DSRT SURF has been open for a little over two weeks, and the venue at 105 Wave Drive is still being finished in public. The lagoon is running. Most other amenities are not open yet. The prices changed within days of opening. The first big public event arrives before the full-service restaurant does. For anyone who lives a short drive from Desert Willow, the next five weeks are a chance to use the surf park while its terms are still being worked out.
The facility opened to the public on Saturday, Sept. 26, after its booking calendar went live on Sept. 24. The Palm Springs Tribune reported that it opened as a phased soft opening. At launch only the Surf Lagoon and Surf Center were available, and other amenities were set to roll out "over the coming weeks and months." The Desert Sun noted that the website promised a "full opening" in November but did not say what that would include.
The Price List Has Already Been Rewritten Once
Opening-week prices didn't last. Here is what was published before opening day next to what was reported a few days later.
| Item | Before or at opening | Reported Sept. 29 |
|---|---|---|
| Expert barrel session, per hour | $370 | $270 |
| Beginner sessions, per hour | Up to $250 | As low as $130 |
| Learn-to-Surf lesson, public | $100 | No change reported |
| Learn-to-Surf lesson, Coachella Valley residents | $60 or $75, depending on the outlet | No change reported |
| Novice waves without instruction, per hour | $65 | No change reported |
| Surfboard rental | $75 to $150 | No change reported |
The Sept. 29 numbers come from The Inertia's report on the price drop. Michael Gerano, DSRT SURF's vice president and general manager, explained the change to that outlet. "I would say we certainly shot high, the public spoke, and we've made adjustments accordingly," he told The Inertia, as relayed by Greater Palm Springs Business Insider. By Business Insider's math, the expert-session cut works out to about 27 percent.
The lesson rows matter most for locals. The Learn-to-Surf Experience includes 30 minutes of instruction on land and an hour in the water. The Desert Sun's Sept. 25 update listed it at $100 for the public and $60 for Coachella Valley residents. The same story put an hour on the novice waves without instruction at $65 and board rentals at $75 to $150. A day earlier, KESQ reported the resident lesson at $75. Both reports came out before the price cuts, and none of the coverage explains how residency is checked. The resident discount exists, but its exact current price is something to confirm on the booking calendar when you book.
Timing also affects price. In the same Desert Sun story, weekday sessions ran about $20 an hour cheaper than the same sessions on weekends, and a daily 8 p.m. chamber barrel session was $20 less than the 2 p.m. slot. The site itself says pricing is variable. The free helmets don't change with the schedule. The facility provides them and "strongly recommends" surfers wear them.
The Grounds Are Running Behind the Lagoon
If the prices are still settling, the grounds are even less finished. The lagoon is the complete part. It covers 5.5 acres with 52 Wavegarden Cove modules on a 17-acre site, it can hold up to 70 surfers at once, and it is California's first Wavegarden facility. According to the Desert Sun, the lagoon is split into left and right sides, and each side has a "reef" for experienced surfers and a "bay" for beginners.
Everything around the water is less certain. Here is where things stood in the most recent reporting:
- Open at launch: the Surf Lagoon and the Surf Center.
- Listed in the official FAQ: pickleball, a skate area, a resort pool and a jacuzzi. The FAQ doesn't say which of these are open now.
- Described by the Desert Sun as still in the works: a restaurant, a water slide, a skate park and pump track, a "surf simulator" and massage services.
- Called "coming soon" on the FAQ page: a full-service restaurant.
- Planned for a later phase: a 139-room hotel and 57 villas, with no published timeline.
Operating hours are also still unsettled in public reporting. KESQ published a seven-day schedule, while the Palm Springs Tribune described hourly surf sessions Friday through Sunday. The live calendar is the only reliable source.
On Oct. 11, DSRT SURF posted an emergency closure on its homepage, citing flooding on site and loss of power, and canceled every session that day. Booked guests were told to check their email for rescheduling or credits. The same notice said power had been restored and the venue expected to resume full operations today, Monday, Oct. 12.
