Back in 2021, Mike Schwaab and wife Amy left the shores of California to settle in the ranchlands of Waco, Texas, bringing with them an idea to turn Waco Surf into the premier surf-centric wave pool in the U.S. 

After making waves in the surf space globally, running companies in Australia, Hawaii, and now Texas, it made sense how a thought leader like Mike would create a surf destination in the middle of landlocked Texas. In honor of wellness month, TLM had the pleasure to speak directly with Mike to learn how surf culture unites us all, blends well with Texas lifestyle, and how it benefits the mind and body, even for non-surfers.

You’ve been in the global surf space for a while now, running companies from Australia to Hawaii and now Texas. Can you tell us more about what makes Waco Surf so uniquely special compared to the other places?

I always like to use the example that I’ve lived in California, Hawaii, and Australia, all these world class surfing destinations, and somehow Waco, Texas, has the most consistent surf of any place I’ve ever lived. Because when I want to go surfing, you just hit a button and you’re on.

If you’re a dude or otherwise that loves to go surfing, you’re always at the whims of Mother Nature. You need the wind to be good, the tide to be right. There’s got to be swell in the water. And yeah, when you own a wave pool, you could just make waves here.

You’ve got this little piece of surf heaven within Texas. How have you been able to combine the two cultures of the surf community with the Texas lifestyle?

When we first moved out here, one of the things that I was primarily focused on was making sure that we could bring regular surf culture to inland Texas. I thought that was going to be a challenge and it really hasn’t been at all. We’ve got a bunch of staff here that have surfed for a lot of their lives. But on top of that, we’ve got staff that were born and raised down the property that learned how to surf here. And they just get it. I found that surf culture is kind of universal. There is a joy and a stoke in surfing and sharing waves and being with your friends and teaching other people how to surf. And just being in the middle of Waco, Texas, gives you that middle of nowhere Texas ranch vibes as well. Yeah, it’s been a hit.

You have attracted so many competitor surfers, it’s like Waco has been the Mecca for the surf community. Can you tell us more about some of the big names that have come through and some of the competitions you’ve hosted?

I think 90% of the professional surfers in the world have come through here at some point. Everyone from Gabriel Medina, Kelly Slater, Shaun White, and pro skateboarders like Jagger Eaton and Zion Wright come out here all the time. Elana Reynolds and Olympians. It’s just a fun, cool place where you can come and enjoy the surf in a very low-key atmosphere. We do our best to not make this feel like an amusement park. It’s more of a surf trip. That helps people want to go. And instead of trying to book a trip to Bali or Mexico or Australia, just come to Waco.

Waco Surf is centrally located so it’s just a couple of hours away. And not only is it an ideal surf destination, but it’s also a great road trip destination. It’s a Texas bucket list for sure. Even the perfect daytrip hotspot. For the non-surfers out there, can you tell us a little more about the other attractions?

Obviously we’ve got the surf lagoon that globally is the draw here. But for drive time and day use business, we’ve got the alleged world’s longest lazy river. I’ve never spent the time to actually verify that haha. We’ve got the wedge water slides, which takes you straight down to a ramp and then launches you into a 16-foot-deep pool.

We’ve got a wake board cable park that’s famous. It’s famous as well in the cable community. And then on top of that, we’ve got a 13 key hotel room. We’ve got 7 cabins, and we have two houses on the property that we rent out for groups that have their own private pools and private hang areas.

For food and beverage options, we’ve got a burger shack, a taco shack, and what we call The Saloon, which is a full restaurant that’s open on the weekend. We have a swim up pool bar. We’ve got another bar called the Star Bar that overlooks the surf so you can watch while you’re having a libation. And in the middle of the cable part, is an island. And on that island, a lot of people don’t know this, we’ve got four ringtail lemurs that live there. They came with the property, but we’re stoked to have them. They’re hilarious. We get the vets from the Cameron Park Zoo to come out once or twice a year to check on them. They eat the same diet they do there, but then we’ll go over and give them bananas and berries.

Waco Surf is really accessible to the general population. While it’s been great for high profile surfers like those you mentioned, it’s also been great for beginners and a lot of people who maybe shun big waves. Was that the intention?

That was a big, big thing that we wanted to work on. We know that we can fill up the surf capacity with hardcore surfers, but it was important for us to bring surf culture and surf community to people that have never surfed before. Most of those are local, like from that area between Austin and Dallas. Just going to the ocean is not something that everyone gets to experience, and then if you do, it can be intimidating going in the ocean. I know people worry about critters, waves, and hold downs. Here, we’ve eliminated most of those fears, and it’s a great opportunity for people to try surfing for the first time. Surfing is one of those magical things that if you do it once, there’s really a very small amount of people that never do it again because it’s such a special feeling.

Can you tell us more about the people you employ, the staff and the instructors?

Culture drives everything that we do. So it’s important that everyone that works with us fits inside of that culture. We send a survey to everyone that comes here, and the staff consistently ranks high in guest satisfaction because not only are they culturally relevant, but they’re very motivated to bring you into the culture. So you feel like even if you’ve never done it before, you’re a part of it. The staff here is absolutely magical. That was something that when we came here, we wanted to build a staff that gets it. That was the easiest thing when we got here.

You took a risk, post COVID, to come down and purchase this surf park and make it what it is today. What can we all learn from that experience?

It was a blessing and a curse. It was a very hard time for America and for individuals. And because everything was kind of shuttered and shut down, it really helped us focus during the due diligence days. We got to spend a lot of time making sure that this is something that we wanted to go after. Another huge piece of that is like we’re all avid surfers. So we were just excited about the opportunity as a whole. We were really motivated to dig in and see what we need to do to make this happen. And that’s how we got here. It’s kind of the same question of any entrepreneurial endeavor. You’re going to take a lot of risks. When you’re working towards an acquisition or starting a business, you’re spending a lot of time building models, exploring the space, and digging as deep as you can into an industry. And you know you’re not getting paid at that point. You’re literally spending your own time. Taking a chance that something’s going to work out. Luckily for us, in this instance, it did. And we’re stoked.

In the spirit of wellness month, how does surfing improve body and mind? What has surfing done for your own health?

I am of the firm belief that surfing as a sport has incredible health benefits for the body and the mind. The physical health benefits are wide reaching; there are intense bursts of cardio as you’re paddling as well as riding waves. And on top of this, core strength, balance, and mental acuity are all necessary when you’re out surfing. Embarrassingly, surfing is basically the only exercise that I participate in, and even as I rapidly approach 40 years old, I stay in pretty darn decent shape!

In terms of mental health benefits, I’ll speak to my own experience. I believe that surfing can be a very personal experience and would affect individuals differently. There is something peaceful about being in the water. With surfing being a pseudo-solo sport, the time waiting for waves provides a lot of time for meditation, reflection, etc., which as a busy dude, doesn’t present itself as often as I’d like. Surfing kind of forces that personal time on you. There’s also a great quote, that sadly I can’t remember the name of the original surfer that said it, that basically states that, “Everything that we interact with and experience as humans in the world comes through wavelengths; sight, sound, vibration, etc., and surfing waves are the only waveforms that humans can manipulate and physically play with.” That quote has always stuck with me as it’s a pretty darn good way to describe why so many surfers are lifelong surfers. Once you experience that, it’s hard to ever get away from it.

Visit Waco Surf to book your experience. Follow them on their socials here. 

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Cover Photo courtesy Waco Surf

Martin Ramirez is a brisket-eating, Shiner-loving, road-tripping enthusiast of all things Texas. This Dallas-born writer / adventurer is ready to take his ‘78 El Camino to find the best in food, fun, and fitness throughout the Lone Star State.