The world’s best longboarders have arrived in the United Arab Emirates ahead of the Abu Dhabi Longboard Classic Presented by Modon, Stop No. 3 of the 2024 World Surf League (WSL) Longboard Tour. This event marks the first WSL competition to be held in the UAE. The Abu Dhabi Longboard Classic will determine the Top 16 surfers, eight men and eight women, who will compete for the World Titles at the Surf City El Salvador Longboard Championships in October.
Surf Abu Dhabi is a groundbreaking wave facility owned and operated by Modon Holding. Surf Abu Dhabi features the world-leading wave technology from the Kelly Slater Wave Company (KSWC), the same technology used at the Surf Ranch in Lemoore, Calif. The venue offers competitors perfect 500-meter-long lefts and rights that will showcase sections for nose-riding, powerful carving turns, traditional longboarding, and tube rides. The long rides, coupled with a leaderboard format, will test the mettle of each competitor over the three-day event.
Top Seeds Ready for Perfection at Surf Abu Dhabi
Taylor Jensen (USA) remains at the top of the rankings following his two back-to-back wins at the Bioglan Bells Beach Longboard Classic and Lexus US Open of Surfing. The three-time World Longboard Champion is in the best form he’s seen since claiming his last Title back in 2017. The 40-year-old Californian has had plenty of experience surfing in this technology and is looking forward to the challenge that comes with such long, perfect waves.
“It’s pretty special to be here in Abu Dhabi for this event,” said Jensen. “I think we’re all just really excited to compete here. It’s such an amazing facility for the UAE surfing. It’s pretty incredible, and at the first event here, the pool is an amazing experience, and I’m just looking forward to riding some perfect waves and sharing it with all of my friends.”
Rachael Tilly (USA) is fresh from claiming her first major win since 2015, taking an emphatic victory last month at the Lexus US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, Calif. Tilly feels like she has found some of the form that saw her claim the 2015 World Longboard Title as a 17-year-old, and she is eyeing a second Title in 2024. First, she’ll look to continue her form with a solid result in Abu Dhabi.
“This is something that I haven’t had any experience with before,” said Tilly. “We did have the stop at the Kelly Slater Wave in Lemoore a few years ago, but I do not compete in that one, so this is my very first time competing in a wave pool. I’m just trying really hard to learn the wave and learn how to have any points of differentiation because, you know, normally in the ocean, wave selection and timing, all of those things come into play, and that’s out the door here. I’m really excited for a completely new experience and opportunity.”
Although this week’s Abu Dhabi Longboard Classic will be the first WSL event to be held in the UAE, it won’t be the first time longboarders have competed in KSWC technology. Back in 2021, Edouard Delpero (FRA) and Honoloua Blomfield (HAW) claimed victory at the Cuervo Surf Ranch Classic at the Kelly Slater Surf Ranch in Lemoore, California. Delpero hasn’t found a major victory since that event but sees this week in Abu Dhabi as a massive opportunity.
“The Surf Ranch was a pretty good experience,” said Delpero. “Here we are seeing everybody improving their surfing into the wave with the training sessions. It’s gonna be pretty exciting. I was super excited to actually take out the little ocean factor. So, when the wave is coming, it is just with you with yourself, mainly competing against yourself. I am looking forward to it. For me, it’s my first time in the UAE, and it’s really been such an experience. I think it’s really great for us to have longboarding on the world stage like this.”
With one of the most memorable performances in recent history, Honolua Blomfield (HAW) was a clear standout the last time a Longboard Tour stop was held in this technology, scoring a 10-point ride, which included the Hawaiian riding the tube switch. Blomfield was able to go on that year to win her third World Title and hopes to use this weekend at the Abu Dhabi Longboard Classic as a similar launch pad for this year’s Title race.
“I think it’s really cool to have this event on our Tour,” said Blomfield. “I am stoked to be here. I like wave pools a lot, and the last time I did get lucky and got a good wave. I think it’s cool that everybody gets the same opportunity, and I’m just really happy to be here and be the first to have a contest in the wave in this wave.”
