Stand Up Paddling All Stars strut their stuff in Abu Dhabi
Such a stark contract, the Wadi Wave Pool.
After three days of man-made wave surfing in the Wadi Wave pool, Kai Lenny emerged the winner over US paddler Sean Poynter in what was a big battle, for such a little pool. The Hawaiian Lenny gained some valuable points in the judging tower by boosting some massive airs, which are incredibly difficult in the small waves on offer by the Wadi wave pool. If you’re wondering how it works, the guys from Wadi explain it best:
“At the back of the pool you’ll find 10 chambers – these extend from the pool’s water level to above the logo on the back wall. These chambers are filled (using five 420kw pumps) and then released to displace the water at the back of the pool, forming waves! Each chamber is sealed at the water level with a “trap door” – the trap doors are released in different orders at different times to generate the different wave settings. The size of the waves is determined by the length of time that the chambers are left to fill up – the longer the chambers stay closed, the more water is pumped into the chambers, and the more water will be displaced in the pool when they are released, so bigger the wave.”
The Wadi Wave pool is capable of making 3.3 meter high waves every 90 seconds. Perfectly sized for stand up paddle, this is the second event in Al Ain, a fast growing area in the middle east thanks to developments like the Wadi Adventure complex.
Stay tuned next week to hear how the flat water racing went, with Lenny going straight from his surfboard to the racer. Will he take both wins?
Watch the surfing action from Day Three below