$45 Million Wave Pool Surges Toward Reality in Oceanside Only 3 Miles From the Beach (Video)

News about Oceanside’s inbound wave pool is, well, nothing new.

The San Diego, CA project has been in the works for years, in fact, but there’s been a number of setbacks that have left the manmade surf park – located near the coast, and one of the Golden State’s popular, although sleepy, surf towns – in something like limbo.

But now, it appears the $45 million project is moving finally moving forward.

Previously, some four years ago, the Ocean Kamp project had been announced and everything seemed to be moving forward. But then, it stalled. The project got embroiled in a number of hurdles – including lawsuits, city approvals, and the discovery of Native American artifacts on the site. And so, the bureaucratic hoops, as they say, were set.

Construction on the project is currently underway, and according to the video above, the narrator describes: “A massive surf lagoon is coming to Oceanside, San Diego, and they’re targeting to have it finished by the [Los Angeles] 2028 Olympics…the centerpiece of this project is a $45 million surf lagoon. It’s going to have a 3.5-acre wave pool, which produces perfect, customizable waves all year round.”

One of the obvious qualms with all these wave pool projects, is that they’re popping up in places with real, ocean waves nearby. And Ocean Kamp is no different. It’s located at 3460 Mission Avenue, the former site of the drive-in theater and swap meet, a few clicks from the ocean. But with surfers already built into the area, there’s a market. Right?

As for the pool, here’s some specs on what to expect:

“The 92 acre project, that’s just 3 miles from the ocean on the north side of highway 76 just east of Foussat rd, aims to transform the former swap meet and drive-in movie theater site into a mixed-use development featuring residential, commercial, and recreational elements including a 3.5 acre wave pool as its main attraction. Key components of this project also include up to 667 (all electric, solar powered homes, a 300-room resort hotel, and 134,000 square feet of retail and office space.”

And while the specific technology of the pool has yet to be revealed, it’s said to use pneumatic wave-making machinery – the same stuff seen at the Palm Springs Surf Club, Waco Surf, 02 SurfTown Muc, and others…however notKelly Slater Wave Co.

No official date has been given for the grand opening of Ocean Kamp, but like they said, they’re shooting for before the LA28 Olympics. Stay tuned.