It’s impossible to list all the benefits of catching a wave. With equal parts zen and full-throttle adrenaline, a day chasing surf is akin to natural medication. Now, you don’t even need an ocean to get in on the action. Welcome to the surf park’s boom era. There are currently 17 surf parks open globally—from Melbourne, Australia, to Tenerife, Spain, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia—with an additional 120 to 150 more projects in the pipeline. As currently one of the most renowned surf parks in the world, Waco Surf in Texas is 200 miles from the ocean and complete with a hotel. When Stuart Parsons opened a water park and installed technology by American Wave Machine, he kicked off a trajectory that eventually drew in 70% of visitors from out of state. Later in 2021, the park was acquired by swell seekers from San Diego who began developing world-class surf halfway between Austin and Dallas and are now focused on the beginner surfing space. As adventure enthusiasts are looking for new ways to...