1. Robert Kelly Slater was born on February 11,1972 and is an American professional surfer who has been crowned World Surf League champion a record 11 times.
39 Facts About Kelly Slater
1. 2.
Kelly Slater is widely regarded as the greatest professional surfer of all time, and holds 56 Championship Tour victories.
3.
Kelly Slater is the oldest surfer still active on the World Surf League, winning his 8th Billabong Pipeline Masters title at age 49.
4.
Kelly Slater is the son of Stephen Slater and Judy Moriarity.
5.
The son of a bait-store proprietor, Kelly Slater grew up near the water, and he began surfing at age five.
6.
Kelly Slater turned pro in 1990 and qualified for the Bud Pro Tour.
7.
Kelly Slater finished sixth in the 1993 rankings but came back to win 5 world titles in a row from 1994 to 1998, during which time televised surfing events had become increasingly popular.
8.
Kelly Slater then took a break from competitive surfing at the end of 1998, before returning to the world pro tour in 2002.
9.
Since 1990 Kelly Slater had been sponsored primarily by surfwear industry giant Quiksilver until his departure on April 1,2014.
10.
Kelly Slater, having grown up in Florida, was never truly comfortable in waves of consequence until a trip to Oahu in 1987.
11.
Kelly Slater drove to Makaha, where he was greeted with 40' waves breaking across the bay.
12.
Kelly Slater parked and saw Brandon "Big Wave" Davis waxing up his 11' board.
13.
Big Wave Davis simply gave Kelly Slater a wink and they paddled out, trading waves all afternoon.
14.
In 2022, Kelly Slater won his eighth Pro Pipeline surfing title at the Pipe Masters in Hawaii, 30 years after his first win.
15.
Kelly Slater plays guitar and ukulele, and has performed with Jack Johnson and Angus Stone.
16.
Kelly Slater toured Australia with his band, performing in venues such as the Opera House and Parliament House.
17.
Kelly Slater performed a song with Ben Harper during Harper's concert in Santa Barbara on August 1,2006.
18.
Kelly Slater performed Rockin' in the Free World with grunge band Pearl Jam on July 7,2006, in San Diego.
19.
Kelly Slater played a man washed up on a seashore, then rescued by Manson.
20.
Kelly Slater played the recurring character Jimmy Slade on seven episodes of the popular TV show Baywatch in the early 1990s.
21.
Kelly Slater appeared in an episode of the reality show The Girls Next Door, and has starred in many surf films during his career.
22.
Kelly Slater appeared as a playable character in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 prior to this, complete with a surfboard.
23.
Kelly Slater is an advocate of a sustainable and clean living lifestyle.
24.
Kelly Slater is a fundraiser and spokesperson for suicide prevention awareness.
25.
Kelly Slater is passionate about preserving oceans globally and protecting temperate reefs in California through his relationship with Reef Check.
26.
Kelly Slater is on the Board of Advisors of ocean conservation organization Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
27.
In 2014 Kelly Slater ended his 20-year partnership with apparel brand Quiksilver.
28.
In 2014, Kelly Slater launched the beverage company Purps in collaboration with RVCA founder Pat Tenore and Dr Chris Schaumburg.
29.
Since 2013, Kelly Slater has been a brand ambassador for The Chia Company, based in western Australia.
30.
Kelly Slater modeled the wave after a combination of Lower Trestles, California, a tubing wave on Oahu, Hawaii, and a secret right in Micronesia in the Marshall Islands.
31.
Kelly Slater is the youngest and the oldest to win the WSL men's title.
32.
On winning his fifth world title in 1997, Kelly Slater passed Australian surfer Mark Richards to become the most successful male champion in the history of the sport.
33.
In May 2005, in the final heat of the Billabong Tahiti Pro contest at Teahupo'o, Kelly Slater became the first surfer ever to be awarded two perfect scores for a total 20 out of 20 points under the ASP two-wave scoring system.
34.
Kelly Slater did it again in June 2013 at the quarter finals at the Volcom Fiji Pro with two perfect ten waves, only the fourth person in history to do so.
35.
Kelly Slater is the oldest surfer to perform a ten-point ride in World Surf League competition at the age of 47 at the 2019 Billabong Pipe Masters.
36.
Kelly Slater is an avid golfer and practices the sport of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
37.
Kelly Slater got his chance to compete against him when Kelly Slater became a full time tour competitor in 1991.
38.
Kelly Slater dated Pamela Anderson for several years in the early 1990s, sometimes not exclusively, meeting her on the set of Baywatch.
39.
Kelly Slater was in a relationship with Gisele Bundchen from 2005 to 2006, and Cameron Diaz in 2007.