https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690218791997 International Review for the Sociology of Sport 1–17 © The Author(s) 2018 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/1012690218791997 journals.sagepub.com/home/irs Waves of simulation: Arguing authenticity in an era of surfing the hyperreal Michael Roberts 1 and Jess Ponting 2 Abstract This article is an examination of the impact of new, technologically sophisticated wave pools upon the culture of surfers. Appropriating the concepts of simulation from the work of postmodern theorist Jean Baudrillard, and mechanical reproduction from the critical theorist Walter Benjamin, we consider how the spectre of perfectly simulated waves in controlled environments has signaled a new era in the history of the social construction and contestation of authenticity within the surfing world. Through an examination of interview and survey data that reveals contrasting perspectives on wave pools, we consider the implications of the possibility that with the invention of the perfectly simulated wave, the experience of riding a wave will be detached from the domain of tradition that is known as the surfing lifestyle. Our article compliments previously published research on lifestyle sports that take place in artificial settings. Keywords authenticity, Baudrillard, hyperreal, Kelly Slater, surf culture, surfing, Walter Benjamin, wave pools Fake president, fake news, now fake waves – devolution in the USA. (squid108, anonymous commentator http://www.Surfline.com) Introduction In December of 2015, the 11-time-world-champion professional surfer Kelly Slater unveiled what many in the surfing community are calling the best man-made wave ever created (Housman, 2015). Within one week of uploading his video on the internet, Slater had over 9 million views (Mozingo, 2016). Nobody in the surfing community who has 1 Department of Sociology, San Diego State University, USA 2 L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, San Diego State University, USA Corresponding author: Michael Roberts, Department of Sociology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182-4423, USA. Email: mroberts@sdsu.edu 791997IRS 0 0 10.1177/1012690218791997International Review for the Sociology of SportRoberts and Ponting research-article 2018 Research Article