SURF FAQ
SURF LAGOON FAQ
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Yes, we have an ever growing and updating performance, soft-top and body board inventory! Please email [email protected] for our latest board stocktake.
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Yeah, you’re going to need a reservation. Our surf sessions are usually booked about 2 months in advance, so showing up and hoping for the best is not something we recommend. At all.
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We recommend arriving at least 20 minutes before your scheduled session if you have visited us before, and at least an hour before your session if this is your first time. This gives us time to get you checked in at the front desk, check your waiver and pass you a wristband.
If you’re running late, please email us at [email protected] as soon as you can and we will hold your session for you.
If you are going to be more than 10 minutes late to your session, and have not reached out to us, we reserve the right to cancel your session.
Please note : missed sessions are not eligible for refunds, credits or rebooks.
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Glad you asked – great question! It changes dramatically, reflecting the air temperature the days before your session! Check the home page for daily water temp updates and recommended wetsuit set ups!
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We usually release the public surf (also known as space available) sessions 4-6 weeks out! Space available simply means it’s the surf spaces we have available after we book our Stay and Surf sessions and our private sessions.
If you want peace of mind, stay on site with us with at the Waco Surf Hotel and we can prebook your surf sessions as part of the Stay and Surf program.
Email [email protected] for pricing and availability.
*Stay and Surf session pre-booking is only available until Space Available is released, 4-6 weeks prior to the start of the month. Stay & Surf booked within the 4-6 week timeframe is subject to limited availability.
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Whenever you please! We have bookings 24 hours up to 24 months in advance. The further in advance you book, the better selection of dates and times you have access to. You can email [email protected] for all availability and pricing!
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Absolutely not. Drones are not permitted in any area of the park – including cable park, surf lagoon, waterpark, accommodations or anywhere on our property.
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The beginner/Malibu wave is our smallest wave – reaching knee to thigh height. This is a straight wave, and come in sets of 3 every 30 seconds. There is 30 minutes of lefts, and 30 minutes of rights.
There are coaches in the water with you to help you shred! Soft-top board rental is included in the session price (excluding the optional insurance fee).
The intermediate/longboard/Jetty wave is our mid tier wave – reaching stomach to chest height. This is a mellow rolling wave, and come in sets of 3 every 30 seconds. There is 30 minutes of lefts, and 30 minutes of rights.
Board rental is not included in the session price.
The expert/Lowers wave is our performance wave – reaching chest to head height. This is a screamer of a wave – we’ve seen tube rides and aerials on this setting. There is an expert disclaimer associated with this wave…so it’s serious.
Board rental is not included in the session price. There are 30 minutes of lefts and 30 minutes of rights with a 3-wave set rolling through every 80 seconds or so.Board rental is not included in the session price.
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Short answer – all of them. Long answer – see below.
Expert Private Wave Settings
Freak Peak Wedge – 2 waves that collide from either end of the lagoon. Made for doing airs.
Waco Wedge – Slab barrel wave.
Sissy Sauce – Air wave with section to a barrel section.
3 set lowers – Similar to a wave at lowers/ soft lip able to do cutbacks and get barreled.
Peak Peel – Wedge slab barrel followed by a peeling roller with barrel section then floater section.
Peel Wave – Fast hollow running wave.
Closeout Air – Closeout wave made for doing airs.
Air Section Plus – Air section with a bit more ramp to the section.
3 Set Close – All peeling waves in a 3 wave set. Fast hollow waves.
3 Set Gap – Peeling waves with a 10 second gap between each wave.
Spit – Long fast peeling wave that spits midway to the end.
Intermediate Private Wave Settings:
Air section right and left – Softer smaller air section with close out.
3 set Jetty – A smaller version of the lowers wave. Good for perfecting turns and barrels.
3 set plus – Intermediate version of a peeling wave.
Peel – Fast hollow peeling wave. Good for single longboard wave.
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For sure! They can buy a Surfer Companion Beach Club pass and swim in the lagoon while you boost airs!
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Gift Cards
Waco Surf Gift Card have no expiration date for Waco Surf products and purchases.
Gift Cards have a 1 time use only. If bookings are canceled using a Gift Card, the Gift Card will not be able to be reused or reapplied to a booking.
Waco Surf Gift Cards are non transferable and non-refundable.
Standard Surf Resort Credit
Standard Surf Resort Credit expires at the end of the year in which the credit was issued.
