Palm Springs Surf Club

Palm Springs Surf Club opened on 1 January 2024 on the 21-acre site of the former Wet 'n' Wild Palm Springs water park. It runs a SurfLoch wave pool alongside a lazy river, water slides, a resort pool and restaurants, and it is about 113 miles from Los Angeles, a little over two hours' drive, which makes it a realistic day trip from Southern California.

Sessions are built around distinct wave programs rather than a single adjustable level. The Waikiki Wave is the beginner setting, a mellow, slow-peeling wave, sold as public hours limited to eight surfers. The A-Frames (intermediate, advanced and pro) are split peaks where two surfers can ride the same wave in opposite directions; the intermediate version throws six-wave sets 15 seconds apart with about two and a quarter minutes between sets, and ends in a closeout section meant for a finishing maneuver. A Lefts and Rights setting, which stretched rides by about three to four seconds, was sold as a public hour in late September 2026 but was not listed on 7 October. The 5 Slabs session is the steepest and is for advanced surfers only. Private sessions can also call up the Clean Easy Tube, The Slab and air sections. The time between sets varies by program, from about a minute and 20 seconds to about two and a quarter minutes.

Intermediate surfers who want a predictable, repeatable session without ocean variables get the most out of the A-Frames and Lefts and Rights programs, and experienced surfers have a real barrel option in the 5 Slabs session. Beginners have their own setting in the Waikiki Wave, with small groups of eight. Non-surfing travel companions can use the water park on a general admission day pass in its season (late March to late September in 2026), which matters if you are traveling with people who do not surf.

Public surf sessions are sold by the hour through the park's booking system. For October 2026, Intermediate A-Frames, Advanced A-Frames, Lefts and Rights and 5 Slabs hours cost $206.70 per surfer including all fees (they read $212 on 26 September); Lefts and Rights was back on sale when checked on 11 October. The beginner Waikiki Wave, coached by two instructors with up to eight surfers, is $265, the most expensive public hour on the menu. Surf coaching on other sessions is a $127.20 add-on that does not include a session, so a coached hour means buying both. Surf session packs cost $742 for four sessions, $1,484 for eight and $3,710 for twenty, about $185 a session. Private hire of the whole pool, for up to 12 surfers an hour, is priced by date: on 23 October 2026 the booking system listed $2,650 an hour for Thursday 29 October and Monday 2 November and $3,180 for Friday 30 October, against $3,180 on Thursdays and $3,710 Friday to Sunday earlier in October. The water park is seasonal: its 2026 season passes ran from 29 March to 28 September. Its general admission day pass, which includes no surfing, was $42.40, and the season passes exclude surf sessions and surf discounts. A bodyboard-only Reform Wave Pass is $26.50. Read from the booking system on 26 and 29 September and 7, 11 and 23 October 2026.

Book sessions online well in advance, particularly on weekends and in the October to April season when temperatures are comfortable. Between late March and late September, when the water park is open, bring non-surfers along on a general admission pass so they have something to do. The park is a little over two hours from Los Angeles on the I-10. There is plenty of parking, though a fee may apply in peak seasons and during special events. Private hire of the whole pool runs about $2,650 to $3,180 an hour.