Ever since Adriano de Souza won the world’s most forgettable world title, Kelly Slater’s wave has been the talk of the party. Just a few hours after ADS hoisted the trophy above his head, Kelly Slater dropped surfing’s biggest bombshell: a wave he’d been developing for over a decade. Everyone’s got questions about it, and there aren’t many answers. We do know, however, that if/when surfing gets into the Olympics, Kelly Slater’s wave won’t be part of it–yet. We know it’s in Lemoore, CA, thanks to some internet sleuthing. We knowthat the WSL bought it, presumably for use in future events. But apart from that, we don’t know much about Kelly Slater Wave Co’s plans for the future. Will we see it in malls all over the country? Will it become the catalyst for a wave pool revolution that divides the sport of surfing? It might very well do both of those things… and it might all start in a San Diego shopping center called Seaport Village.
Seaport Village has been around for almost 40 years, but a redevelopment being proposed would see some huge changes. Situated on San Diego’s downtown waterfront, developers have just pitched a makeover on an enormous scale, including a ferris wheel, hotels, a promenade, and of course, Kelly Slater’s wave pool.
There are six different proposals, all by different developers. In the interests of keeping this interesting, let’s look at the one that includes Kelly Slater’s wave. Called SeaPort, the development would be over a million square feet in size, and would include “515 rooms in three hotels; 250,000 square feet of maritime related office space with 60,000 square feet managed by Real Office Centers for early-stage companies; 330,000 square feet of retail and restaurants and “The Catch” seafood marketplace; 25,000-square-foot cultural performance venue attached to one of the hotels; 40,000-square-foot Equinox Fitness Club; Kelly Slater Wave first-of-its-kind wave-making pool for surfing covering much of Embarcadero Marina Park North; a recreational marina with a high-diving board.”
Of course, this is all still in the proposal stage. And even if those proposals go through, according to the San Diego Union Tribune, Kelly’s wave might not be included. “Several emphasized that the proposals are only concepts at this point and the final elements and their design are subject to negotiation with the port,” wrote Roger Showley, a reporter for the paper. If all does go as planned, though, construction could begin by 2019.
Read the full proposal HERE.
