Nothing was the same. Drake said it. Now surfers have reason to say it, too. We’re living in an historic moment of surfing’s history as the first stadium-style, manmade surf contest just went down and the world is still unsure how to process it all. With an even playing field, will surfing be in the Olympics? Will the Dream Tour add a stop in the Welsh countryside? As the dust continues to settle, the answers will emerge. But for now, one thing is certain: the Red Bull Unleashed competition at Surf Snowdonia ushered in a new era for the sport.
Fans were able to cheer on some of the world’s best surfers only a few feet away. Big screen TVs featured replays like a football game. Surfers talked trash to each other. And there was an even playing field, eliminating the invariability of pesky Mother Nature. It was a surreal scene for surfing – more like a Las Vegas show than a traditional surf contest. But perhaps this is the future? If so, we better get used to it.
Watch the behind-the-scenes clip above, which boils down the three days of historic competition into three minutes, and buckle up for the future.
