Kelly Slater’s Abu Dhabi Wave Pool Shatters Skepticism to Become One of Time’s ‘World’s Greatest Places’

About a year-and-a-half ago, I had the honor to visit to Surf Abu Dhabi – the Kelly Slater Wave Company joint, creating manmade waves in the Middle East.

It was a luxury experience. After a couple hours of surfing amidst the contrasting cerulean tubes, and sunburnt desert in the background, I was treated to a surf n’ turf meal overlooking the Abu Dhabi skyline. The facility was flawless. It was the most extravagant surfing experience I’ve ever had, and in one of the unlikeliest of places.