When world champions paddle out under Hudayriyat Island's floodlights this weekend, they will be surfing a wave unlike any other on earth - one that never misses a beat.

The Surf Abu Dhabi Longboard Classic 2025 has brought together the sport's elite, including two-time world champion Taylor Jensen, defending event winners Stevie Sawyer and Alice Lemoigne, and American world champion Rachel Tilly, who described the UAE stop as“something that we don't get to experience anywhere else in the world.”

“It really forces your technical surfing to be perfect,” said Jensen.“If you have any wobble, it can mess up the timing for the rest of your wave, so your fundamentals stand out here - and it makes you a better surfer.” Jensen, who began surfing at the age of six and now competes at 41, said the controlled precision of the pool demands a different rhythm than the sea.“This wave is really rhythmic. As soon as you miss a beat, the rest of the wave kind of falls apart on you,” he explained.“It's all about finding the rhythm and letting it flow.”

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South African defending champion Sawyer agreed, calling Surf Abu Dhabi's man-made perfection“the best artificial wave in the world”.

“In the ocean it relies on intuition, but over here it's strategy,” he explained.“If you shift your routine, you change the whole ride.” For Lemoigne, who returns from Réunion Island, the challenge is pure joy.“This year the wave's bigger, so we are having so much fun,” she said.“It's going to be a fun week.” The contest, running from October 24–26, marks the final stop in a three-event world longboard tour, hosted at what organisers describe as the world's most advanced surf facility - home to the world's longest ride and largest barrel.

Beyond the competition, the athletes recognise they are helping shape a scene from the ground up.“Coming to somewhere that doesn't have a surf culture and introducing surfing to the fans here is such a unique experience,” Jensen said.“To surf a cutting-edge wave pool like this-everything here is incredible.”

Sawyer, whose charisma matched his barrel-riding prowess, put it more vividly:“Coming onto this island is like stepping onto Mars. Everything is bigger, better, faster,” he said.“There's not another wave pool like this in the world, and it's amazing to see how quickly local surfers are improving.”

Tilly, who first began surfing in San Clemente, California at age four, reflected in a later interview on what longboarding means to her.“I love that it gives you freedom of expression. You're truly dancing with the wave,” she said.“When you're nose-riding, it feels like flying-but even more, it feels like peace.”

For those of us watching from the deck, the temptation to test those“perfect” waves is irresistible - at least until you are told how to fall properly to avoid hitting your head on the concrete bottom. Guided by Surf Abu Dhabi trainers Mouna Boumar and Clara Miranda, I attempted to join the ranks of the brave.

Having failed spectacularly at every water-balance sport I've ever tried, I expected disaster. Yet somehow, as the wave propelled my board forward, my body followed the rhythm. I took on 12 waves, managed to remain standing till I was instructed to jump six times.

The ride felt both fleeting and hypnotic - nothing like the adrenaline-charged euphoria surfers describe, but enough to understand why they chase it. Driven by motivation by Biumar when she challenged to stay up longer than my fellow amateur surfer, my last wave was the longest I managed to stay upright. It was too quick to experience a 'magical moment', but now I am willing to give surfing a shot and find out. I can only imagine how much more challenging it would be in open water, without a personal assistant telling me which direction to move my board, when to paddle and get up, or someone controlling the size of beginner waves coming our way.

As the professionals fine-tune their routines for competition, they share one truth: surfing here is not easier than the ocean - it is simply different. It is choreography rather than chaos, rhythm rather than randomness, precision over instinct.“You have to forget what you learned before,” said Sawyer.“You can't approach this wave like last year's. It's absolutely different, which makes it a level playing field.”

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