A few years ago we posted an Op-Ed that pointed to the shortcomings in foil wave systems, particularly Kelly Slater’s design at Lemoore. One critique was that Kelly’s is a long 50-second liquid vortex of bliss that can only be valued by expert surfers. With limited whitewater for newbies to practice pop-ups, the design was a dinosaur already when compared to techs that maximise their beginner bays. With the unveiling of the Kelly Slater Wave company’s Abu Dhabi pool last week, close inspection revealed some changes to the trademark design. In a post by Raimana Van Bastolaer on Instagram, the Surf Ranch’s most famous employee asked rhetorically: “Does Surf Abu Dhabi have a beginner wave? You tell me.” In the clip we’re treated to a foil wave that peels per usual in the lagoon. However, the new design breaks up the dissipating wave energy into soft, beginner friendly rollers. The … Continue reading Big changes for Kelly’s wave pool tech as Abu Dhabi unveils new “W” design