YAKIMA, Wash. — “You’re probably in, I would say, about three feet of water here,” Joey Lawrence tells us, as we stand in the middle of a very dry field near Yakima.
Lawrence sees the world around him a little differently than the rest of us.
“Ten one-bedroom, ten two-bedroom, and one three-bedroom,” he says, pointing toward, well, nothing at the moment.
Where most people see a wide open field with sweeping views across central Washington farmland, Lawrence sees a great place for surfing.
“A five-and-a-half acre pool in the shape of a baseball diamond,” he said, describing his dream of a giant wave-making machine surrounded by cool amenities.
Lawrence said, “Why Yakima?”
He asked the question before we could.
“First and foremost it started with this,” Lawrence said, throwing his arms wide and soaking in the rays, “The sun.”
As a beertender at Bale Breaker Brewing, the former gymnast and scuba instructor has had the chance to chat with thousands of customers. What visitors have always told him is they’d like more family-friendly options for outdoor fun.
“I’m really trying to change the outdoor landscape of the Yakima Valley,” Lawrence said.
“So I moved back into my parents’ basement at the ripe old age of 29 - every man’s dream!” he joked, “And spent a year building a business plan.”
Lawrence conducted a market survey, and respondents said surfing could be just the thing.
“We asked them how many participate in snow sports. About 50%,” Lawrence said. “And I asked how many are interested in trying or learning how to surf. 75%.”
He’s partnered with an artificial wave-making company called Wavegarden.
“They currently have five of these cove parks operating on the planet, none in North America,” Lawrence said. “So we have the chance to be one of the first to open in the US.”
Lawrence has lined up initial investors and acquired 80 acres. One of his partners is a local farmer, who plans to cut back his own water use to offset any needed by a future surf park.
“So there is no net new water coming out of the ground,” he explained.
Lawrence’s pipeline dream includes onsite dining, lodging, and a surfing school.
“We recognize we’re in a region that doesn’t have a ton of familiarity with the sport, and so we are expecting to be a lot of people’s launching off point for their surf journey,” Lawrence said.
Not everyone is thrilled with the idea. But Lawrence tells the naysayers an hourly reservation system will control traffic, and a buffer zone will protect wildlife and keep noise down.
“All change is scary but not all change is bad,” Lawrence said. “We think we’re bringing some pretty good change to the valley.”
This dreamer will continue to look for people to support his dream.
“There’s work to be done and money to be raised,” Lawrence said.
If all goes according to plan, visitors could be hangin’ 10 in the high desert within a few years.
“I do believe that it could be an international draw for the Yakima Valley,” Lawrence said.
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