And for three days, not just one!
Well that certainly took a sharp turn. More later, but in the meantime, Kelly Slater and his Surf Ranch have altered surfing in more ways than can be neatly summed here. The reality that a wave, nearly perfect, could be conjured with the push of a button instead of waiting for Surfline to report storms, that surfing can be practiced anywhere on earth, that waves have monetary value, all groundbreaking.
And it is regarding the latter, surfing’s price economically established, where we lay our scene. A day at Surf Ranch reportedly runs from $50,000 in the offseason, to $70,000 at peak times. Groups can get together and share the cost though, of course, wave count per person is altered. Still, the facility is private, no interlopers feeding off crumbs etc.
Well, according to a source in deep southern Mexico, a group of enterprising surfers, “middle-aged dudes from Southern California,” allegedly, took Surf Ranch financial model to one of the world’s greatest right hand point breaks, Barra de la Cruz, and rented it for three days at $20,000 US total.
Barra, you’ll recall, burst into the surf consciousness in 2006 when the World Surf League nee Association of Surfing Professionals traveled there for “Search” event. The waves were perfect, pumping overhead barrels, and the late, great Andy Irons took the cup with an unforgettable performance in what is still considered “the greatest contest of all-time.”
Back to our modern day, the source shared that he/she rolled up to Barra’s gate and was met by a woman informing him the beach was closed for a private event from Tuesday through Thursday. It was initially assumed it was for a contest but, through some sleuthing, discovered the middle-aged Southern Californian buy.
The local folks were not happy, being shut out of the homebreak and, moreover, setting the precedent that a wave like Barra can be purchased by wealthy interlopers.
Wealth disparity etc.
On the surface, $20,000 for three days of Barra de la Cruz seems like the deal of the century. But in this climate where more and more is going to fewer and fewer the optics, as they say, might be not great.
Thoughts?
And if you could rent one wave in the world for three days, which would you choose?
