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I didn’t expect my first time surfing in Sydney to involve driving inland.
But as I found this week, you don’t need to head to the city’s east coast to find the perfect wave – you can find them through a building in Olympic Park with whitewashed walls, where surfboards are strewn across a manicured lawn and surfers slice through impossibly turquoise water.
Sydney’s first surf park opened this week – four years after Australia’s first opened in Melbourne. And as UrbnSurf – which owns both parks – says on its website, the opening has them “frothing like a grom”.
When I visit, there are plenty of groms and adults that appear to be frothing, ready to take on the thrill of riding an artificial swell.
I was not quite frothing like a grom upon my arrival. I was anxious. I usually have an annual surf or two when I return home to the New South Wales far south coast for Christmas. Every so often, I manage to stand up – and it’s bliss. But mostly I feel as if I’m rolling around in a salty washing machine, unable to catch a wave, and in the way of those who can.
I was hoping this would not be one of those days.
Inside, there are boards for hire and a surf shop. There’s a cafe blasting indie pop for those getting their post-surf feeds. And in the middle is a sight that would get any surf-curious person’s heart racing with excitement: perfectly spaced waves, pumped out every few seconds, with only 18 people allowed in at one time – plenty for everyone.
The vibe is more sporting facility than leisurely family beach outing. This is perhaps influenced by the fact that, unlike the beach, it’s far from free.
The cheapest option for a single session costs $109 an hour for an adult (about $10 a wave for the expected 10-12 waves), or $104 for a child. There’s a discount if you book multiple sessions that can be used over the course of a year. The most expensive option is $159. Even parking isn’t cheap, at $7 an hour.
Each hourlong time slot has a set size and shape of wave that’s produced using an artificial wave generation technology known as Wavegarden Cove. Sydney’s park is the eighth in the world to open using such technology, which uses panels moved by an electro-mechanical system that shifts the water to mimic different types of swell.
In 2022, Melbourne’s surf park held the first-ever World Surf League-sanctioned wave pool surf competition in the southern hemisphere.
“What we’re creating is a bit more of a welcoming experience to surfing. It can be intimidating in the ocean,” the chief executive of UrbnSurf, Damon Tudor, tells me.
“Whereas when you’ve got a really controlled environment, lifeguards, everyone is welcome and there’s waves for the true beginner all the way through to the expert who can ride barrels. So it’s kind of something for everyone.”
There are six waves to choose from that are set for the hour you book. I had chosen the cruiser wave, a 1 metre gentle point-break mimic.
When I was asked which board I’d like to rent, I asked for one that would give me the best chance of standing up. I was handed an 8 ft soft board that a UrbnSurf staffer referred to as “a boat”.
But with a concrete pool bottom, there are different challenges to watch out for from a regular beach surf. The six other surfers heading out for the session and I were told in the mandatory safety briefing to wrap our arms around our face and the back of our heads if we fall. There were helmets available to use.
As I stood at the “shore” and watched the mechanical waves roar to life, I was reminded of the most blissful surf I’ve had. It was just me and my best friend surfing at a beach in our home town that tourists haven’t yet cottoned on to. The waves were small, but glassy and perfect for my skill level. That time, I stood up more than I came crashing down.
My anxiety melted into excitement. I paddled out with the simulated current that runs along the side of the pool, helping drag the surfers towards the break.
We all waited patiently in a line for the sets to roll in. Then it’s my turn. I was ushered by one of our two guides to the taking off spot – a line marked on the pool wall. The wave swells behind me, and the guide yells: “Paddle! Paddle! Paddle!” I don’t paddle fast enough and miss the wave.
For my second attempt, I was too far forward on the board and was dunked. Before each wave, the guide gave me a tip: “Don’t lay so far forward on your board.” And later: “How many push ups can you do? Push yourself up like that!”
The third time was a charm – I stood up, and it was a rush. I stood up a few more times. Then the exhaustion set in. It’s a bit relentless when every single wave is perfect.
Unlike that blissful day at the beach with my friend, I was cognisant of the fact that my hour in the pool was ticking by. I realised how much surfing at the beach can be sitting around waiting – the anticipation and uncertainty of whether nature will deliver you your perfect wave is part of the excitement.
Not long before our time was up, I asked another, much more experienced surfer how he was finding it.
“It’s great … you’d be pretty stoked if you got these waves at the beach,” he tells me. “Though there is something about the spirit of surfing that’s at the beach.”