According to Surf Ranch GM Sam Ramirez, there are no plans for the facility in Lemoore to open to the general public. Photo: WSL
Since Kelly Slater dropped the first footage of his years-long secret wave pool project back in 2015, a single question has dominated idle lineup chatter: when will the gates be opened to the public? And not just to watch a contest, but to pay to surf it.
Countless athletes, industry types, and celebrities have released footage of themselves playing king for a day in Lemoore. Hell, they even let us in once. Plus, there are plenty of whispers of wealthy jet-setters with plenty of cash to blow renting out the place for a day for a ridiculous sum – the WSL and Kelly Slater Wave Company have been characteristically opaque about the actual pricing structure.
But, when, if ever, will the layman be able to pony up for an hour of fun? According to Surf Ranch General Manager Sam Ramirez, don’t hold your breath.
“We are a private facility,” explained Ramirez during a presentation at an October 2 Lemoore City Council meeting. “I often get asked if we’ll ever open to the public, and the reality is we are a private facility and it will always remain that way.”
Still, Ramirez did explain that the majority of Surf Ranch guests are people “within the industry or involved in sponsorship relationships.” “We are running waves for about the next six weeks minus three days every day. And so we have guests out here almost every day,” he said. The facility hopes to expand its ability to toe the line between quietly allowing guests to rent out the facility and surf the wave on a “case-by-case basis” by building lodging on site for guests.
“At the end of the day, this is a research and development facility. It was never really intended to house guests,” said Ramirez.
And while the air of exclusivity surrounding the Surf Ranch has turned off many, Ramirez explained to the Council that planned future projects in Brazil, Australia, Florida, other parts of California, Tokyo, and beyond are more likely to have the waterpark feel and be open to the general public.
“We will be taking Surf Ranch as a brand into future markets… and talk about doing this same type of program there, but expanding the commercial aspect of it so that you or I could go and spend the day similar to a water park… with still the high-performance side of it,” said Ramirez.
In addition to highlighting the success of recent events – explaining that the Founders’ Cup brought nearly 5,000 people to the facility per day and that it completely sold out – Ramirez hinted at the application to expand the facility that’s currently in process.
Back in April, the Hartford Sentinel reported the application called for constructing, among other things, two additional pools. Ramirez made no indication that upon completion of the expansion the facility would open to the public.
Listen to the full audio (00:00 to about 32:00) below:
