With perfect wave after perfect wave rolling through, a precise countdown clock to the next barrel, no low or high tide and not a drop of seawater for miles, this is no ordinary pro surfing contest.
The much-hyped – and equally controversial – Surf Ranch Pro got underway on Thursday in the unlikely location of Lemoore, an inland town lying in California’s farm belt 70 metres above sea level and 200km (120 miles) from the Pacific coastline.
It is the first time an artificial wave pool has been used by the World Surf League for a Champions Tour event, and it follows a trial at the venue for the WSL Founders’ Cup of Surfing, an international team competition, in May.
Use of the technology – the brainchild of 11-time world champion Kelly Slater – on the pro circuit has divided opinion but after the opening day of action at the ranch, the initial reaction, at least from those competitors to have got in the pool, was positive.
“I’m loving this. It’s all new,” said world No 14 Sage Erickson, who finished the day in second place. “I never thought I’d love it this much.”
Australian Macy Callaghan, a late wildcard at the event for the ill Tyler Wright said: “It’s so different, but a crazy experience.”
The waves are created by a system of hydrofoils that are propelled by a train-like vehicle running down a gantry alongside the rectangular pool. The blades dig into the water to produce on-demand waves in the 600-metre (2,000ft) pool.
The waves – with barely a rib or wrinkle in them – may appear straight out of the cookie cutter, but the WSL claims there are subtle differences every time and each one is slightly unique. Certainly more than a few on day one of action were caught out, being swallowed up the tubing wave or left behind in the whitewash.
While the WSL contenders appear enamoured with the new technology – and it should be noted it is in their interests to be so – its use has caused consternation in some quarters, with detractors claiming it cheapens the thrill of surfing.
Gone is the randomness of the ocean, and the chance of a snaring a rogue set wave from other contenders in the dying seconds to chase that perfect 10. No need for excellent wave-picking skills, so much a hallmark of Slater himself. No need for a dawn patrol to gauge the conditions ahead of a big day of competition. Where should you sit? The answer: exactly the same spot as you always do.
Surfers don’t have to paddle back into position; they ride a left-hand break from one end, and then a right-hand break on the way back. If they do need any help getting to a starting position, a jet ski is on hand to tow them out.
Gone too is direct head-to-head competition, and the crucial battle for “priority” (a kind of turn-taking rule to prevent interference tactics). The new format, just for this event, has surfers in the water on their own, cutting somewhat lonely figures.
All 54 competitors – 36 men and 18 women – surf six waves over the course of the first three days, three right, three left, with their best scores for each combining for their total. Finalists are decided on these scores, and on day four each qualifier rides another six waves, with the same scoring method employed to decide the winner.
With the playing surface levelled, as it were, and the many unknown variables of ocean surfing taken away, the onus now is very much on what surfers can control – their ability to to ride a tube and display their skills once on a wave.
This is what lies at the heart of the debate, but it is, Slater says, what makes his Surf Ranch special – it is a way of getting the best out of the athletes without having to factor in the uncontrollable.
“The goofy-footers have a little more room to move on the left, but it’s definitely the most level playing field that surfing’s seen and in that case the best surfer should win,” Sebastian Zeitz, who ended the day just outside the top eight, told Surfline.
That, and the unusual tournament format, has ramped up the pressure, with everything hanging on their brief moments in the water.
“You have to perform otherwise you’re out,” current men’s world No 1 Filipe Toledo told the WSL website before the event. “There is no wind. There’s no swell direction. There’s no high tide. There’s no low tide. So, there’s no excuses. The only excuse is if you fall or make a mistake.”
Toledo and the other top seeds will get their first taste of the wave in competition on day two after Slater, perhaps unsurprisingly, topped the leaderboard after the opening day with an overall score of 14.57 from four waves surfed. The top eight in the men’s competition qualify for the finals.
Coco Ho set the standard for the women with 14.94 from her four waves, less than a point ahead of fellow American Erikson. Another American, Courtney Conlogue, and Paige Hareb of New Zealand rounded out top four – the cut off point for making the women’s finals.
