The World Surf League and Kelly Slater are inseparable. Over his illustrious career, the phenomenal surfer has claimed the WSL title an incredible 11 times—an unmatched milestone to this day. Although Slater hasn’t shown signs of competing again, the League has found a unique way to keep his name in the coveted contest.

Recently, the World Surf League announced the 11 stops for the 2025 world tour, and notably, Surf Abu Dhabi made the list—a fitting recognition of Kelly Slater’s efforts to expand the sport globally. The Abu Dhabi-based artificial surf facility boasts the title of the world’s largest artificial wave and carries Slater’s name as the mastermind behind the project. However, this time, the artificial surf ranch, associated with Slater and the WSL, has come under scrutiny for unexpected reasons.

First, Australian surfing icon Tyler Wright’s wife, Lilli Wright, raised concerns about the conditions for participating in Surf Abu Dhabi as part of the WSL World Tour 2025. According to her, Tyler may face coercive actions because of the legal structure in Abu Dhabi. Notably, the country’s laws view homosexuality as an offense, potentially putting Tyler in a difficult situation. However, neither the WSL nor Surf Abu Dhabi has commented on the matter yet. Now, another situation has emerged.

According to the online booking price mentioned on Surf Abu Dhabi’s website, travelers would have to spend AED 3,500 ($9,529) to surf in the wave for 90 minutes. That vast sum has made the surfing fans think twice before trying out to pierce through the wave. In fact, someone has chimed in with the lines, “Is this for real? 3500 AED for 90 minutes? Absolutely ridiculous.” The price may give hiccups to the fans. However, the authorities have reasons to justify the overwhelming price tag. Since its inception, the project Surf Abu Dhabi has drawn attention for its outstanding presentation of surfing. First, it brought two giant corporations together in shaping the final plan—Kelly Slater’s KSWC and Modon Properties. 

While shaking hands with Slater’s enterprise to build surf ranches, the chairman of Modon Properties promised to present something that would match the pace of development in Abu Dhabi. In his statement, Jassem Bu Ataba Al Zaabi added, “It embodies the city’s futuristic vision for sustainable urban planning, building vibrant communities, and developing a diversified economy that boosts the emirate’s competitiveness in all fields.”  That fuelled the interest. Later, Kelly Slater’s multiple promotions of the facility increased it. But now the announcement of the ticket prices has played a detrimental role in captivating the fans. They have shared negative reviews regarding the price tag. 

Fans feel disappointed after comparing the ticket prices between Kelly Slater’s surfing ranches 

Before Surf Abu Dhabi, Kelly Slater’s California surfing ranch housed the WSL world surfing tours. However, on those four occasions, the Lemoore-based surfing facility earned loads of positive words from the surfers and the fans. Surprisingly, the 700-meter-long structure motivated the authorities to emulate the structure in Abu Dhabi. But the ticket prices in both surfing destinations aren’t the same. As per the estimates, in 2023, the ticket prices used to be around $875 in the high season. But the ones available in Surf Abu Dhabi are quite big. 

Those disproportionate values made one fan comment, “An amazing facility brought to an amazing country. Sadly 90% of the people here can’t afford to pay that. Much more expensive than other kelly slater waves around the world. Very disappointing.” Meanwhile, another fan pointed out the issue in the comment, “1800dh for 6 waves without coaching. Wow. What a joke.” Reportedly, in California, the Surf Ranch avails 11–25 waves per hour, and that too at a much lower price. That led another fan to take a dig at the price chart. 

The comment went on as, “Excuse me is there a mistake in your pricing?? An extra ‘0’ on the end? If not then you need to seriously review your pricing…..” Certainly, the presence of zeros has made the price look out of the pockets. But Surf Abu Dhabi can provide waves going beyond 8 feet of height. But in California, the height ranges from 2 to 6 feet. Shouldn’t that be counted? According to a fan, no. 

In his/her comment, the surfing enthusiast noted, “1000$ for a 90 min Surfing ?? It’s Ridiculous and Disappointing after waiting all of this long!!” Seriously, fans had to wait too long to see the auspicious opening of Kelly Slater’s Surf Abu Dhabi. But the reactions showcase disappointment. Is there any solution to the problem?