The highly anticipated Atlantic Park, located in the heart of Virginia Beach oceanfront, is expected to open in May/June 2025, has reached a major construction milestone. On August 29 of this year, the project completed its “bottoming out” phase, the lowest point dug, of the primary wave pool.

Wavegarden, a distinguished artificial wave engineering company, has developed surf parks globally, including in Australia, Brazil and Switzerland. The first Wavegarden Cove is now coming to Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The wave park is designed to offer world-class waves and accommodate everyone from beginner to expert surfers. Additionally, Atlantic Park will include an entertainment venue, along with residential, office, and retail space.

Hitting this milestone was a pivotal event for everyone on the team including H2O Investments, TowneBank, Wavegarden, Venture Realty Group, and notable partner, Pharrell Williams. 

This past October, the next development phase began with installing the 46-module Wavegarden Cove. According to Atlantic Park, this technology will create over 20 different waveforms, covering all levels of surfing. The surf lagoon will accommodate up to 90 surfers per hour with a ride time of 12-16 seconds per wave. Spanning 2.67 acres, the wave pool will generate waves of up to six feet high. The modular electromechanical system is capable of creating an impressive 1,000 waves per hour while ensuring maximum energy efficiency.

According to Atlantic Park, Blake Hess, COO of surf park operator Beach Street, imagine four-foot Malibu waves for beginners and longboarders, five-and-a-half-foot waves for the seasoned surfer and, of course, six-foot barreling waves for more experienced surfers.

Looking forward, bookings for the 55-minute sessions will open around the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Later this year, the project team will release additional information about restaurants and retail tenants.