Surf park proposed in birthplace of surfing

Hawaii could have its first man-made barreling surf wave suited for skilled board riders as part of an aquatic recreation park proposed on Oahu.

A company co-founded by local big-wave surfer and ocean safety expert Brian Keaulana received permission Wednesday to explore the feasibility of building the estimated $72 million “surf village” on 19 acres of vacant state land in Kalaeloa.

The centerpiece of the conceptual plan by HK Management doing business as Honokea is a 5-acre lagoon with multiple simultaneous waves for surfers, body boarders and body surfers from beginners to experts.

Other contemplated features include a lazy river, a stand-up paddling area, a skate park, surf film studios, bungalows for overnight guests, a conference center with food service, an arrival plaza and 500 parking stalls.

Honokea representatives including Keaulana, who is president, and Kenan “Keno” Knieriem Jr., the firm’s co-founder and CEO, describe their project as a world-class facility that will celebrate Hawaii’s culture, offer consistent year-round waves for all levels and advance the future of the sport with training for professionals and Olympic team members.

“Our surfers are going elsewhere to practice,” Keaulana told board members of the Hawaii Community Development Authority, a state agency that owns the site. “The ocean can only provide (so much).”

HCDA’s board voted 7-1 to give Honokea 18 months to evaluate the site, including assessing the land and underground water supply, and exclusively negotiate terms for a long-term lease.

An HCDA staff report said the surf village may be an acceptable conditional use under its rules for the site that has rural/open space zoning and is next to the Kalaeloa Heritage Park. The report also said that such an “innovative” use could generate lease revenue not otherwise possible for a remnant of the former Barbers Point Naval Air Station that is sometimes used by firefighters for chainsaw training.

“It’s brush land,” Aedward Los Banos, HCDA executive director, told the agency’s board.

Knieriem said the site feasibility work is a significant step in a long effort to establish a surf park in Hawaii, but he declined to forecast a potential development timetable because much work would still have to be done including an environmental study, design work and financing if the site proves feasible.

“The big question for us is just: is this site viable,” he told the board.

Knieriem added that the wave technology and economics for such a project already have been proven.

Honokea has arranged some financing in the form of a $25 million preapproved U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development loan, according to Knieriem, who also said the company has a good opportunity to interest investors because the prospective project site is in a federal “opportunity zone” that offers tax benefits.

The Wavegarden Cove technology Honokea is considering is similar to what was used at a wave park called URBNSURF that opened last week in Australia.

This park in Melbourne offers “perfect” waves day and night in a wedge-shaped lagoon divided in two halves where sets of right-hand waves on one side, and left-hand waves on the other, break simultaneously and continually. Intermediate and advanced waves can be produced further out every eight seconds on each side, and closer to the shore are areas for novice surfers and lessons.

URBNSURF’s advanced waves are 1.6- to 2-meters high with a barreling section and 12- to 16-second rides. For adults, it costs about $50 for an hour of advanced or intermediate waves, and the lineup is limited to 18 people each of whom should get 10 to 12 rides in a session. Beginner sessions for adults start at $17 an hour. URBNSURF also sells lesson and membership packages.

If Honokea succeeds, it would be the first high- quality wave park established in Hawaii and the firm’s first project locally after nearly a decade of work in consulting roles for dozens of wave park projects elsewhere.

A predecessor to HK Management was established in 2011 and helped develop NLand Surf Park in Austin, Texas, which opened in 2016 and closed in 2018. Last year, it was bought by the World Surf League for potential redevelopment, according to news reports.

Knieriem said the industry is expanding worldwide, with eight to 10 parks expected to open this year after five last year.

Hawaii has a major tourist industry and population that surfs, but high land costs, land-use regulations and limited suitable land have made it challenging to develop a surf park in the birthplace of surfing.

“Just to get here has been a long road,” Knieriem said after HCDA’s approval.