Surf Park Central survey reveals that 83% of artificial wave attraction users are male

The vast majority of users of surf park attractions around the world are male according to recently released data Surf Park Central.

Shared by Surf Park Central co-founder Jess Ponting following the 2024 Surf Park Summit in September, the first release of data - based on a survey of 2,069 surf park users - includes a range of information on surfing experience, average age and household income of guests along with patrons’ dwell times.

In terms of surf park dwell times, the data shows 39% of guests visit for two to three hours and 30% visit for four to eight hours. It also show 14% visited for less than two hours and 16% for the whole day or longer.

Table 1. Dwell times at Australia's URBNSURF attractions

The data on length of stay covering Australia’s two URBNSURF attraction shows 41.3% of guests at URBNSURF Melbourne and 48.2% of URBNSURF Sydney stay for two to three hours.

Writing about the findings on the Surf Park Central website, Ponting explained “it is plain to see the Australian URBNSurf properties have the shortest dwell times, followed by The Wave which does significantly better, then Alaia Bay and Palm Springs, with Waco Surf and Surf Ranch securing the longest dwell times - perhaps as a result of their relative distance from major source markets and the business models employed (both have onsite accommodation).”

Table 2. Dwell times at leading surf parks

By contract, Ponting noted “URBNSurf’s modest dwell times may be a result of their proximity to large populations of surfers within relatively short travel times and lack of onsite accommodation.”

The demographic data shows the average surf park user to be male, aged 35 to 44 years and with 11 to 15 years and coming from households with an income of US$125,000 to US$150,000.

However, coupled with data that shows 83% of users are male, and just 15% are female, the findings have to be of concern to the sector as they show that the attractions are not broadening participation in the sport but are catering to affluent, middle-aged and experienced surfers.

Table 3. Surf Park user demographics

Ponting went on to advise “the results allow us to consider the links between different dwell time profiles of different surf parks, what this might mean for onsite spending … and how it relates to different wave generating technologies and their strengths and weaknesses, different markets, different travel times and different business models.”

The sample, the largest that Surf Park Central has captured over 10 years, with the majority of responses coming from the USA along with other input from Australia, Europe, New Zealand and South America.

Click here to view the initial Surf Park Consumer Trends article.

Image: URBNSURF Sydney. Tables courtesy of Surf Park Central.