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Surf Abu Dhabi has already hosted elite-level surf competitions. It was first showcased to the world back in October before its doors were even open to the public when the WSL hosted the Abu Dhabi Longboard classic there. Then it was announced as a stop on the 2025 Championship Tour and controversy ensued surrounding the country’s treatment of the LGBTQ community and how that could impact Tyler Wright’s — the CT’s sole openly gay athlete — safety.
The context of that controversy is impossible to ignore any time the pool is promoted. Under all other circumstances, it’s an impressive development in the surf world — the world’s largest wave pool and the first powered by Kelly Slater Wave Company that is truly open to the public. The latter part of that is undoubtedly a big reason the pool is getting a lot of hype and attention, and controversy or no controversy, the WSL will be bringing the CT to Hudayriat Island in February. As such, it’s important for the tour’s athletes to get their reps in and familiarize themselves with the wave before competition just like they do any other world tour stop.
Griffin and Crosby Colapinto’s first trip to the Abu Dhabi venue gave a glimpse into what that stop is going to look like in 2025. A 16-hour flight from Los Angeles was delayed long enough to miss their connecting flight. That pushed their arrival back long enough to wait 10 more hours into the next morning, all with no hotels to check into because Formula 1 was hosting its Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit. Plan B meant the crew was settling for overnight terminal naps. Finally, after more than a day of travel, the crew made it to Surf Abu Dhabi with two minutes to spare before their scheduled session to test out the wave.
Just like any other wave, they treat the pool like a spot with its own quirks. While it is a wave pool, Griffin points out its differences and similarities to the Surf Ranch in California — where certain sections pop up, the pacing of the wave, and so on.
“We’re all learning the wave, figuring out the wave, where to get barreled, how long to stay in the barrel,” Crosby said after his first waves. “It definitely felt like we’re getting better and better.”