Surf resort credits have a 1 time use only. If bookings are canceled using a Standard or Priority Surf Resort Credit, the credit will not be able to be reused or reapplied to a booking.
Surf Resort Credits have a 1 time use only.
If bookings are canceled using a Standard or Priority Surf Resort Credit, the credit will not be able to be reused or reapplied to another booking.
All Surf Resort Credits are non transferable and non-refundable.
Surf Resort Credits cannot be used for retail, merchandise or food and beverages.
Standard Surf Resort Credits issued after November 15th will be eligible for use in the following calendar year.
Priority Surf Resort Credit
Priority Surf Resort Credits expire 3 years from the date of issue.
Surf resort credits have a 1 time use only. If bookings are canceled using a Standard or Priority Surf Resort Credit, the credit will not be able to be reused or reapplied to a booking.
Surf Resort Credits have a 1 time use only.
If bookings are canceled using a Standard or Priority Surf Resort Credit, the credit will not be able to be reused or reapplied to another booking.
All Surf Resort Credits are non transferrable and non-refundable.
Surf Resort Credits cannot be used for retail, merchandise or food and beverages.
Appendix A.
Compassionate cancellation reasons include:
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Flight cancellations with documents proof
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Sickness or illness with documented proof
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Injury as a result of Waco Surf activities (i.e. injury on site at Waco Surf).
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Weather related delays as determined by Waco Surf
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Mechanical related delays as determined by Waco Surf
What to do if you have a BSR credit or gift certificate.
Our grace period for accepting BSR credits ended in December 2022. BSR credits, unused sessions or passes will no longer be accepted by Waco Surf.
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Yep! His name is Rob Henson and he’s the man. You can email our sales department at [email protected] to book him in! He offers video, photography and drone footage, and can deliver it either edited or unedited. If you’re after quick turn around unedited video of yourself to improve between sessions (a popular request), please make sure to bring a hard drive with you so we can upload all content straight onto your hard drive after the session has ended.
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Yes, we try and photograph all public sessions but there is no guarantee we can capture your session or your group. The best way to guarantee footage or images of you/our group is to book a private photographer.
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Although we don’t have an age restriction for the surf sessions – we just require that all surfers be proficient swimmers and their parents supervise them either out of the water or close by in the water (but not in the way of other surfers).
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For sure! Go to the ‘Rentals’ tab on our Things to do drop down menu to book.
*Please note – BYOB is not permitted on the surf lagoon/beach side of the park.*Beach Club Cabanas come with 6 Beach Club Passes, additional passes can be purchased on site.
The maximum number of people allowed per cabana is 10.
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We strongly recommend boards no longer than 8ft in the intermediate and expert sessions as the pool does get pretty shallow pretty quickly and we’ve seen all too many custom single fins hit the concrete bottom (brutal to watch).
Only soft tops are allowed in the beginner session for safety reasons. Short boards, long boards and anything else that’s not squishy are not permitted and you will be asked to leave the water if you have anything other than a soft top/foam board.
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We have several umbrellas on site that you can rent from us – don’t worry about lugging your around umbrella, we got you!
You may bring your umbrella or tent for the surf lagoon beach, but do NOT put any poles or rods directly into the sand as it will rip the liner underneath the sand. Please only use bases or weights to secure the tent or umbrella.
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Any private surf reservations totaling less than 8 hours of surf require full payment at the time of booking.
Reservations for 8 hours of surf or more require a 50% deposit at the time of booking (if more than 30 days in the future) and full payment 30 days prior to your arrival date.
All private sessions canceled more than 30 days in advance will receive a Standard Surf Resort Credit for the full amount to be used within the current year.
All private sessions canceled 30 days to 14 days in advance of the session start time will receive a 50% Standard Surf Resort Credit to be used within the current year.
Any private sessions canceled less than 14 days before the start of the session will receive no refund or credit.
Individuals booking private surf acknowledge that the use of Surf Resort Credits is subject to availability and that Waco Surf has no obligation to ensure availability at preferred time of booking.
All private surf sales are final.
Guests canceling due to compassionate reasons (see appendix A.) will be offered a Priority Surf Resort Credit which will have 3 year expiration date.
Surf resort credits have a 1 time use only. If bookings are canceled using a Standard or Priority Surf Resort Credit, the credit will not be able to be reused or reapplied to a booking.
Should surf be canceled by the resort for any reason, the customer will be offered a Priority Surf Resort Credit for future use. Waco Surf is in no way financially responsible for any travel costs or fees acquired in the rare event that the surf must be shut down due to local or federally mandated closures, and/or unforeseen mechanical, safety or weather-related reasons.
