My Surf Ranch Visit - Kelly Slater Wavepool
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- Опубликовано: 7 авг 2024
- I was invited to surf at the Surf Ranch (Kelly Slater Wave pool) this past Saturday by Geoff, a cardiologist out of Irvine CA. He found my channel and generously offered me a spot in a few of the night heats.
I have to say, by far, leaps and bounds, the best surf trip I have ever taken. The only thing that could have made it better was if my brother decided to surf. Anyways, let me know what you think.
Had a few more points to make but forgot to mention it in the video. One is that unlike a ocean wave, you can't really visually see what is going to happen or dictate the pace of the wave, but if you surf it enough, I guess you would know that vs see that. That part is very interesting to say the least.
It was an amazing experience and glad I got to do it. I truly hope, that some if not all of you get to do it someday as well. I know that if this channel ever gets big enough, I will do my best to pay it forward.
Thanks Geoff for inviting me.
Thanks Noel for driving up with me.
Thanks WSL and Surf Ranch staff for making it an amazing experience. Thanks Kelly Slater for building it. BTW, if you need pointers on how "not" to get barreled, call me.
#SurfRanch
#KellySlater
#WavePool 
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WOW Great review and you never looked silly!! I'm an older (67) surfer but still hope to get there one day.
I really hope you do. As much as I loved the surfing part, just being there and being waited and treated like VIP was amazing. the surfing part was funny because on one hand it is so frustrating and on the other, it is the best time ever. Biggest high and the lowest lows when you fall for miss a wave. haha
@@ThomyeSurfs I always thought if I surfed there I would the first and only guy to not catch a wave! Nice to see there are other normal humans such as myself and it's not the end of the world if one misses a wave at The Surf Ranch... BTW was the water cold? I've seen some frigid days there on video.
@@larryhawes9322 Ice. I surfed my first session with just the wetsuit and I was freezing. The second session I put on gloves and that helped. Most others wore hoods booties and gloves and one guy actually wore a 3-2. Crazy
That was a great review! Fun and a good discussion of the whole experience including the wave. Keep it up.
Solid stuff as always. Your vlog is great. No frills. Minimal “hey look at me!”, beyond what is inherent when you step into the internet. This was nice to see the surf ranch from a boots on the ground perspective. Fascinating to know the ski guy give cues. I’ve always wondered about that since it does look like the sections kinda just happen without setting up like they do in the ocean. Next time bring the Seaside for sure. It looks like that wave... there’s really no reason to ever get caught on too high of a line to need a ton of rocker... especially when the guy is calling out sections to you from the ski. Hindsight is 20/20 though and regardless it looks like you had a blast.
Unreal. The night has to throw you off a little bit right? i didn't even know they ran at night... that is crazy. You did great. We all know its way harder than it looks. 🤙
yes, definitely. I would say that you don't pay as much attention to where you are vs the face of the wave. I'm certain the guys that have done it a few times were fine but me, I could only focus on what was right in front of me so I never really knew where I was in the position of the pool. if it weren't' for the jet ski guy telling me, "barrel", I probably would have missed that entire section.
I so wish I had gone to N-Land back when it was open. That would be a good tech comparison. Not a good wave comparison though. both use the sled/wedge concept.
Fantastic video, what an insane experience! You killed it Thomye! And that was a BARREL!! So happy for you! YEEWW!! :)
Rite on. Most honest, realistic and humble assessment of the surf ranch Ive seen. You did well on the water. Seems like it would be hard to really tap in to and get wired like your home break to fully enjoy because of the pressures. Wave limits for one. Having your daily driver seems to be key as well. Good job mate!
Man looks like you had fun...maybe as more wave pools develop the price will go down LOL. whats cool is... lets say in 20 years they make more of them...well you can always say you rode the orginal ground breaker wave pool. this might be the best a wave pools ever get. they say the price for all the land is too much especially in a populated place, so wed be lucky to get pools half that size in more populated places i guess. I bet youll get more invites too then you can surf the seaside. you surfed smart...you gotta feel it out and enjoy the flow...just like the ocean when we get that epic wave we dont wanna fall going for a big crave. but you had some nice rob machado looking turns nice and relaxed
It is crazy to think that it actually happened in our lifetime. I have surfed BSR and now the Kelly Slater wave pool, all that is left is the wave garden cove. Off to South Korea, might as well visit where my parents are from. I was born there but I don't know or remember any of it. Too young. Except I remember using outhouses when I was little. Think I was 4.
Good stuff!
