Words: Sean Brody / SEA Founder and Head Coach for USA Surfing’s Para Surf Team
Photos: Jay Belsky (@jaybelsky)

“Don’t tell my kids where I am at, they are going to be so mad at me!” I proclaimed as I looked around in astonishment at the set up where we were about to go surfing. Massive Shrek and Kung Fu Panda floats peered down from the ceiling of the domed facility and ridiculous waterslides encircled the surf pool. Cliff and Will Skudin, and the good folks at Skudin Surf, invited me to bring along some of our athletes from USA Surfing’s Para Surf Team to experience their facility, Skudin Surf at American Dream. Along for the strike mission was Team USA Captain, Christiaan “Otter” Bailey, Joshua “the Jedi” Loya, Ty Duckett, and Forrest Weinberg, and in a word, it was EPIC.

The Skudin Surf Pool is located inside the American Dream Mall in New Jersey, which is the second largest mall in the United States, and is home to an indoor Skiing/Snowboarding facility, called Big Snow, which we had the chance to experience before we surfed! It was definitely a unique opportunity to snowboard and surf inside of a mall setting. The whole experience was surreal. Parking in the parking garage, going up the escalator, navigating herds of shoppers, and devouring a smorgasbord of BBQ before hitting the slopes.  

As Head Coach of Team USA’s Para Surf Team, it is a true honor to get to work with such high level athletes and is always empowering to see how their positivity and optimism spreads to all they meet.

One of the highlights of the weekend was watching Joshua Loya try snowboarding for the first time, and with no notice mind you. Loya, who surfs for the Visually Impaired - Fully Blind Division  for Team USA, was leaning into his surfing and skateboarding skills, and he figured out snowboarding pretty quickly, navigating his way down the slopes with some verbal guidance on when to go on his heelside edge or toeside edge. It was very empowering and I have a feeling that Josh will be making his way to the mountains in the near future. It’s not everyday you get to snowboard in a mall ya know.

After snowboarding we were whisked away to a dedicated balcony overlooking the surf pool where we mind-surfed and chatted technique before demoing the water slides and making our way to the water for our surf session, which was from 9pm to midnight. The waves on offer were super fun, customizable and they just kept coming! The Skudin Surf Pool at American Dream utilizes the American Wave Machines’ “Perfect Swell” technology and has the ability to produce several unique wave profiles, ranging from wedgy A-frames to punchy air sections, with both lefts and rights on offer. Essentially, you can curate your playlist of favorite jams to accompany your playlist of favorite waves, creating a surreal, on-demand surfing experience. 

With that said, the applications of surf parks and surf pools for adaptive/para surfing is incredible and Skudin Surf at American Dream is a perfect illustration of how having the ability to control the variables of the surf, accessibility, crowd factors, and other elements is exponentially valuable for surfers with disabilities or unique circumstances. Additionally, the opportunity to replicate a variety of conditions while increasing the frequency at which we can get reps in (i.e. more waves) really helps us shorten up the learning - feedback loop and progress is palpable. 

If you get the chance to visit Skudin Surf at American Dream you will not be disappointed, as they are serving up the stoke daily!

Big thanks to our friends Cliff and WIll Skudin at Skudin Surf for inviting us out and supporting this opportunity and special thanks to the crew at Big Snow for letting us shred some indoor powder. We would also like to thank the kind folks at Dunkin Donuts for helping to support this experience.