A $30 Million Wavepool Will Bring More Surfing to New York City
New York City is known for its food, Broadway shows, art scene, and a helluva lot more.
Surfing? Not so much. Sure, there's some surf in Long Beach, Far Rockaway, and Montauk, but parking's impossible (yes, everywhere), waves are fickle, and damn it gets cold.
But surfing an artificial wave might soon be on the list of things to see and do in the Big Apple if things go as planned for an in-the-works wave pool planned for Queens.
According to a story in the Gothamist, two New York design firms are in "early negotiations with the city" over an indoor wave pool in Far Rockaway.
The article's author, Ramsey Khalifeh, wrote that it'll be "just a stone’s throw away from the beachfront that is New York City’s only legal surfing destination."
According to the article, the wave pool will cost "around $30 million and bring free surfing and safety lessons to young residents of Far Rockaway, where the poverty rate is more than 20%."
The pool will also offer swimming safety courses since it's "in a community where few can afford" them.
Where exactly will it be?
Lou Harris, founder of the Black Surfing Association's East Coast chapter, said that negotiations are underway with the city over a particular piece of property. But he can't say where.
“It's in the hood,” he told the Gothamist and added that it's "the size of a football field."
But if that one falls through, they've got their eye on other options.
According to the Gothamist:
"Harris envisioned a wave pool facility with cabanas, locker rooms for surfboard storage, and discounted swimming and ocean safety lessons for locals.
“Let's say it's 6-foot, 8-foot [waves in the ocean] and it's not the ideal waves for your beginners or your novices. You can go right to the wave pool and you can work on your craft," he said. "When it's a thunderstorm, when it's raining, when it's snowing, cause it's going to be a year-round thing, you can go to the wave pool.”
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