Let them eat kook.
CNN, the once “most trusted name in news,” has had a very rough decade. From king of the 24-hour news cycle to less viewers than the Joe Rogan Experience, the fall has been as brutal as it has been precipitous. Yet even today, Ted Turner’s flagship can surprise. Take a new feature on luxury surf travel, which jolted even this wrinkled old surf journalist.
The piece began discussing the ridiculously high price of Kelly Slater’s new Abu Dhabi wave tub. Of course, we here all know that a 90 minute session in the slavepool runs $950, roughly equating to $150 per wave. Ryan Watkins, general manager, shared it’s worth it because, “We’ve adopted a quality over quantity methodology. We run the best waves in the world; we definitely don’t run the most waves.”
Blah blah, yeah?
What I didn’t know about, though, was the “luxury surf travel experience” Mahalo Surf Club founded by Felippe Bonella Dal Piero. A four-day trip begins at $150,000. The price so high becasue, “There’s no margin for failure.” His clients want the finest of accommodation and guaranteed uncrowded surf. It’s like a James Bond operation,” Dal Piero adds, saying he incorporates wave tubs into the package but “standing up on a wave and going 100 meters, that’s not surfing,” according to him. His clients want “connection with nature, with the rhythm of the ocean.”
Nothing says “connection with nature” and “rhythm of the ocean” like buying it.
Which brings us back to Kelly Slater. CNN uncovered a 2003 chestnut from the 11x world champion in which he declared, “Surfers have dreamed of creating the ultimate wave machine. The perfect setup would take surfing to every town in America and make the sport as mainstream as soccer.”
As mainstream as soccer to billionaires, I suppose.
The bit ends with GM Watkins declaring, “Everybody wants to be a surfer.”
Thanks to Kelly Slater and crew, not anymore.
Kelly “greazer” slater
FFS – The surfEXPLORE Group can deliver high-quality unsurfed waves for far less than USD $150k for FOUR DAYS.
The problem with “luxury surfing” travel featuring guaranteed uncrowded surf is – remote areas that have unsurfed waves rarely have facilities of any standard.
Hauling two tons of glamping gear to _____ or _____ is not a viable option, so the actual locations that can do “luxury surfing” in unsurfed waves are very few.
One of them is Desroches Island in Seychelles which is too remote to attract casual visitors and has a Four Seasons resort on the island.
Sounds like an advertisement, not a post…
Cheaper yet, charter a boat load of hookers and blow to the Andaman sea and surf some low quality waves off Thailand (no one will really give a shit about the waves).
All you need to do is market it as a “surf trip” like the “golf trips” to Pattaya.
where do I sign up?
He did. From memory.
“I was here with some friends last week and we didn’t really score any waves, so I decided to stay on a extra week”
I wish he could just say. I love this shit, it’s who I am and I’ll insert myself as often as I possibly can.
Not defending Kelly, but once you leave the main stage you will never experience that high again
Imagine being an aged Michael Jordan walking onto a playoff game court with 20k fans yelling his name? Retiring to taking the kids to school wont replace the buzz of the United Center rocking to you.
Kelly ain’t going nowhere till he’s dead
I think the real answer is, I’m a part owner of this island and this tour, why wouldn’t I be here.
That’s true?
I’ve heard KS has a stake in both.
NO! Cancel Kelly! His new name is Kunty Slater😄
The same enquiry could have been made by Slater.
All will be revealed when KS world wave pool tour becomes reality. Arabian money bankrolling this great sport to the ultimate level. It’s unstoppable.
Oily speculations…
nah- need an audience mate.
boring as batshit “spectacles” don’t draw an audience.
All wave pools suck, Slater sucks, we were right to ostracize him in the 90s.
Just put a deposit down for two yrs out, post 50th bday. Will take 28 hrs of flights, 4 of ferries and boats, for two weeks plus meals and a reef right out front, all for the cost of a new longboard. Flight ain’t cheap, but cheaper than braces for my kid. $150000 could get you multiple yrs living a simple existence but a dream one at this and similar places. Four days for $150000? Fools departed from their money.
$150k of missed set waves, going over the falls, dodging barrels, getting in peoples way, taking off on the corner, reef cuts, dinged alternative craft, and breaking in your $330 Florence wetsuit top.
When is BG chartering a plane to surf the Abu Dhabi wave tub?
They can only afford to charter a Cessna 152. Won’t hold boards or make it to Asia.
And here I thought Derek and Chas were making huge money off of BG. Maybe they should run a scam like the fine gentlemen surfers featured in Thai Stick: Surfers, Scammers, and the Untold Story of the Marijuana Trade pulled off.
is that $150K USD or AUD….thinking of a 4 day holiday and have a friend willing to pay???
Either way, I can’t wrap my head around that figure for 4 days of surfing, mind boggling.
I didn’t even read the article. 150k!!!
That’s a shit ton of money to surf crappy Costa Rica beach breaks, regardless of which currency its in.
Would love to know if VAL numbers are up or down from a year or two ago.
It’d be interesting to see some general, somewhat-accurate figures.
Based upon the number of Wavestorms I avoided on Sunday I’d say the numbers are flat to slightly up