Waco Surf, once a struggling wave pool in Central Texas, has become a year-round sold-out destination, and its co-owners are now planning a 400-acre surf-anchored ranch community called Desperado. The story was detailed in the latest episode of The Building Texas Show, hosted by Justin McKenzie, featuring co-owners David Taylor and Luke Schock. The episode, published May 27, 2026, traces the business's arc from a 2018 pilot using American Wave Machines technology at the original Barefoot Ski Ranch under Stuart Parsons, to Taylor and Schock's 2021 acquisition, and now to expansion plans that include a second surf pool, a 13-hole golf course, a hot springs resort, pickleball courts, and dirt-only roads.
One of the most striking shifts has been the customer base. Schock noted on the episode that the park has gone from 99% professional surfers to 99% Texas families, many of whom have never touched an ocean wave. This reframes Waco as a surprising tourism and real estate story in Texas. Taylor and Schock explained why they avoided the private, gated model used by other surf communities worldwide. As Schock put it, "It's a community for people that want high access but not high walls. That's because we believe that the magic happens when you're sitting on the beach talking to the guy that, you know, it's his bucket list to come there."
The episode also delves into Waco's broader revival. Taylor recounted how Tony Hawk quietly shows up at the local skate park at 7 a.m., films himself, and draws 200 people within fifteen minutes. The pair discussed Waco history, including the 1952 tornado that derailed the city's run at becoming the financial hub of Texas and pushed that growth toward Fort Worth. They cited the Hippodrome on Austin Avenue, where Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin once performed, as evidence of the city's pre-tornado vibrancy. Today, Baylor graduates are staying to open restaurants and buy real estate alongside the Magnolia-driven Chip and Joanna Gaines effect. Deposits on Desperado homes are overwhelmingly from Texas-based families, with one exception: a Hawaii native whose family lives in New York and wants a centrally located meeting place.
The episode is available now wherever podcasts are heard. For more details, listeners can find The Building Texas Show at The Building Texas Show website.
