Those walls ain’t cheap. Photo: Surf Abu Dhabi
In the world of post-pandemic inflation, $950 doesn’t go as far as it used to. That’s practically the price of a brand-name surfboard these days. But in the era of wave pool proliferation, that stack of cash can get you a newly released luxury experience: a session at the most opulent public wave pool on the market, Surf Abu Dhabi.
While Kelly Slater’s debut pool in California has been renting out private sessions for tens of thousands of dollars, the second iteration of the pool in the U.A.E. has opened its doors to the public. An average Joe can waltz into the place and shred the same walls of water that the GOAT himself created.
But that comes at a cost. Surf Abu Dhabi is by far the most expensive public pool in the world, catering to the aristocracy and elites – or anyone willing to fork over a good chunk of their paycheck for an hour and a half of surfing – “20 to 24 waves” – with three other people in the water. The intermediate and advanced settings of the pool are going for 3,500 Emirati Dirhams, or roughly USD $950.
Maybe you have so much money that a thousand dollars doesn’t make a noticeable dent in your checking account, but for the vast majority of us, paying to surf Kelly’s pool would require consulting our financial advisor first. There are a lot of things a surfer could do with that money. If you’re on the fence about forking over the dough, here are five other ways to spend the money.
More sessions at another wave pool
A session at Kelly’s Abu Dhabi pool sounds pretty fun, but how do 16 sessions for the same price sound? As far as pool sessions, you can stretch your dollar a lot more elsewhere.
With the price tag of USD $212, you could use that $950 to surf at Palm Springs Surf Club four times. You could book six sessions at WacoSurf in Texas or nine sessions at URBNSURF in Australia.
Up the ante and head to the newly opened Lost Shore in Scotland to purchase 11 sessions. Or go to Japan and get 16(!) sessions at Surf Stadium.
Pyzel would be stoked to take that cash. Photo: Screenshot//YouTube
Get a new surfboard
The price of a brand-new surfboard has doubled during my two decades of surfing. I personally think the shapers and board manufacturers probably deserve even more than what they get, so I’m happy to support them with a tool that will provide hundreds of hours of fun.
I recently walked away from the JS shop in Oceanside with a $900 board and shed a tear or two for my bank account. But assuming the board lasts me two to three years, in hindsight the investment will be minimal for the ample serotonin it provides.
So instead of booking that trip to Abu Dhabi, why not invest in a new board?
With $950 to spend, you can get fancy with your purchase. Why not get a Slater Designs board? You can get an FRK+ for $875 or a SCI-FI for $935, for example. You can really get anything you want, from a Channel Islands to a Pyzel Ghost (to shred like John Jonh), to even a Sharp Eye.
Enough wax to last a lifetime
Forgo that trip to the Middle East and get a lifetime supply of wax. For $950 you could get 406 bars of Sex Wax, 316 bars of Sticky Bumps, or 158 bars of Fu Wax.
That should cover anyone for the rest of their life, probably leaving extra to supply some of your friends too.
Bali, not a bad second option. Photo: Mason Ho // YouTube
A 10-day surf trip to Puerto Escondido or a flight to Bali
Why surf in a wave pool for an hour and a half when you could surf your brains out for 10 days straight in Mexico? Putting on my travel agent hat, I crafted a little surf trip that can fit within the $950 budget.
You can fly from LAX to Puerto Escondido for $270 round-trip, pay $69 each way for a checked board on Viva Aerobus, book ten nights at a hostel for $10 per night, and have $40 per day for food and miscellaneous expenses, all within the budget.
A tube at Zicatela is life-changing, even when it’s not XL. (Cost of potentially broken boards not included in budget.)
If sand-sucking barrels aren’t your thing, you can fly roundtrip from LAX to Bali within that budget. I see a roundtrip for $876 right now. But you’ll be on your own for Bintangs and living expenses once you’re there.
Get an e-bike to ride down to Lowers
According to our own Sam George, e-bikes are responsible for the current success of San Clemente surfers. Thus, an investment in an e-bike for yourself or your children could pay handsome dividends if you/they qualify for the Championship Tour and start cashing checks, even for last-place finishes.
Browsing around Amazon, there are plenty of adult e-bikes that go for less than $950. Maybe they aren’t top-of-the-line machines, but they’ll easily transport you down to Lowers where you can get in the mix and kick-start your professional career.