So stoked for you man! I saw a couple of your videos a few months ago and started planning for my own YT channel. Now I'm even more stoked! I hope that some day I'll have content as genuine as yours. Thank you!
thanks. I watch other people's video and theirs looks so much more planned and thought out than mine. I guess i'm too lazy, impatient, and don't really have the directing and producing skills like some of those other guys. but if that comes off as Genuine, I'll take it. :) but I do hope to get better.
Epic 🤙
Very cool, happy you got the opportunity, you certainly deserve it! And nope you didn't look silly at all. As perfect as it looks, to me this wave always appears as if it reels off a bit faster than most long barreling ocean waves, no matter if reef, point, or sand. Even the pros seem to be fighting to not fall behind after manoeuvres in most sections.
Yes I agree. I was telling someone that in the ocean you pass through the barrel more often than not. This one you pace the barrel almost like skeleton Bay which is much harder to do. It would be easier if you knew where but in my case I had to try to stall in order for it to catch up to me. I did make the mistake of not watching my footage in between the two heats. If I had I think I would have learned something.
You must be psyched! Camera angle didn’t do the barrels justice but we got the idea, dialled mate 🤙🏽
Sick Tommy. Imo you were barreled and made it out. You're not as deep in there as pros but still got barreled. Give yourself some credit. You surf bolsa chica as your everyday wave!
So...was this free? Or did you pay $5000? Did you think it was worth $5000? I'm not sure what I would do if invited again...
thanks brah. I know, too much bolsa, I need to surf Newport more. haha
as for the cost, yes, it was free and I was Geoff's Guest. I got two sessions which was probably way more than a guest should get, so I feel super lucky in that sense. I am not sure I can afford to pay that much but would I pay something, yes.
the $5K mark is probably an 8 way split. That would make it 20 waves per person for the day.
which is roughly 4 sessions or 4 hours in the pool. Having said that, if you are lucky enough to go with 7 other newbies, I personally think it is best to split the wave maybe the first half the day. That way you double your wave count. I think I was too afraid of falling so if I knew my wave was shorter, I would have tried harder knowing that I would get more chances.
Also, the first half of the left at least, you would do turns and the 2nd half, you can do barrels.
If I didn't have 2 kids in private school and one of those about to go to college, I think I would definitely consider paying $5K to visit the pool with some close friends. The issue is, I don't have that many close friends that would be willing to pay that price. I have 1 guys could afford it so it would mean finding 6 other people. :(
definitely a tough decision.
Awesome Experience
Awesome video Thomye! Love the very real video and commentary. I certainly feel like I surf way too much on my front foot from years of longboarding and fear of failure is all too real. Let me know if you figure out how to make progress on either those. Super stoked to see you out their charging and looked like some great waves to me! I know surf ranch is expensive, but can't help but think if I could surf that for a week I'd make a ton of progress!
I think so too. 1 week would easily double ones skill. One thing I would say to someone who goes is at least for first half of the day, it might be better to split waves. so knowing your wave doesn't have to be very long, I think you would focus more on trying to pull the maneuver or progress versus trying to make sure you're not falling.
I have totally different approach when it comes to surfing waves pool or waves in general, esp on surf trips. I understand not wanting to fall, esp when you're paying for waves but tomorrow is not guaranteed. I try to charge every wave like it's my last. I've surfed Typhoon Lagoon twice and have been on many surf trips. My trips to Costa Rica really makes you juggle charging big waves and going for the move or holding back when you're in the middle of nowhere and miles from the nearest hospital or medical center. 🤙😷🇺🇲
That's good advice and/or wisdom. :)
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Great experience for you. Though I’d say your happy to get back to some no pressure sessions at your local break.
for sure. In fact, my day ended about 9:30/10pm on Saturday and I had gotten a room to stay the night at a nearby hotel. But my brother and I decided to drive home that evening so we could surf Sunday morning.
Waves were small but it was really fun to get out and do exactly that, do some "no pressure" surfing.
Great review. That insight in the angle of the water for the barrel is very interesting. Makes me think how many bazzas I have thought I was in the past but actually wasn't. Might need to watch my claim game. Not sure if you have reviewed the NB2. I reckon that would be interesting. I have the same coffee machine. Love it.
Breville Express. :) Someone jokingly asked me to review it. haha, I should and compare it to a Keurig.
As for the NB2 review, I'm working on that now. Or will try and do it this three day weekend. I think the swell slowly builds with Monday being a decent day so definitely going to bust it out.
