KELLY
SLATER

Arguably, Kelly Slater is the greatest surfer of all time, holding nearly every major record in the sport — including 11 world titles and 55 career victories — as well as being the youngest and oldest World Champion in men’s history. He captured his first world title in 1992 at the age of 20, and his last in 2011, at 39. His most dominant days were the mid-90s, when he won five straight titles between 1993-1998, surfing lightyears ahead of his peers. in 1999, Slater tried his hand at retirement, but after Andy Irons emerged as a new threat on the Tour, Slater’s hypercompetitive drive was rekindled. He rejoined the tour full-time in 2002 and over the next five years faced his toughest rival in Hawaiian Irons, who got the better of him for three straight years. Their heated battles became the most compelling in the sport’s history. Slater finally reclaimed the title in 2005 and repeated the feat in 2006, putting an end to Irons’ reign era. Averse to retirement, in 2019, at age 47, he claimed his third Vans Triple Crown title. Slater’s storied contribution to the institute of surfing include now the state-of-the-art wave pool that he and his team of engineers brought to life in 2015.

This board is on loan from the Spencer Croul Collection.
Portrait photo © Dan Merkel