Palm Springs Surf Club to hold job fairs in September. Catch up on all planned water parks

Tom Coulter, Palm Springs Desert Sun
Updated ·3 min read

Coachella Valley residents and visitors looking to catch a wave without a trip to the coast soon will have their chance, as the Palm Springs Surf Club is holding a pair of job fairs after Labor Day in preparation for its grand opening.

The surf club, located at the former Wet ‘n’ Wild water park on Gene Autry Trail, will be looking to hire during both events at The Saguaro Palm Springs in its Cantina Conference Room.

The first job fair will be from 1 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7 and the second is scheduled for 1 to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8. Walk-in appointments are welcomed, and more information about the open positions is available at palmspringssurfclub.com. Available jobs listed on the club’s employment page include a sous chef, line cooks, bartenders, “surf patrol” and an operational manager.

So when will the Palm Springs Surf Club open?

While the hiring process is underway, a park representative told The Desert Sun on Friday that an opening date has yet to be decided, but an announcement could come soon.

The surf park has been in the works for several years, after the city’s planning commission approved plans to convert the former water park in 2019. Plans for the 21-acre property include a large wave pool with wave-making technology and a replacement for the existing lazy river feature, which will add a pool in its center.

Planning documents from the city show the park anticipates its peak attendance will approach 1,500 patrons, with a staff of at least 200 employees, including lifeguards, instructors and restaurant staff.

Other surf projects planned for the desert

With the Palm Springs Surf Club opening in the near future, several other water parks and amenities are in the works across the Coachella Valley.

While plans for a large wave park in La Quinta were rejected by the city council there last year, the following projects have gained approval from local officials:

  • DSRT Surf: A resort planned in Palm Desert will feature a 5.5-acre surf lagoon on vacant land at Desert Willow Golf Resort. After facing delays from the COVID-19 pandemic, a project official told The Desert Sun last year that the project is expected to open in fall 2024.

  • Thermal Beach Club: A resort planned in unincorporated Thermal is slated to include a 20-acre surf lagoon, along with more than 300 high-end homes. After its approval by Riverside County supervisors in 2020, project officials announced this year that the club expects to open in December 2024.

  • Cotino: A roughly 24-acre lagoon in Rancho Mirage — which does not feature surfing — is a part of the plan for Cotino, a 618-acre development set to include hundreds of homes, a hotel and a town center. A portion of the lagoon will feature a professionally managed beach park, which can be accessed by the public through the purchase of a day pass, as well as a “club-only” beach area.

Tom Coulter covers the cities of Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: When will the Palm Springs Surf Club open, and are jobs available?