I have the NB2 too. Would be interesting to hear your thoughts in your waves. I like it. But I would prefer more under the chest for paddling. I have the same size on the CI Rocketwide and am jumping between them.
Woow! Congratulations on surfing the surf ranch, not many have had the opportunity. Hook me up! :D Great review of the wave though and your thoughts on how it breaks and how differs to surfing in the ocean. I am in Adelaide (Australia) and we have not had good waves in a while and I was planning to go to the one in Melbourne but hopefully one day I get to surf on the surf ranch too! Keep it up
Someday I would love to check that wave out also the Occy wave. that one looks insane and so different.
Oh yeah, the Surf Lakes tech up in Queensland. They are planning to open to the general public this year if I am not wrong! UrbnSurf has a pool in Melbourne (open) and will build a second one in Sydney.
Wow, I definitely have to put The Ranch on my bucket list. I've surfed 2 pools to date - Snowdonia in Wales and The WAVE in Bristol. Both located in the UK. Great description of your experience. Waco is the next pool I want to try.
Waco is pretty good. I'm guessing it is similar to the WAVE which is closer to a real ocean experience than the Ranch, unless you are used to Skeleton Bay (haha). You get roughly 10 waves an hour compared to 3 or 4 and it costs 10x per hour. Definitely a bucket list thing for sure.
My goal is to get out to Bristol and then out to South Korea. I think they have the same wave but bigger/longer. BTW, would you say that Snowdonia is worth the money even after the WAVE has opened? We had a pool like that in Austin Texas called N-Land but that closed. :(
@@ThomyeSurfs Snowdonia is old technology that is fun to experience "once". I spent a weekend there with my kids in the sleeping pods. First pool experience surfing into a fence - weird. The WAVE in Bristol is a massive step up in pool tech.
@@bajansurfer So rad. We had N-Land which was like Snowdonia but that closed before I got to go. I wanted to try it at least once but maybe it's better that it's closed. Now I have to go to Snowdonia. I wanted to stay in one of those pods too, looked like a bucket list item to me.
Bristol, South Korea, Melbourne and now Switzerland all look amazing to me. Definitely want to go someday to any or all. :)
@@ThomyeSurfs definitely hit Snowdonia. Cool pump track for skating around the pool and awesome outdoor hot tubs.
Epic video! Too bad spots like that aren’t accessible to the average Joe💰
Yeah. Total bummer. I need to figure out how to host some day in the future.
Nice review Thomas. It’s interesting to watch and hear different perspectives on the KS pool. The consensus seems to be that butterflies and nervousness get the best of you at this place. Lol.
Did you take your solo shot? One of my main concerns (if I ever get the opportunity to go there) is if my solo shot will work. Did you have an opportunity to set it up?
I did take it but did not use it. the footage is from Surf Ranch. they video the whole thing and after each heat/session, you can review it right there at the pool; I wish I had done that.
When it is all over, they give you a link where you can download it. After the heat, you are walking out and someone comes up to you and offers you a beer. I would have drank except, I was too afraid of not being able to surf. haha
You get over the nerves of the pool quickly but you the nerves of falling and blowing it only gets worse throughout your session. Also, it is hard because everyone tells you something different and it all gets in your head. In fact, everything I have said is more clutter.
@@ThomyeSurfs haha. It sounds like your still buzzing from the experience. It sounds unbelievably awesome.
It would be cool to see how a soloshot works there. 🤔 The footage they provide looks good but it always seems so far away. Soloshot has a pretty good zoom on the optic 65 so it would be cool to see how it handles. Anyways... awesome video. Thanks for posting. It was fun to watch. 🤙
@@ThomyeSurfs i would suffer for sure !
Awesome! Congrats. I want to know more about that expresso machine. Dims? J/k.
Lol. I'll have to review it and compare it to a Keurig.
@@ThomyeSurfs New channel idea: Frothing Before Surfing .
Very cool surfing! Why don’t you call the cylindrical waves “TUBES” anymore?
I'm not sure. I remember calling them tubes back when I was younger. After surfing a while, it didn't seem correct to me or just didn't sound right. Now when I think of tubes, i think of a wave that throws over, short quick, something you would pass through. Where as when I think of waves like Kelly's pool or Skeleton bay, where the "tube" keeps going, it seems more like a barrel. Specifically the barrel of a gun and the water even looks like the rifling of a barrel.
In all honesty though, I don't think there is a difference. they are the same and if someone used the word tube, I would know what they were talking about.