Appendix A.
Compassionate cancellation reasons include:
- Flight cancellations with documents proof
- Sickness or illness with documented proof
- Injury as a result of Waco Surf activities (i.e. injury on site at Waco Surf).
- Weather related delays as determined by Waco Surf
- Mechanical related delays as determined by Waco Surf
*Policies are subject to change.
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Stay and Surf
All Stay and Surf sessions require full payment at the time of booking.
All Stay and Surf sessions canceled more than 30 days in advance will receive a Standard Surf Resort Credit for the full amount to be used within the current year.
All Stay and Surf sessions canceled 30 days to 14 days in advance of the session start time will receive a 50% Standard Surf Resort Credit to be used within the current year. This includes requests for rebooks within this timeframe.
Any Stay and Surf sessions canceled less than 14 days before the start of the session will receive no refund or credit. This includes requests for rebooks within this timeframe.
Cancellation of lodging unit for Stay and Surf booking will result in the cancellation of total booking (i.e. Surf sessions associated with Stay and Surf booking will also be canceled).
Individuals booking Stay and Surf acknowledge that the use of Surf Resort Credits is subject to availability and that Waco Surf has no obligation to ensure availability at preferred time of booking.
Waco Surf will do our best to accommodate rebookings, assuming the rebook request is received no later than 14 days out from the original booked session/s. Any requested rebook is strictly based on current availability, and Waco Surf can not guarantee that there will be sessions available for your requested dates/times. Sessions can only be rebooked against current space available surf (there is no option to rebook to unreleased months/dates/times). Waco Surf will not rebook sessions less than 14 days out, these will be considered a cancellation and in line with our cancellation policy will receive no refund or credit.
All public surf sales are final.
Surf resort credits have a 1 time use only. If bookings are canceled using a Standard or Priority Surf Resort Credit, the credit will not be able to be reused or reapplied to a booking.
Should surf be canceled by the resort for any reason, the customer will be offered a Priority Surf Resort Credit for future use. Waco Surf is in no way financially responsible for any travel costs or fees acquired in the rare event that the surf must be shut down due to local or federally mandated closures, and/or unforeseen mechanical, safety or weather-related reasons.
*Policies are subject to change.
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All cabana reservations shall be paid at the time booked. All cabana reservations may be cancelled up to 7 days in advance for a full refund. Any cabana reservations cancelled within 7 days but up to 48 hours prior to arrival (9:00am of your check in day) shall be issued a resort credit in the full amount of the booking for use within the current season. Any cancellations made within 48 hours of arrival shall receive no refund or credit.
*Policies are subject to change.
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That’s going to be a no from us…
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Service animals are only allowed with correct marked badges. Service animals are not allowed in any bodies of water. We can direct you where service animals are and are not allowed on property. Emotional support animals are not allowed on property. Sorry Fluffles 🙁
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You can bring:
- Coolers full of all the delicious non-alcoholic drinks you can think of.
- Life jackets for kids under the age of 12 years old.
- Umbrellas and tents – please do not dig poles into the sand. Only use bases or weight to secure umbrellas and tents.
- Reusable water bottles to refill from our Flowater stations across the property.
- Your own surfboard or body board for your surf session.
You cannot bring:
- Your own alcohol (we have 2 bars located on the lagoon you can purchase any liquid courage from).
- Anything made from glass.
- Pets of any kind (service dogs are allowed with correct marked badges, but they are not allowed on the beach or in the water).
- Grills or BBQs of any kind
- Skateboards, rollerblades, roller skates, bikes etc.
- A bad attitude
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Please make sure you’ve read our cancellation policy as we follow this pretty closely! You can email us at [email protected] to rebook or cancel your session and we’ll help you according to the policy 🙂
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The water is filtered through a three-phase, state-of-the-art system that includes disk filtration, media filtration, and the addition of ozone and chlorine.
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There’s a dude in the corner of the lagoon with a bodyboard pushing it up and down. His name’s Reef. And if that’s not the actual answer, it’s probably proprietary…
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Right now! We can book your private sessions for any available times in 2022 now, and we can book your Stay and Surf sessions about 3-8 months in advance with a booking in the Waco Surf Hotel. Space available sessions are hands off for us – so head online and you can book these yourself anywhere from a few hours before a session, up to 6 weeks before a session!