It was at a fork in the road, that I stood there wondering if I was lost. One road was paved but Google Maps told me to drive straight, down a dirt road.
Don’t get me wrong, it was not the road that I was unsure about, I was in a GMC Sierra AT4, but it was the looming juxtaposition that laid in front of me.
Surfing awaited me. Surfing, in the middle of nowhere Texas. No beach, no ocean, just dirt roads, oak trees and sage brush. But it was surfing. Down the dirt road I went until I pulled into a gate of a chain link fence. As I drove into BSR Surf Resort, my jaw feel lower and lower until I was using my jaw to push the gas pedal.
Paradise found?
Caribbean blue water, a wave that was in never ending supply with the perfect break, a lazy river that goes on and on and more. All at the end of the dirt road.
Welcome to the 2019 Stab High Invitational, a surfing contest held mostly in the air.
A few years back, the entire surfing world stopped and dropped everything to watch in wide-eyed disbelief, a video published by Kelly Slater. We watched as his glassy manmade wave peeled down and created a perfect barrel lasting for minutes. The wave pool itself wasn’t a new concept as there had already been other wave pools around the world, but leave it to Kelly to do what he does best, and absolutely kill his competition. Within days of being released, the video of Kelly’s manmade wave racked up millions of views, shares, and comments. Some people loved it. Others weren’t so sure. Pools are growing in numbers, and just maybe, they may have an influence on how surfing finds a deep stronghold in the upcoming summer olympics.
“It is all about the conditions in surf,” said Chippa Wilson, 2019 Stab High winner. “When you know that the conditions are set like you get in a pool like this, the result is strong competition. When you are surfing at a contest like Stab High, in man made wave pools, you can see the sport progress from practice to final heats. As the riders get more and more comfortable with the wave, they attempt bigger tricks. It pushes the sport without question. I’ve seen tricks done on a surf board that I have never seen before.”
The clean and powerful barrel that goes on and on is truly every surfer’s dream. It’s literally what surfers chase all over the world. The launch of this artificial wave pool led to pretty high stoke levels, as surfers realized they’ll be able to go get barreled any day of the week, regardless of their location or ocean swell.
On the other hand, some surfers were concerned that wave pools could deprecate the very essence of surfing. Having to adapt to an ever-changing and imperfect wave is part of the challenge. Surfers need to know how the weather, tides, currents, winds, and swell affect waves. No two ocean waves have ever been the same, and that’s part of the fun. The pursuit of the perfect wave adds to the thrill and is an essential part of surfing’s core. Some surfers believe that without the unpredictability of a break, surfing will lose its “soul.” But still. A perfect wave is a perfect wave. And that’s hard to resist.
“Wave pools open a world a free surfing and then the traditional way of surfing,” Wilson said. “Surfing at its’ core, is the ability to find your balance with Mother Nature and to have the ability to ride the wave given to you. Now that the wave in man made, you still need to find that balance. Surfing is best when it is you and your friends out riding, all finding the balance of body to water. That opportunity is now more accessible to more people because of the pools.”
But with pools opening up in places that aren’t traditional surf environments, the style of surfing may change due to the style of riding that comes from that area. How will surfing adapt? At Stab High, riders like Curran Caples, Bella Kenworthy and Sky Brown, who made a name for themselves in skateboarding first, all brought their style to the event and you could see there was a difference.
“There are pros and cons to this,” said Wilson. “As riders enter the ‘pro’ ranks that began in a pool like this, they won’t be ocean smart. Eventually, if you want to be a fully well rounded surfer, you will need to surf traditional ocean contests. A wave pool generated pro just won’t have those same skills a surfer has growing up in the ocean. It will be a strange mesh. In the future it will definitely two difference styles. I don’t know if the two will mesh.”
Whether you like it or not, artificial waves are going change the future of surfing forever. With the creation of Kelly’s perfect wave, we’ll soon have thousands. And the more waves that exist in the world, the more waves for everyone – in both the ocean and in the pool. While the “soul” of surfing will stay in the ocean, wave pools are a great supplement that are about to evolve the sport of surfing in an extraordinary way.
In all of this, there is one thing you can count on, the GMC Sierra AT4 getting you there. Whether it’s surfing, riding your dirt bike, skiing, towing or any other house project, the Sierra AT4 has you covered. From a luxury interior, WiFi to upload the awesome day you had to social media, or the Multi Pro tailgate, the Sierra AT4 is the perfect base camp for your day of adventure.
Find out more about Stab High, BSR Surf Resort and the GMC Sierra AT4 by clicking on the links.