5/16/2018
There were none of the usual expectations or frustrations on my mind as I made my way to a surf spot and to the BSR Surf Resort in Waco, TX; nothing mattered not the weather, the traffic, the huge crowd, nothing mattered…… it was only about seeing the wave and the excitement just kind of carried me up there.
Getting to the park takes you from the skirts of a college town and neighborhoods to a rural highway that eventually splits off onto a shady, tree lined road. You will pass country homes and small farms…. Cattle, farm equipment, and cattle fences. It was just a warm up for what lay ahead and a good come-down from the usual experiences you encounter when heading out to HB, T Street, etc.
Pulling into the parking area my good attitude was a little dashed as a parking attendant approached the car. For sure I was going to be told that the park was full…. Not the case. The young man approached with an apology. What? “I am sorry sir that the parking lot is a little full. It is opening day. Can you park under these trees?” Sure! Attitude back on track. It was only 50 yards to the main building. My walks into theatres, malls, and grocery stores are worse than that. My experience started here with a friendly, greeting, and genuine courtesy.
Walking in you get a kind of Tom Petty cool, Southern, good-times vibe; easy and friendly. There are wakeboarders doing their tricks on the left next to a shore lined with people happily talking, grilling out, and just relaxing under a canopy of trees. Going further into the park and as you approach the main building, a wooden, two story restaurant and store, you notice that there are many people easily and purposely moving to their chosen activities. Across the lot there is a huge water slide across the “lazy” river, tucked behind a stand of trees.
Where are the waves??!!! That expectation anxiety tried to creep but just couldn’t take hold. The relaxing atmosphere was just too strong and the steps to the pavilion overlooking the surf park was right there.
It was a nice point to enter and experience watching the surfers. You get to stand under a fairly large pavilion, shaded from the sun, and elevated so you can look down on the beach and the pool. On first glance it just looks like a beach with really good waves…. Sand, blue water, and waves that pump into the lagoon. It is really more than you should expect. But, that is what these guys deliver; a relaxing, rustic setting filled with happy, easy going people, who genuinely display good manners.
The waves are what we are here for, though and they do not disappoint. It all begins for the surfers with a somewhat turbine-like sound and then the waves just appear. They just seem to materialize. This day, opening day, the Wave Master, who I learned was the owner of the park, was putting out waves in sets of three. The first wave was the big or dominant wave. It looked to be about four feet, trough to peak. The second and third waves were somewhat smaller, maybe three to four feet. All were surfable and all were surfed. For sure the first wave had enough power and steepness to allow you to get good use of a shorter board, though some had boards north of six feet.
The waves came out pretty much the exact same way every set and the sets came about every 45 to 60 seconds. About the only real beef anyone had was that there was no time to fully rest before it was time to go again. One older guy, if mid-40’s is old, said he was completely wiped out after surfing for an hour. (He kind of said it proudly, though, you know, “I came, I saw, I conquered.” It was time for the warrior to go back home).
As just a JAFO, my job was just to sit and watch and ask questions and that is what I did. One of the staff members was kind enough to stand with me for a few minutes and explain what they were trying to accomplish on opening day. They had to decide how big the lineup should be, what types of waves to deliver, and in general look for ways to deliver a great product. And you could see this was true by how the surf pool staff managed the different situations as they came up. In one case an over excited, season ticket holder (he was addressed that way over the PA) was requested to give other surfers a chance to surf and he complied. It was handled in a friendly and professional manner. They also played with the wave size a bit; you could tell that they made some of the wave sets a little smaller than others. It just seemed that the really good surfers had larger, faster waves to ride. At other times the wave would move a little slower and not seem to have as much power. I am just guessing that the control tower was watching and adjusting; if not, they certainly could do that with the American Wave Machine wave maker. This may be something the surf park plans out in the future; maybe only let skilled surfers surf together and lesser skilled surfers surf together; and they can probably do this with their scheduling, which is done on the hour.
I heard one gripe…..and only one…. Some guy said it was too crowded. Let’s think about this. Fifteen surfers in the pool, waves coming every 45 to 60 seconds in sets of three surfable waves. Here is the math: 60 minutes per session; sets were coming every 45 seconds to every 60 seconds; 3 surfable waves to a set; so, at 60 seconds between sets you get 60 sets; 60 sets times 3 waves per set gives you 180 waves; 15 surfers gives you 5 groups of three surfers; 60 minutes divided by 5(groups) give you 12. You surf once and then 4 other groups take their turn; you wait 4 minutes. Let’s say you get to surf at the 0minute mark, 5minute mark, 10mark, 15mark, 20mark, 25mark, 30mark, 35mark, 40mark, 45mark, 50mark, 55minute mark. Twelve times. That is 12 times in an hour. I don’t think his complaint is valid and I know the management was watching out for wave hogs. Maybe he was tired or really didn’t want it. Also, go check out HB, Trestles, or just about anywhere else, and you are not going to get 12 rides in an hour. Oh, and the number of surfers waiting will be huge on a good day.
This segues into another very important point about the advantages of being able to catch a lot of waves. You get a chance to perfect or improve your surfing. If you are rusty, you will be able to bang it off and get on the road to where you were. If you are a grom you get to keep going, gaining much needed practice for when you do get to go to Pipe Line, T-Street, or HB. For any surfing level there are advantages to being able to surf this much. What is your level, where do you want to be with surfing?
This situation is made better too, because the quality of the wave is so good. The experienced surfers I spoke to said that the waves do have real power and closely mimic waves you catch at good surf spots. One guy, a surfer from Spain (via Austin), said the wave was good and surfable. He liked the wave at the BSR Surf Park better than what he has caught at North Packery in Corpus Christi, saying it had more power and better shape (steeper). He mentioned that he learned to surf in Spain and has surfed Portugal and France, so he has been around and has seen good waves.
This article can go on and get into much greater detail; I will spare you and just wrap it up. The waves you get here at the BSR Surf Resort have enough power and shape to surf, the waves are very similar to good waves at your favorite spot if you are a short board surfer, you do not have to rely on the randomness of nature to deliver a good wave, you can plan when you want to surf, it is not crowded, surfing etiquette is controlled, the staff is really helpful, you will have different sizes of waves to surf (ask them to turn it up), it is easy to get to the park, and it is family friendly. This can be a winner and a great opportunity to continue or join the surfing life. (side thought: wouldn’t it be a good story if the next Kelly Slater is from Waco!)
