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What does a $2.2 million permit for Lemoore’s Surf Ranch mean for site?

By Cherie Arambel

carambel@fresnobee.com
According to The Hanford Sentinel, a new $2.2 million building permit was issued March 14 by Kings County for installation of more wave technology at pro surfer Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch in Lemoore.
According to The Hanford Sentinel, a new $2.2 million building permit was issued March 14 by Kings County for installation of more wave technology at pro surfer Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch in Lemoore. Kirstin Scholtz Getty Images file

Changes are afoot for the private surf park in Lemoore owned by accomplished pro surfer Kelly Slater.

According to The Hanford Sentinel, a new $2.2 million building permit was issued March 14 by Kings County supervisors for installation of more wave technology at what is known as Surf Ranch.

Slater has owned the 20-acre property near Phoenix Sunrise Golf Course since 2014. The property includes a man-made lake that’s 700 yards long by 70 yards wide with a machine that creates a wave that’s about 7 feet tall with a perfect barrel.

In 2015, Slater posted a video online of himself riding a wave at the site 100 miles from the Pacific Ocean.

 

Checkout my tractor at the #SurfRanch. It came with the property and actually drives pretty well. I've been reminiscing about everything happening at @KSWaveCo and Surf Ranch over the last year and a half. 110 miles from the coast, who would have thought we'd have the wave we have? It’s been such a humbling and exciting experience bringing this wave to life with my team and receiving the overwhelming support from the surf community all over the world. The sheer number of people I talk to about it on a daily basis is unbelievable. I know everyone is wondering what’s next for the Surf Ranch, and there’s been a few rumors floating around, so I thought I would send out an update. This prototype system in Lemoore was created to prove out the fundamental concept of the design and technology, our version 1.0. That wave blew my mind, but I also immediately saw ways we could improve it. We got right to work in the lab. The feedback we received from dozens of surfers (not only CT level) was incredibly helpful. And a few months ago we did what obsessive people do: we took something great and took it apart to create something even better. This will mean more waves, more sections and the goofy footers might be pretty excited too. Also, I can’t say officially, but there’s some exciting projects on the horizon and I look forward to sharing more with you as the year unfolds.

A post shared by Kelly Slater (@kellyslater) on

So with this kind of permit, could the private Surf Ranch be opened to the public at some point?

According to an Instagram post Slater issued three weeks ago, “There’s some exciting projects on the horizon and I look forward to sharing more with you as the year unfolds.”

About the the wave-making technology at Surf Ranch, Slater’s post reads, “The feedback we received from dozens of surfers … was incredibly helpful. And a few months ago we did what obsessive people do: We took something great and took it apart to create something even better. This will mean more waves, more sections and the goofy footers might be pretty excited too.”

Currently, Slater is working on “Surf Ranch Florida,” a proposed spot on 80 acres in Palm Beach County that includes a man-made surfing lake, according to the Sun Sentinel.

This story was originally published March 30, 2017 at 7:19 PM with the headline "What does a $2.2 million permit for Lemoore’s Surf Ranch mean for site?."

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