The Cheapest Seat Is on the Sand
Not everyone wants to paddle out, and the venue makes room for spectators. DSRT SURF is open to the public with no membership required. The FAQ says a beach pass gives access to the grounds to "hang out, watch the action, and take in the scene." When the Desert Sun checked, no beach pass price was listed. The site did say guests of surfers pay a $20 admission fee. Right now, the reliable way to watch is to come along with someone who has booked a session.
A few house rules help with planning. Parking is complimentary, and VIP and valet parking are also offered. The venue is cashless. Service animals are welcome, but personal pets aren't allowed on the grounds. Children are welcome, and age and size requirements for surfing were still being finalized. The FAQ also says the venue is fully accessible and offers adaptive surfing programs for guests of all abilities.
The site is also designed to stay quiet after dark. DSRT SURF describes itself as the world's first surf lagoon to earn International Dark Sky Certification. Its "turf-for-surf" program replaced 30 acres of nearby Desert Willow golf turf with drought-tolerant and native landscaping as part of a net-zero water goal.
November Brings a World Championship Before the Restaurant
The adaptive surfing line in the FAQ ties into the biggest date on the venue's calendar. Five weeks from now, DSRT SURF hosts the 2026 ISA World Para Surfing Championship. The International Surfing Association expects about 140 athletes from 24 national teams. It will be the first ISA World Championship held in a surf lagoon, spectators are welcome, and a global livestream is planned.
The ISA's posted schedule is labeled tentative, and daily times are still TBD:
- Nov. 16–17: athlete classification at the Westin Rancho Mirage, before the public dates.
- Nov. 18: team managers' meeting, also at the Westin.
- Nov. 19: opening ceremony and lagoon training at DSRT SURF.
- Nov. 20–22: competition days.
- Nov. 22: closing ceremony, about 30 minutes after the last heat.
Neither the ISA event page nor its announcement lists spectator ticket prices or event parking plans. An international championship, livestreamed worldwide, arrives in the same month as the promised full opening, while the restaurant still has no posted date.
One of Two Lagoons in the Valley, for Now
Prices at DSRT SURF also make more sense next to the valley's first surf park. Palm Springs Surf Club, off Gene Autry Trail on the former Wet 'n' Wild property, opened in 2024. It pairs a 2-acre surf pool with a lazy river, water slides, a lounge pool, and restaurant and bar areas. As of Oct. 1, Business Insider reported its session packages at four for $700, eight for $1,400 and 20 for $3,500, which comes to $175 per session.
Measured against that $175, DSRT SURF's reported reduction to $130 for some beginner sessions makes sense. It undercuts the per-session package rate at the older club without requiring anyone to buy a bundle first. The two parks use different wave technology and session formats, so the comparison only goes so far. A third surf park is further off. In January 2026, the Desert Sun reported that construction on Thermal Beach Club could begin the following summer, with an opening by the end of 2028.
For now, Palm Desert has the newer lagoon and the larger one. On its Wavegarden page, the technology supplier says the facility has more than 60 programmed wave types and can generate up to 1,000 waves per hour.
You can plan a surf weekend around the city's own calendar. Free Civic Center Park concerts run Thursdays at 6 p.m. at 43900 San Pablo Avenue, with Franklin Wall on Oct. 15, 80'z All-Stars on Oct. 22 and MJ Vibes on Oct. 29. The 62nd annual Palm Desert Golf Cart Parade fills El Paseo on Sunday, Oct. 25. The day starts with an 8 a.m. Rotary pancake breakfast at El Paseo and San Luis Rey. Light Up the Holidays follows on El Paseo on Nov. 21, in the middle of the championship weekend.
Our agents at Arbor Real Estate follow openings like this one across the Coachella Valley because they change what a weekend in Palm Desert looks like. If you're curious how Desert Willow and the streets around it are changing as the lagoon heads toward its full opening, we're glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.
