Kelly Slater

Multi time surfing world champion

Kelly Slater (b. Robert Kelly Slater February 11, 1972, Cocoa Beach, Florida) is the most successful professional surfer in the history of the sport.

Slater is an eight time world champion, and competed in the X-Games in 2003 and 2004. In May 2005 in the final of the Billabong Tahiti Pro contest at Teahupoo, Slater became the first to score two perfect rides for a total 20 out of 20 ASP two-wave scoring system. The corresponding honour under the previous three-wave system belongs to Shane Beschen from 1996.

Trivia
In 1999 he appeared alongside Garbage singer Shirley Manson in the promotional video for the Garbage single "You Look So Fine". He played a man washed up on a sea shore, rescued by Manson.

Biography
A videogame by Treyarch and Activision named Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer was released September 17, 2002 (he also appeared in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 prior to this). In 2003 he released an autobiography called, "Pipe Dreams: A Surfer's Journey."

Slater has been romantically linked in the past to Pamela Anderson, and most recently (in 2005) Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen. Now, he is linked to Cameron Diaz, after her split from Justin Timberlake. They were seen in Hawaii, Slater giving her surfing lessons.

His favorite waves are Pipe in Hawaii and Kirra in Australia.

Slater is passionate about preserving oceans globally and protecting temperate reefs in California through his relationship with Reef Check. He is also involved with poverty reduction organization such as The Borgen Project.

In his spare time he plays guitar, and during the 90's he formed a band called The Surfers which released an album of surf music, Songs From the Pipe. He performed a song with musician friend Ben Harper during Harper's concert in Santa Barbara, California on August 15, 2006. He also performed "Rockin' in The free World" with grunge band Pearl Jam on the July 7, 2006 in San Diego.

Slater has had a long time rivalry with top surfer Andy Irons since he lost the world title to Andy in 2003.

Career

Stats
Career victories:36
WCT victories: 33
World titles:8
Slater is currently sharing the first place for most WCT victories with Tom Curren (both have 33 WCT victories).

History
2006

The Sixth Element movie
Quiksilver Pro (Gold Coast, Australia)
Rip Curl Pro (Bells Beach, Australia)
2005

Billabong Pro (Teahupoo, Tahiti)
The Globe WCT (Fiji)
Billabong Pro (South Africa)
The Boost Mobile Pro (Trestles, California)
2004

Snickers Australian Open (QS)
Energy Australia Open (QS)
2003

Billabong Pro (Teahupoo, Tahiti)
Billabong Pro (South Africa)
Billabong Pro (Mundaka, Spain)
Nova Schin Festival (Brazil)
2002

The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau (Specialty-Hawaii)

2000

Gotcha Tahiti Pro presented by Globe (Tahiti)
1999

Mountain Dew Pipe Masters (Hawaii)

1997

Coke Surf Classic (Australia)
Billabong Pro (Australia)
Tokushima Pro (Japan)
Marui Pro (Japan)
Kaiser Summer Surf WCT (Brazil)
Grand Slam (Specialty-Australia)
Typhoon Lagoon Surf Challenge (Specialty-USA)
1996

Coke Surf Classic (Australia)
Rip Curl Pro Saint Leu (Reunion Island)
CSI pres. Billabong Pro (South Africa)
U.S. Open (California)
Rip Curl Pro Hossegor (France)
Quiksilver Surfmasters (France)
Chiemsee Pipe Masters (Hawaii)
Sud Ouest Trophee (Specialty-France)
Da Hui Backdoor Shootout (Specialty-Hawaii)

1995

Quiksilver Pro (Indonesia)
Chiemsee Pipe Masters (Hawaii)
Triple Crown of Surfing (Specialty-Hawaii)
1994

Rip Curl Pro (Australia)
Gotcha Lacanau Pro (France)
Chiemsee Pipe Masters (Hawaii)
The Bud Surf Tour (WQS-USA)
The Bud Surf Tour (WQS-USA)
Sud Ouest Trophee (Specialty-France)
1993

Marui Pro (Japan)
1992

Rip Curl Pro Landes (France)
Marui Masters (Hawaii)

References
^ The Perfect Heat, Tracks magazine, March 2006, page 70 (Shane Beschen 30 out of 30 at the Kirra Pro 1996)
^ Kelly Slater Biography. Kidzworld. Retrieved on 2006-02-07.
^ Grossman, Hillard. "Brevard's own Kelly Slater: Surfing Superman, regular guy", Florida Today, 2002-05-26. Retrieved on 2007-02-07.

External links
Kelly Slater Interview
Kelly Slater Gallery and Fanlisting
extensive biography and interview on Florida Today
Kelly Slater on IMDB
Kelly Slater information site

(Credit: Wikipedia)

Profiles

Surfing