The massive new surf lagoon has substantially lowered session rates after public criticism, offering an early test of demand while management points to planned villas as a major part of the development’s economics. Meanwhile, surfers are raving about the experience.
Originally published September 25, 2026 | Updated September 30, 2026
This article has been updated to reflect price reductions after DSRT Surf’s opening, management’s comments on the business model, interviews with DSRT Surf customers, and the status of the previously advertised hotel parcel.
DSRT Surf has cut surf-session prices within days of its Sept. 26 public opening in Palm Desert, providing an early answer to a question that accompanied the long-awaited debut: how much will customers pay for a guaranteed wave in the desert?
Expert barrel sessions initially offered at $370 were reduced to $270, while some beginner sessions that had reached $250 were available for as little as $130, according to The Inertia’s Sept. 29 report.
“I would say we certainly shot high, the public spoke, and we’ve made adjustments accordingly,” Michael Gerano, DSRT Surf’s vice president and general manager, told the publication.
The adjustment changes the business story surrounding the 5.5-acre lagoon beside Desert Willow Golf Resort. The opening said the attraction was ready to take paying customers. The price reductions show how quickly the operator is adapting its initial offer to consumer feedback.
The launch prices meet the market
GPS Business Insider’s opening coverage described performance-oriented sessions around $290 an hour and barrel sessions around $370 to $380. The launch calendar also offered a complete lagoon buyout for $19,000 an hour.
Those were launch prices, rather than a permanent rate card. The Sept. 29 report does not establish a revised price for the complete lagoon buyout, and the $19,000 figure should be understood as the previously advertised offer. Customers should consult DSRT Surf’s booking calendar for the session, date and wave setting they want.
The reported expert-session reduction of $100 amounts to about 27 percent. Even at $270, the experience remains a substantial discretionary purchase, particularly for a surfer hoping to return regularly.
The beginner prices also require care. DSRT Surf’s earlier opening offer included a Learn-to-Surf Experience with 30 minutes of land instruction and a 60-minute guided water session, priced at $100 for the public and $75 for Coachella Valley residents. Those lesson offers should not be treated as interchangeable with the beginner sessions described in the newer report.
The price cuts alone do not reveal attendance, profitability or the number of reservations made at the original rates. They do establish that management reconsidered the launch pricing almost immediately. For a business selling repeated visits as well as special occasions, that response could help broaden the customer base.
Surfers love DSRT Surf for its main selling points
This group of advanced surfers drove to DSRT Surf from Huntington Beach and raved about the experience.
Several surfers who made the drive from Huntington Beach raved about the waves and facilities said that what they experienced was even better than their high expections.
GPS Business Insider interviewed surfers after early morning sessions who were heading back home, but vowed to return. “My friend just bought a $500,000 house nearby just because of DSRT Surf,” said one of a group of impressed surfers. “I am planning to buy a place in Palm Desert, add a skateboard feature and spa, and make it my surf and skate getaway,” he added.
Another of the Huntington Beach group said that he had high expections, but the consistency and volume of the waves along with the sheer size of the lagoons went above and beyond what he had in mind. “Yes, we’re from a surfing mecca, but DSRT Surf pumped out 30 perfect waves per hour for our session which is different from the ocean where basically every wave is different and the conditions are always changing. Here, we can count on great waves and sunny skies.”
When the discussion turned to the prices, the group was pleased to see that the price they expected to pay was reduced from what they planned for, and they expect to come back at least once a month. Among the group were a commercial real estate broker and a home resale realtor who were not concerned about the fees. A younger man early in his career said, “I’ll keep coming back as long as I can afford it.”
The full group were going directly home after their morning session rather than staying in town overnight.
A nearby alternative
The valley already has a comparison point in Palm Springs Surf Club. Its published session packages offer four sessions for $700, eight for $1,400 and 20 for $3,500, an effective rate of $175 per public session.
That is a package price requiring a larger purchase, so it is not a direct comparison with a single DSRT Surf reservation. The facilities also use different wave technologies and session formats. Still, the presence of another operating surf park gives local and visiting customers a choice within the same tourism market.
DSRT Surf is selling an experience built around consistency. A customer can reserve a particular hour and choose a wave suited to a skill level, avoiding some of the uncertainty associated with ocean conditions. For experienced surfers, the attraction is the opportunity to practice on repeatable waves. For beginners, it is a controlled introduction to a sport that can be difficult to learn on the coast.
Wavegarden, the lagoon’s technology supplier, says the Palm Desert facility has more than 60 programmed wave types and can generate up to 1,000 waves per hour. Those are technical capabilities, rather than a measure of paid attendance or revenue.
Capacity and the real estate business
Gerano described an initial limit of 150 people on the property at a time and an eventual capacity of up to 700 surfers per day. Expert sessions accommodate roughly nine to 16 surfers. Those figures measure different things and cannot be used interchangeably as an attendance forecast.
He also said the 57 permitted villas would include sales and rentals, and that the villas could recover nearly the development’s entire investment. That is management’s projection, not a verified financial result.
The distinction is central to understanding the project. Surf admissions can generate operating revenue, while homes associated with the lagoon could produce a separate return on the development. In that respect, the concept resembles familiar golf resort development in the Coachella Valley, where a recreational amenity can help support the value of surrounding real estate.
Villa proceeds would not, by themselves, establish that the lagoon can cover its continuing expenses. That question depends on the number of paying surfers, the rates they pay and the costs of staffing, power, maintenance and water treatment. Publicly available information reviewed for this update does not establish the project’s total investment, villa sale prices or the lagoon’s break-even attendance.
The larger resort remains a later phase
Palm Desert’s May announcement described a 139-room hotel and 57 villas as a second phase following the lagoon’s debut. Project manager PMA similarly describes the first phase as including residential lots and a pad for a future hotel.
The hotel parcel warrants an update to the earlier coverage. A five-acre property associated with the project had been advertised for $8 million, but its LoopNet page now says the listing is not currently being advertised. That change does not establish that the parcel sold, that a hotel developer has been selected or that construction is imminent.
The hotel’s timing matters to Palm Desert because the broader resort concept could capture overnight stays and lodging revenue in addition to surf visits. Until that component opens, visitors who stay overnight will rely on existing accommodations in the region.
An international event comes next
DSRT Surf is scheduled to host the 2026 ISA World Para Surfing Championship Nov. 19 through Nov. 22. The International Surfing Association expects about 140 athletes representing 24 national teams and says it will be the first ISA World Championship held in a surf lagoon.
The event will give the facility international exposure less than two months after its public opening, with spectators welcome and a global livestream planned. It also offers an early opportunity for the region’s hotels and restaurants to benefit from an attraction whose pricing and larger resort development are still taking shape.
Bob Marra is the CEO/Publisher of GPS Business Insider and GPS Market Intel. He has been studying, writing and giving presentations about business, economic and public affairs news and issues and the local economy in the Greater Palm Springs/Coachella Valley region for more than 20 years.
