Kelly Slater was always the guy hosting other surfers and celebrities at the Surf Ranch. While it wasn’t the first wave pool of this modern era, it sure felt like the biggest show in town (the world) for a while. It was exclusive. You needed an invitation or a boatload of money or access to some kind of ultra-private event just to be there, let alone get a wave. And I can vouch that going to the Ranch knowing you’re going to have a turn is the most nerve-wracking experience in surfing — a sentiment Championship Tour surfers have agreed with in conversations.
Anyway, it was a Golden Ticket for a time. Kelly was Willy Wonka, the Surf Ranch his Chocolate Factory, and I’d argue his presence as a celebrity felt larger on those grounds.
It’s no secret Gabriel Medina is also on a path of transcending the sport in his own way, and that’s why hosting Slater at his pool, The Beyond Club in São Paulo, feels like things are coming full circle. This time Slater is the guest, checking out the digs, slapping high fives with his host, and getting a crack at another world champion’s wave. Apparently that is an open invitation, by the way. When Slater arrived at the new facility in Brazil, he was handed a gift and told he’s an “honorary member.”
“Whenever you wanna come here, you have a room,” he was told.
On to the surfing (around the halfway point of the video, if you’re impatient)…
The two champs eventually took over the pool and put on a show. Just two average dudes with 14 world titles between them and the proud owners of multimillion-dollar bodies of water that produce surfable waves. It’s no big deal, really. And the surfing was ok.
