The dam has broken on the “world’s largest man-made wave pool,” and the clips have been pouring in from Surf Abu Dhabi, Kelly Slater’s latest synthetic surf spot.
Surfing will never be the same, once this monster is publicly unleashed.
In the meantime, before the surf world makes a major and unexpected shift towards the Middle East, and we ponder the pool’s impending impact on the sport, the clips keep comin’. The latest? Slater surfing his great white shark-inspired twin fin in the pool.
Captioning the clip, Slater Designs wrote:
“[Shark emoji] breaching in Abu Dhabi.
“Just days before the Great White Twin arrived at Surf Shops everywhere this month, @kellyslater spent a day in Abu Dhabi giving the Great White Twin its first turns on the @surfabudhabi track.”
According to Firewire Surfboards and Slater Designs:
“Inspired by the outline of the Great White Shark, Kelly Slater designed the ‘Great White Twin’ in I-Bolic Technology with Volcanic Lamination alongside Bali-based shaper Mike Woo.
“This is a high-performance groveler with the paddle and catching of a hybrid, and the on-rail performance of a shortboard. It fits where most fish don’t – it creates speed in weak waves, controls speed in powerful waves, and excels at tight arcs in punchy pockets and quick wraps on shoulder sections. Its volume is hidden at center with fine rails for immediate response and quick reaction in the pocket. It has the speed of a twin fin with the immediate response of a thruster, and its elevated tail rocker makes it magic on your backhand.
“Recommended to surf at your performance volume, or just slightly more.”
Great white sharks. Breaching in the Middle East. As ridden by the greatest surfer of all time. In the world’s biggest wavepool. Welcome to the future.
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