Jacob Szekely testing the newest waves in Arizona at the Revel Surf facility. Photo: Jacob Szekely // YouTube
Wave pools are so hot right now. In this case, it’s literally quite hot, as we’re talking about Revel Surf, a freshwater slab built smack in the middle of Arizona. Thanks to the recent YouTube post from freesurfer Jacob Szekely, we got a closer look at the (hopefully) soon-to-open wave pool.
The whole thing started with a call from Shane Beschen, who invited Szekely and a gaggle of hangers-on to test out the long-awaited facility. Located in Mesa, Arizona, Revel Surf is a 37-acre development with not one, but two different artificial waves – a traditional breaking wave from Swell MFG, and a standing wave by UNIT.
However, like seemingly every wave pool, the park has been hit by delays. Multiple projected opening dates have come and gone, and cryptic Instagram comments from the owners promise Revel will be open “soon,” but it’s hard to tell what exactly that means.
On the other hand, there’s definitely a working wave in there. After Szekely and company made the trek out to Arizona, they were greeted with some undeniably fun-looking surf, including a-frames, a slab, and a tailored air section.
Not bad for Arizona.
