As I was growing up in Scottsdale, there was only one logical water park to visit on a hot day: Big Surf. Until 2019, many others who looked at the slides and wave pool probably thought the same thing.
It’s the place I always looked forward to visiting every summer, whether with my family, on a field trip with the Boys & Girls Club or for a day with friends.
Located in Tempe, a mile south of McDowell Road on Hayden Road, Big Surf opened to the public on Oct. 24, 1969, and billed itself as “the world’s first authentic inland surfing facility.”
Construction of the surf park began in early 1969. In an article in The Arizona Republic on April 17, 1969, parent company Clairol Inc., a subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Co., announced plans to build the park,
calling it “the first development of its kind in the world.”
But, technically, the first wave pool — or at least the first recorded wave pool — was in Bavaria, Germany, in the 1870s.
At the time in the 1960s, Clairol had been keeping quiet about the development, piquing the interest of residents in the area.
The wave pool was introduced to Arizona at a news conference on Sept. 8, 1969, by Phillip Dexter. According to an article in The Republic on Sept. 9, 1969, “The unique sports complex was the brainchild of a 42-year-old Phoenix man.”
Now remember, Big Surf opened in October. For many, that might seem like a strange time of year to open a park dedicated to a wave pool for surfing. But in Arizona, it was no big deal. According to National Weather Service climate data, the high temperature on the day Big Surf opened was 87 degrees, with weeks in the mid-90s following.
Weather didn’t seem to be a factor for many people visiting the surf park. Big Surf advertised that it was open three days a week in December 1969 with the tagline, “the most fun you can mix with water.”
After years of fun in the sun, Big Surf closed its doors for the last time at the end of the 2019 season, never anticipating that the COVID-19 pandemic would soon hit. Because of the pandemic, the wave pool never reopened in 2020, and the property was sold in 2022 for $49 million.
No matter what, though, we’ll always have the memories.
Let us know your favorite memories from the surf park.
Katherine Chircus was born and raised in Scottsdale and is a digital operations manager for The Arizona Republic. Send tips on Arizona history items to kfritcke@azcentral.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Metro Phoenix has been surfers' paradise for decades
