Surf Ranch - Kelly Slater Wave Co.
The wave that Kelly built. Call it man-made, call it a kiddie pool, call it fugazi, call it whatever you want… but please step aside and let me catch one more.
I’m not sure I’ve had more fun in one hour than during my first 60 minutes in the basin at Surf Ranch. The water was frigid, it was the middle of November and I would have surfed it in trunks if that were the only option. Words don’t due justice to the feeling you get in your stomach when you see that 6 foot face with not a drop of water out of place casually peeling through the farmland of cowtown California.
The wave is hard to take your eyes off, each one seemingly more improbable and impressive than the last.
“Working on this was like working at NASA back in the day, trying to put a man on the moon. We were making it up ourselves, seeing what worked and what didn’t. It was incredible.” - Jay Leopold, a construction manager on the project
Field Notes.
4-6 feet at 240 seconds 7 days a week, 8 hours per day, on demand. Maybe it’s not real surfing, maybe it’s not core, maybe it’s not financially feasible to operate at scale…. maybe a lot of things. But 2 things are absolutely certain: First, this wave is modern marvel of engineering, a true testament to human creativity, problem solving, perseverance and good old fashion trial and error. And second, it’s a ludicrously fun.
Here’s a few tips for first timers: hug the fence at takeoff and angle towards the midpoint of the pool. Especially on the lefts, you want to avoid being sucked out into the whitewater at take off. Next, pay attention to the flags, the wave barrels in the same sections every time and if you’re watching the flags you’ll learn where those sections are much faster. Lastly, relax, you’ll probably blow a few, it’s all part of the game. Learn More.