Is Kelly Slater’s artificial wave the future of surfing?
LA TimesWhen 11-time world champion surfer Kelly Slater released video of him surfing in a wave pool, he stirred excitement in the artificial wave industry. “When I saw Slater’s wave for the first time, it almost made me feel dizzy, like vertigo,” says Matt Warshaw, a longtime surf writer and author of “The Encyclopedia of Surfing.” “This changes fundamental things about how we feel about surfing.” For many in the industry, it stirs hopes of creating big destination surf parks, expanding the market not just to inland spots but to coastal areas that don’t get decent surf. It’s not real surfing.” Thomas Lochtefeld, a longtime La Jolla surfer and owner of an artificial wave company in San Diego, agrees that it won’t be the same. To the purists, he says: “Hey, go surf in the ocean.” :: The first wave park for U.S. surfers opened in Tempe, Ariz., in 1969, funded by Clairol, the hair-coloring company.
History of this topic
Pay per wave: Native Hawaiians divided over artificial surf lagoon in the birthplace of surfing
The Independent
Pay per wave: Native Hawaiians divided over artificial surf lagoon in the birthplace of surfing
Associated Press
How surfing legend Kelly Slater is rewriting the rules of sporting retirement
ABC
Tokyo 2020: Surfing legend Kelly Slater won't compete at Olympics
The Hindu
Is Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch the future of surfing?
CNN
Surf’s up, 100 miles inland at Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch
Associated Press
Kelly Slater's 'Freakish' Stunt Starts Fight Over Rules Of Surfing
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