Waco Surf draws surfers from all over the world to Central Texas

Surfing in Waco?

The Beach Boys probably did not have Waco in mind when they wrote some of their biggest hits, but indeed, Waco is considered by many the surfing capital of Texas.

Mike Schwaab, part owner and operator of Waco Surf, joined the Standard to talk about how a Central Texas town became a hub for the sport. Listen to the interview above or read the transcript below.

This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:

Texas Standard: Alright, surfing in Waco. I did not see that one coming. Tell us more about Waco Surf.

Mike Schwaab: Waco Surf is one of the strangest parts of America, I think.

We are smack dab in the middle of Central Texas, stoked to call Waco our home. About 15 minutes out of town, around Axtell, Texas, we have a – and this is non-hyperbolic – world-famous wave pool that exists there.

My wife and I moved out here specifically for this project. We were living in Australia and then Hawaii at the time when it was actually built. And if you surf anywhere in the world, you know about Waco Surf.

Is that right?

Absolutely.

All right, square this with us: You think about the other lifestyles associated with Texas – ranching, rodeos… surfing.

Surfing. I will say Texas has a strong, fantastic surf community on the coast from Corpus Christi down to Galveston.

Are the waves that good?

No, that’s the best part. Waves in Galveston, if there is a good swell coming through, everyone goes down. Corpus does a little better, but the beauty of a wave pool is you literally just hit a button and you create perfect waves all day, every day.

How do you do it?

We have a technology partner called American Wave Machines. They’re based in San Diego, Calif. They’ve got some other institutions around the globe, a couple in Brazil.

The wave pool industry is blowing up globally and it’s starting to pick up in the United States, as well. We have a pneumatic wave system. There’s other techs that use similar. You’re basically using air pressure to change water levels.

But as I understand it, there’s like kind of a secret sauce that you use in Waco.

The secret sauce – when you build these pneumatic systems, the sequencing that you used to create a wave is the bread and butter. And that’s what we heavily rely on our partners at American Wave Machines to help us with.

I like to come into a new season every year and selfishly, because I’m a surfer, I like to create new waves whenever we can. So we’ll work with them, they’ll come out, we’ll spend a “test day” – I’m doing the air quotes right now – which is basically me and my friends surfing for 15 hours while we create new waves.

So it’s about the timing – how high they’re going to go, how much space there is between each wave – that kind of thing?

Exactly.

If listeners haven’t been to Waco Surf, what should they expect?

To show up and be gobsmacked, I suppose, because it’s not just the surf park.

We also have a cable park for wakeboarding. We’ve got the alleged world’s longest lazy river. Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve not independently verified that fact, but it was a question on “Jeopardy!” The real “Jeopardy!” So, like, those guys gotta do their research, right? So, I’m claiming it today.

And then we also have accommodations. We’ve got a hotel. We got houses that we rent out. We’ve got cabins along the lakes, full food and beverage program. It is this little Mecca in the middle of Waco, Texas.

So a lot of water park experience?

Yeah, for sure and like a family hangout at the park day that also happens to have world’s longest lazy river – allegedly – water slides, kids water slides… Just a fun day whether you want to come hang out for the day, regardless of surfing.

But the surfing part, people come from around the world to Waco, Texas.

You know, when I think of the heyday of surfing – I suppose this is because of the cultural impact made in the sixties –I think of the sixties.

Yeah. The grand old days.

How grand are they today? How big is surfing culture in the U.S., writ-large?

The industry has blown up. I know COVID really helped because people needed something to do and if you lived pseudo-coastally, it was a good opportunity for a beach day. A lot more people learned how to surf.

These wave pools that, again, are going to start popping up around the country, are going give access to, not just the industry, but the sport itself.

I say it all the time: if you go surfing one time and you catch your first good wave, you surf for the rest of your life. You’re not getting out of it.

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Okay, for someone who has never gone surfing, how long should you expect before you can get up on a board and actually catch your wave?

Yeah, it’s a great question. Historically, when you had to learn in the ocean, you’re dealing with Mother Nature. You gotta have the wind right, you gotta have the tide right, and then you have to have swell coming through.

So when I started surfing, I started surfing when I was probably like 18, and I sucked until I was like 26. It took me a long time to get into it.

Now, with the advent of these wave pools, again – perfect waves, push a button. We have people come through all the time that like, 12 years old, demonstrably better at surfing than I am – as infuriating as it is.

We had an event last week with a group called The Nines. Just some of the best action sports athletes in the world come together.

It’s not a contest – just a bunch of dudes/dudettes egging each other on to try new stuff. Fun to watch, but there were young athletes there just doing the most mind-blowing stuff and, you know, sitting in your office staring at the wave pool, just shaking your head like “these whippersnappers.”

So how do you come prepared? You bring your board shorts, I guess? You need to bring a board?

We have plenty of boards for rent and like that’s something that we really focus on. We want to make sure that we have a quiver – that’s what you call it, your group of boards is your quiver of boards. Make sure we’ve got a rental quiver that suits anyone’s needs.

But they’re also very nice boards because that’s what we like to surf.

And is there a secret to, I mean, something that you always tell people who are struggling to try to get on?

With the wave pool specifically, it’s the angle of your paddle. That’s the one trick.

In the ocean, you kind of point and shoot and then go. If you watch, to be able to create a wave, the wave actually comes off of the wall at about a 45 degree angle.

So if you try and paddle parallel to the wall, you’re either going to paddle way too much to get into the wave, or you’re not going to catch it. You’ve got to angle your board out. That’s always my top secret.

And I hope you’ve got instructors on standby there.

All day, every day.

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