The Surf Ranch holds a special place in our heart, and we were stoked to be back again! Despite being 100 miles from the nearest ocean, this is our favorite surf contest to attend. Everything is so well organized, and the perspective you get of the surfers is like no where else.
Although there are varying opinions in the surf community regarding a contest in a wave pool, it truly levels the playing field and tests the surfers mental toughness. They can no longer blame mother nature and the waves going flat. Each surfer is given an equal opportunity, and they will either perform or not.
Oh, and did we mention, where else can you see a surfer get barreled up close for 10 seconds or more without booking a plane ticket to the other side of the globe?
Besides the surf contest, you could take a dip in the lake to cool off, learn more about sustainability at the WSL Pure Village, or grab a bite to eat from the local food vendors. There were also tons of activities for kids in the Grom Zone.
WSL Pure Village
The WSL has committed to reduce the environmental impact of the world tour by becoming carbon neutral and eliminating single use plastic through their WSL Pure initiative.
This year, everyone in attendance received a WSL Pure branded Hydroflask, and multiple water refilling stations were placed around the venue.
There was also an awesome Golf Ball Wave art installation. “Fore the Waves” was a standing wave made of 20,000 golf balls collected from the ocean.
Another notable display was the Cigarette Surfboards.
Sponsor Village and Stage
The sponsor village was filled with various vendors passing out freebies and additional food/drink concessions.
One particular sponsor who stood out to us was Olloclip. We snagged some awesome new lenses for our phones! We’ve loved using them so far and they definitely came in handy when the memory card for our camera filled up.
The day ended with the awards ceremony and listening to a few songs of The Raconteurs before heading into Fresno for dinner.
Congrats to Lakey Peterson and Gabriel Medina for taking the win!
We are looking forward to coming back next year.
Xx Heather & Huy
Note: All photos and video are our own unless otherwise noted. Please spread the aloha and link back to the original content when sharing.
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