> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.oahubusinessjournal.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Wai Kai: How a $100 Million Wave Pool Turned ʻEwa Beach Into a Destination - URL: https://www.oahubusinessjournal.com/wai-kai-how-a-100-million-wave-pool-turned-ewa-beach-into-a-destination/ - Published: 2026-08-05T04:38:54.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-05T04:38:54.000Z - Author: Uncle Joe **ʻEwa Beach, HI** — Where a stretch of West Oʻahu coastline once sat undeveloped between Kalaeloa Harbor and the Hoakalei Country Club, there's now a 52-acre saltwater lagoon, a 100-foot-wide artificial surf wave, and a waterfront dining and events complex that didn't exist before 2023\. Wai Kai, anchored by its centerpiece attraction The LineUp, has become one of the biggest bets on West Oʻahu tourism and recreation in a generation — and it's still expanding. ## A Master-Planned Resort's Centerpiece Wai Kai opened to the public on March 25, 2023, as the flagship recreational component of Hoakalei Resort, a master-planned community developed by Haseko (Hawaii), Inc., part of the Tokyo-listed Haseko Corporation, which has been building residential, commercial and resort properties in Hawaiʻi since 1973\. The project, developed under the entity Wai Kai Commercial Development, LLC and now operated day-to-day as Wai Kai Wave, LLC dba The LineUp, carried a roughly $100 million price tag overall, with $40 million of that going into its signature attraction alone. That signature attraction is the Wai Kai Wave, billed as the world's largest deep-water standing surf wave. Built with CityWave technology — the same German engineering behind standing waves in Munich — and co-developed with former pro surfer and X Games gold medalist Shane Beschen, the 100-foot-wide wave can be dialed from 2 to 6 feet and split into 30-foot and 65-foot sections for different skill levels. ## More Than a Wave Pool The wave shares the property with the 52-acre Wai Kai Lagoon, a protected, ocean-fed saltwater body built for flat-water recreation — stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, outrigger canoeing, hydrobikes and Duffy boat cruises — plus a sand beach, lifeguard tower and the Wai Kai AquaVenture floating obstacle course that debuted for spring break 2024\. In summer 2025, the property expanded again with Wai Kai AquaPeaks, adding a 20-foot Eva Slider and an elevated floating obstacle course to the lagoon lineup. Dining is treated as a real amenity rather than an afterthought: The LookOut Bar & Restaurant overlooks the wave, Foam Coffee & Bar and a Wave Bar serve the boardwalk, the Boardwalk Café and Plaza Grill anchor all-day and full-service dining, and Haliʻa by Side Street Inn was added as an evening dinner concept . A retail shop, Sessions Lifestyle & Apparel, and a members-only Nalo Kai Club round out the commercial mix, while a separate Wai Kai Hale Club gives homeowners in Hoakalei's Kīpuka, Kuapapa and Lei Pauku neighborhoods private lagoon access . On Thursday evenings, the property also hosts the Ono Grindz & Makeke farmers market on its Wave Deck and boardwalk seating areas. ## Leadership Took Shape in 2024 Wai Kai's operating leadership solidified about a year after opening. In January 2024, the property named hospitality veteran Jerry Pupillo — previously general manager of Wet 'n' Wild Hawaii and Sea Life Park Hawaii — as director of business development and general manager, alongside Yuko Yoshida as director of marketing and Mickey Lasater as director of food and beverage. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/waikai/?ref=oahubusinessjournal.com) lists the operation at 51-200 employees, based at 91-1621 Keoneʻula Boulevard in ʻEwa Beach. Wai Kai also moved to formally protect its brand: in April 2025, Haseko (Hawaiʻi), Inc. filed a federal trademark application for "WAI KAI" covering paddleboards and related goods and services, which the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published for opposition in January 2026. ## The Bigger Picture Wai Kai sits inside a much larger story about Haseko's Hawaiʻi ambitions. Its parent, Haseko Corporation, reported consolidated net sales up 8.1% year-over-year for the fiscal year ended March 2026, and in April 2026 the company made its first U.S. operating-platform real estate investment since re-entering the market in 2019, taking a minority stake in Dallas-based Trinsic Residential Group as part of its "Haseko Evolution Plan" to grow overseas earnings. For West Oʻahu, Wai Kai remains the proof of concept: it's pulled year-round visitor and local traffic to ʻEwa Beach, added dozens of hospitality jobs to the area, and continues to add attractions (AquaPeaks, new dining concepts) faster than most single-site Hawaiʻi attractions typically do. With Hoakalei's planned hotel and additional residences still ahead, Wai Kai's next few years will likely determine whether it becomes the year-round community hub Haseko has promised or stays primarily a seasonal, tourist-driven draw. --- **At a Glance** | | | | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Business** | Wai Kai / The LineUp at Wai Kai (Wai Kai Wave, LLC dba The LineUp) | | **Opened** | March 25, 2023 | | **Developer/Owner** | Wai Kai Commercial Development, LLC — a Haseko (Hawaiʻi), Inc. company (parent: Haseko Corporation, Tokyo Stock Exchange: 1808) | | **Leadership** | Jerry Pupillo, Director of Business Development & General Manager | | **Address** | 91-1621 Keoneʻula Blvd., ʻEwa Beach, HI 96706 | | **Phone** | (808) 515-SURF (7873) | | **Employees** | 51–200 | | **Investment** | \~$100 million overall; \~$40 million for the Wai Kai Wave | | **Website** | [waikai.com](https://www.waikai.com/?ref=oahubusinessjournal.com) | | **Categories** | Water sports & recreation, hospitality, dining, events, resort amenity |