai. Wai Kai is a new Hawaii surf park development that’s set to become the world’s largest deep-water standing surf wave. Once completed, Wai Kai will be an active year-round destination where residents and visitors can connect to the water, land, and Hawaiian culture. They’ll experience a first-of-its-kind Hawaii surf park featuring the world’s biggest deep-water standing surf wave, a 52-acre recreational lagoon, restaurant, cafe, shops, and more.

Located on the island of Oahu in Ewa Beach, Wai Kai is a large oceanside surf park development led by Haseko, a development company with 40 years of experience in Hawaii. The Wai Kai Wave is the headliner of The LineUp at Wai Kai, which will be the property’s social and recreational hub.

As the team at Wai Kai has previously shared on Surf Park Central, the Wai Kai Wave will be powered by Citywave®, a technology creating authentic surfing conditions with endless and adjustable waves from two-feet waves to head-high waves for all skill levels. The Wai Kai Wave was created in collaboration with Oahu’s-own Shane Beschen (a partner in The LineUp at Wai Kai’s operating company), an X Games Gold Medalist, former world num. 2 ranked surfer, and Red Bull’s high-performance surf coach, and his young gun surfing sons.

Wai Kai’s surf park development brings with it new jobs to Oahu. The LineUp at Wai Kai is currently hiring for a General Manager, and will continue to hire in the coming months. Apply for the GM position here.

We’re excited to share that Wai Kai is among the presenters for Surf Park Summit 2021, which is taking place October 4-5 in San Diego. Their panel, the Design and Development of the LineUp at Wai Kai, will discuss the nuances of creating a new surf park from design to development. This panel of presenters will bring deep insights to attendees of Surf Park Summit about the journey to determine viability, selection of technology, effectively integrating with a team of consultants and key considerations on the journey to bringing a surf park development to life.

We’ll hear from Wai Kai’s master developer, Larry Caster, from Haseko, about the Citywave-centered deep water wave at The LineUp at Wai Kai. Larry is joined by pool build experts, CEM Aquatics. Moderators Skip Taylor and Cate Thero of Surf Park Management present the thread between technical services through to operations, including the entire timeline of development. The talk showcases real-life examples of what each stage encompasses, which will help Developers to consider how to succeed on their projects.

During Surf Park Summit 2021 Surf Park Central’s Chris Kluesener caught up with Shane Beschen to learn more about this project.