Crest Surf Clubs breaks ground

Tired of relying on Mother Nature to create your surfing waves? That won’t be a problem once a new members-only surf club comes to Shirley.

Chris and Brett Portera, the father-and-son co-founders of Crest Surf Clubs, broke ground on the project last month. The club, which will be located on Precision Drive, is scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2024.

The $40 million luxury facility will feature a specially designed 55,000-square-foot wave pool, with 85-yard rides and heights that can be customized from 2 feet to 7 feet to accommodate surfers from beginners to experts.

After catching some waves, members can relax in the 9,000-square-foot clubhouse, which will include such amenities as a restaurant and lounge, high-end fitness center, and a first-floor patio and second-floor balcony overlooking the wave pool.

Creating a surfers’ paradise was the goal for the Porteras, who both love to surf.

“I dreamed of creating Crest Surf Clubs since I graduated from my longboard to my first fiberglass,” Brett Portera said in a press release. “What started out as a vision that I shared with my father has finally come to fruition. As avid surfers ourselves, we created Crest New York with surfers in mind—meaning surfers from around the world will have access to exclusive technology allowing them to surf whichever waves they want at whatever temperature they want at any given time.”

People can sign up with a $3,500 refundable deposit. The cost for a full year-round membership starts at $35,000.

The Shirley location will employ more than two-dozen people and is the first of more than a dozen surf clubs the Porteras are planning for across the U.S.

The club will bring people to the Shirley-Mastic area and lead them to visit other local businesses while they are here, said Joseph Johnson, vice president of the Chamber of Commerce of the Mastics and Shirley.

“I think it’s going to be an asset to the community,” he said.