Live updates: World's top surfers compete on the 'perfect wave' at Surf Ranch in Lemoore

»» For LIVE UPDATES from the FOUNDERS CUP surf competition in Lemoore, follow reporter @TravidDGibson on Twitter.

Update: 5:40 p.m.

After a fantastic first day of competition, sports reporter Travis Gibson is packing up and heading back to the Central Coast. Make sure to check back, as we'll add more photos and video from the Founders Cup in Lemoore.

Update: 4 p.m.

The second round of action at the Founders Cup is being delayed while engineers try to fix a problem with the wave. With it being the first event held at Surf Ranch in Lemoore, some glitches are to be expected.

Update: 12 p.m.

Two-time world champion John John Florence of Hawaii struggled in his first two runs on the "perfect wave" in Lemoore, falling twice. The first round of action continues at the Founders Cup at Surf Ranch.

Update: 11 a.m.

SLO Tribune sports reporter was live on Facebook to broadcast a few runs from some of the best surfers in the world. He is documenting the Founders Cup at Kelly Slater's Surf Ranch in Lemoore California, a man-made wave pool that creates the "perfect wave."

Update: 10:25 a.m.

The surfing has begun in Lemoore, as surfers from Japan, Australia and California take on the "perfect wave" at Surf Ranch for the Founders Cup.

Original Story

The future of surfing has arrived in the unlikeliest of places. It's here in Lemoore, 100 miles from the closest beach, where 25 of the best surfers in the world have gathered in the middle of sprawling Central California farmland to ride the best man-made wave in the world.

Saturday morning marks the start of the World Surf League’s Founders Cup of Surfing, the inaugural surf contest at the WSL Surf Ranch where, after 10 years of research and development, 11-time world champion surfer Kelly Slater and a team of engineers found a way to create the perfect wave and usher in a new era surfing. The result of Slater's work is a 6.5-foot, barreling wave, capable of left and rights, created with a system of hydrofoils on a 2,000 foot-long, 500 foot-wide man-made lake that was originally built for water skiing.

The surfing community has been buzzing, and debating, since Slater first leaked video of the machine-generated wave back in 2015 and a select few have seen the latest in wave-making technology first-hand. But Saturday marks the first time the facility is open to the public for the Founder’s Cup.

The Tribune is on hand during Day 1 of the contest to bring you live updates from the event which features some of the biggest names in surfing taking turns on the wave including Mick Fanning, Gabriel Medina, John John Florence and even Slater himself.

Format

The event is made up of five region based teams including USA, Brazil, Australia, Europe and a World Team. Each team has three male and two female surfers. Each surfer will surf two waves — one left and one right — per round, and judges will score each wave on a 10 scale. The teams with the highest scores will advance. Round 1 and Round 2 will be held Saturday followed by Round 3 and the Final Round, featuring the three best teams, on Sunday.

Teams

Team Australia: Mick Fanning, Tyler Wright, Joel Parkinson, Matt Wilkinson, Stephanie Gilmore

Team Brazil: Gabriel Medina, Taina Hinckel, Adriano de Souza, Filipe Toledo, Silvana Lima

Team USA: John John Florence, Carissa Moore, Lakey Peterson, Kolohe Andino, Kelly Slater

Team Europe: Johanne Defay, Leonardo Fioravanti, Jeremy Flores, Frederico Morais, Frankie Harrer

Team World: Jordy Smith, Paige Hareb, Kanoa Igarashi, Bianca Buitendag, Michel Bourez

Stay tuned for updates throughout the day including photos, videos of surfers competing and a tour of the facility. You can also watch the event live on CBS from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. and at WorldSurfLeague.com.

This story was originally published May 5, 2018 at 10:08 AM with the headline "Live updates: World's top surfers compete on the 'perfect wave' at Surf Ranch in Lemoore."