Haha...I have a Breville Barista express as well. I make a latte every morning. You made an Americano eh?
yup. if I could wake up a tad earlier, I might venture into the latte world. For now, Americano and go. :)
Great Vid - I had a chance to go to the ranch this October as well - great experience. I focused on the CT3 wave as well, and got some pretty crazy barrels. But also surfed it tentatively b/c falling is $$$ - which of course I did a few times... Hey, I've been surfing my whole life, and have enjoyed watching some of your videos... Always looking to improve - do you know any LA based coaches that work with experienced surfers?
I met a coach at the ranch that lives in HB. Geoff introduced me. Anyways, I'll get his email for you. it was pretty cool cuz after Geoff's heats, the coach went over every detail. I listened in. Pretty cool to have a coach.
@@ThomyeSurfs That would be great, and I appreciate it. Thanks Thomye! You can email it to me if you want - ben@benleeproperties.com.
@@benleeprop sent. Christian is really good and rips. Let me know how it goes.
Great video! How cold was the water?
cold. haha well, actually it was probably 56 to 54. During the day, a normal 4/3 was fine without booties or gloves. When I surfed, there was just no way to warm up so I wore gloves. My feet didn't get cold though, probably could have used a hoodie but I surf worse with things like that so I opted not to wear much my first heat, but ended up wearing gloves the 2nd.
Shoots! Cya in da lineup!
So does the wave feel intense like a legit head high ocean wave at low tide...does it speed up and slow down along the way
More. Believe it or not, the wave feels more powerful to me. A part of that is because the water has no place to defuse its energy. Imagine your most hollow break (but not slabs), then imagine rather than a wave of energy, a tidal surge, almost like a mini tsunami. In the ocean, you feel energy of a wave but the water itself isn't really moving until the break. If you watch the video and pay attention to the guys near the fence, you see them get pushed away rather quickly.
What's funny is, after the wave passes, there is a little mini wave, you are almost tempted to catch it but, the issue is, after that mini wave passes, there is no water, it about 10 yrds away from the fence, it becomes literally knee deep. they tell you not to catch that mini wave cuz you will break your fins.
@@ThomyeSurfs makes sense cause the barrel has that thick shape like teahupoo...but smaller...I remember kelly saying something about wave and the fresh water opposed to salt...can't remember but it affect your board different in a very technical way.
@Beyond Summer I don't recall what he said but my experience so far with BSR and Kelly's pool is that fresh water doesn't float you as well but it is minimal. However, thinking that logically, people might bring a bigger board. Since the wave is so predictable, it becomes easier to catch as you figure it out. Surfing it is the same since planing is a bigger factor and the wave has so much power. Once I was up, I didn't feel much difference. I would know that for certain if I had surfed my Seaside since I know that board like the back of my hand. With the Neckbeard2, I had no previous experience.
Is it really 10 grand for an hour?
no. after some conversation, it is based on how many you have. it's like 40K/42K for a day off season. So take that amount and split it. so if you have 8 guys, its roughly $5K per person all day.
I personally think 9 guys might be a good number. 3 in each heat. If you do 4 in each heat, maybe start by splitting waves. I think I would have done better if I split waves at the start. Then you can take more chances and you would have 9 more waves to followup. with whole waves, if you fall, you only have 3 left. :(
What are the dims on your neckbeard?
5'6 x 19 x 2 5/16. 26.8L.
But you have to be a millionaire to be at the surf ranch. 😫.
I definitely feel I should have studied harder in school or cared more.
@@ThomyeSurfs wave pools look amazing but I’m totally content enjoying gods ocean for free 🤙🏽. Enjoy your content and I’m subscribing to your channel.
I wanna go
Probably never happen again for me and worse, I will now spend the rest of my life regretting taking the Neckbeard 2 and constantly think of what if. LOL Most stressed session of my life but also a great experience. if you have the money though, it's not hard. I have been invited 3 more times after this session but not for free. I think it's about $4K to $5K for the entire day. not sure how many heats that works out to but if you are willing to spend the money, just knowing a good group of guys makes the opportunity much easier.
The guy that invited me goes at least 3 to 4 times a year. I think once my girls are out of college, I may try and go one more time. To redeem my piss poor performance. LOL
@@ThomyeSurfs Can someone please let Kelly know I’m poor and old😶😂
@@thomasstansberry2311 same. Should studied to be a doctor. But I wasn't very smart either. hehe I wasn't much of an "A"sian, more like a "C"sian. Too much surfing , not enough studying.