The World Surf League (WSL) announced Surf Abu Dhabi, located on Hudayriyat Island in Abu Dhabi, as a competition venue on the 2025 Championship Tour (CT), and as the third stop on the 2024 WSL Longboard Tour.
Surf Abu Dhabi, the groundbreaking wave facility owned and operated by Modon Holding, features the world-leading wave technology from the Kelly Slater Wave Company (KSWC), the innovative wave technology and surf experience company. Through this partnership, the team created a high-performance wave that will be an incredible canvas for the world’s best surfing.
“We’re looking forward to seeing what the Surf Abu Dhabi facility can deliver for the world’s best surfers – and the broader surfing world – in the future,” said Ryan Crosby, WSL CEO. “Both the evolving wave technology and the region itself present interesting opportunities for the WSL, and we’re excited to see that come to life in the coming months.”
“The collaboration with Kelly Slater Wave Company and Surf Abu Dhabi allows us to build a destination ready to welcome surfers from all levels and communities and nurture a new generation of surfers in the region. Together, we’ve created a facility that provides perfect waves time and time again, new wave profiles suitable for every level, and the uniqueness of this being the first saltwater-based wave pool. We can’t wait to welcome the world’s best surfers and all the new fans this region is bringing to the sport,” said Bill O’Regan, Group CEO at Q Holding.
“The collaboration with the Kelly Slater Wave Company and Surf Abu Dhabi showcases our creation of a world-class facility that will provide perfect waves to a region to help grow an entirely new Surf Community in Abu Dhabi,” said Jeff Fleeher, Kelly Slater Wave Company President. “The partnership with the WSL now amplifies this opportunity, creating a platform to showcase the world’s best surfers to both new and existing fans, seated in the heart of Hudayriat Island’s broader sports ecosystem.”
The WSL Championship Tour is the highest tier of competitive surfing that crowns the annual World Champions. Surf Abu Dhabi will be amongst the elite surfing venues to host the world’s best surfers in the 2025 season. The full schedule of competitions for the 2025 CT will be released following the Lexus WSL Finals, but so far, Surf Abu Dhabi will join world-renowned venues such as the Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu, Snapper Rocks in Queensland, Australia, and Cloudbreak in Fiji.
The WSL Longboard Tour features three international events leading into the one-day Championship in El Salvador. Surf Abu Dhabi will host the third stop of the Longboard Tour, the Abu Dhabi Longboard Classic Presented by Modon, from September 27 – 29, 2024. This competition will play a critical role in determining the qualifiers for the Surf City El Salvador Longboard Championships, which will crown the men’s and women’s Longboard World Champions in October.
