Kelly Slater facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kelly Slater |
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Slater in 2017
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| Personal information | |
| Born | Robert Kelly Slater February 11, 1972 Cocoa Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Residence | Haleiwa, Hawaii, U.S. San Clemente, California, U.S. Cocoa Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) |
| Weight | 165 lb (75 kg) |
| Surfing career | |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Major achievements |
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| Surfing specifications | |
| Favorite waves | Cloudbreak, Pipeline, Teahupo'o, Trespass at Deerfield Beach Pier, Sebastian Inlet, and Lower Trestles |
| Favorite maneuvers | Barrels |
Robert Kelly Slater (born February 11, 1972) is an American professional surfer. He has won the World Surf League championship a record 11 times. Many people think he is the greatest professional surfer of all time. He has won 56 Championship Tour events.
Kelly Slater has also won the Laureus World Sports Awards for Action Sportsperson of the Year four times. He received the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025. He is the oldest surfer still competing in the World Surf League. He won his 8th Billabong Pipeline Masters title when he was 49 years old.
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Kelly's Early Life
Kelly Slater grew up in Cocoa Beach, Florida, where he still lives. His parents are Stephen Slater and Judy Moriarity. He has two brothers, Sean and Stephen.
Kelly's dad owned a bait store, so Kelly grew up close to the ocean. He started surfing when he was just five years old. By the time he was 10, he was winning surfing events all along the Atlantic coast. In 1984, he won his first United States championship title for his age group. He continued to do well in junior championships around the world. Kelly went to Cocoa Beach High School.
Kelly's Professional Surfing Career
Kelly became a professional surfer in 1990. He quickly won his first contest on the Bud Pro Tour, which was the qualifying tour for the World Surf League. He then joined the World Surf League Championship Tour in 1991.
His first year on the tour was tough, and he was ranked 43rd. But in 1992, he started getting top-three finishes. He won his first professional tour event, the Rip Curl Pro, in France. That same year, he won the famous Pipeline Masters in Hawaii. This win made him the World Champion at age 20, making him the youngest surfing world champion ever!
After finishing sixth in 1993, Kelly came back strong. He won five world titles in a row from 1994 to 1998. During this time, surfing events became very popular on TV. He took a break from competitive surfing at the end of 1998. He returned to the pro tour in 2002.
Sponsors and Surfboard Gear
For a long time, Kelly Slater used Channel Islands Surfboards with his own special FCS fins. Later, he started riding Firewire surfboards. He even bought the company in 2014! In 2016, Kelly launched his own line of surfboards called Slater Designs. As of August 2017, there were four different Slater Designs boards available from Firewire.
From 1990 until 2014, Kelly was sponsored by the big surfwear company Quiksilver. After leaving Quiksilver, Kelly helped create a new clothing company called Outerknown. This company focuses on making eco-friendly and sustainable clothes using recycled materials.
Amazing Accomplishments
Surfing Skills
Growing up in Florida, Kelly wasn't always comfortable with huge waves. But a trip to Oahu in 1987 changed that. He saw massive waves and learned from experienced surfers. This helped him become confident in big surf.
Some of Kelly's favorite surf spots include Lower Trestles in San Clemente, California, Pipeline in Hawaii, and Sebastian Inlet near his home in Florida.
In 2022, Kelly won his eighth Pro Pipeline surfing title at the Pipe Masters in Hawaii. This was 30 years after his first win there! In 2023, he shared that he wanted to try and qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
In May 2005, Kelly made history at the Billabong Tahiti Pro. He was the first surfer to get two perfect scores in one heat, totaling 20 out of 20 points! He did it again in June 2013 at the Volcom Fiji Pro.
Kelly is also the oldest surfer to get a perfect ten-point ride in a World Surf League competition. He did this at age 47 at the 2019 Billabong Pipe Masters.
Music and TV Appearances
Kelly Slater plays guitar and ukulele. He has performed with famous musicians like Jack Johnson and Angus Stone. In the mid-1990s, Kelly formed a band called The Surfers with Rob Machado and Peter King. They released an album in 1998 called Songs from the Pipe.
Kelly also appeared on the popular TV show Baywatch as a character named Jimmy Slade. He was in seven episodes in the early 1990s. He has also been in many surf films.
A video game called Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer was released in 2002. Kelly also appeared as a character in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.
Helping the Environment
Kelly Slater cares a lot about living a healthy and clean life. He also works to protect oceans around the world. He supports organizations like Reef Check that help protect ocean reefs in California.
He is also on the Board of Advisors for the ocean conservation group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Other Cool Projects
Outerknown Clothing
In 2014, Kelly Slater left his long-time sponsor, Quiksilver. He wanted to start a clothing brand that focused on protecting the environment. This led to "Outerknown," which uses recycled materials and sustainable ways of making clothes.
Purps Drinks
In 2014, Kelly also started a drink company called Purps. He worked with RVCA founder Pat Tenore and Dr. Chris Schaumburg on this project.
Kelly Slater Wave Company
Kelly spent ten years working on a special "experiment" to create the perfect inland wave pool. He designed the wave to be like some of the best surfing spots in the world. The project was a huge success! The surfing world was very excited about this perfect, man-made wave. In 2016, the World Surf League (WSL) bought a big part of Kelly Slater Wave Company (KSWC).
Kelly Slater Surf Ranch
The WSL held a test event for professional surfers at the Kelly Slater Surf Ranch in Lemoore, California, on September 19, 2017. The Surf Ranch also hosted the WSL Founders Cup in May 2018. This event had five teams of surfers from different parts of the world. The WSL Surf Ranch is a private and exclusive place.
Future Wave Pools
There are plans to build more wave pools based on Kelly's design. One proposed project is Coral Mountain in La Quinta, California. It would be a large complex with a hotel and homes built around a surfing basin.
Freaks of Nature Skincare
In 2024, Kelly Slater started a skincare company called Freaks of Nature. Its main product is sunscreen.
Competitive Achievements
Kelly Slater has won the World Surf League Champion title a record 11 times. This includes five wins in a row from 1994 to 1998. He is both the youngest (at age 20) and the oldest (at age 39) surfer to win the WSL men's title.
When he won his fifth world title in 1997, Kelly became the most successful male champion in surfing history. In 2007, he also became the surfer with the most career event wins. He passed his childhood hero, Tom Curren, who was a three-time world champion.
Personal Life
Kelly enjoys playing golf and practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu. His biggest surfing inspiration is Tom Curren, who was the first American surfer to win a World Title. Kelly got to compete against Tom when he joined the tour in 1991. Big wave surfers Todd Chesser and Brock Little also helped guide him when he was a teenager.
Kelly has a daughter named Taylor, who was born in 1996. His long-term girlfriend is Kalani Miller. They welcomed a baby together in August 2023.
Movies and TV Shows
Movies
- Surfers – The Movie (1990)
- Kelly Slater in Black and White (1991)
- Momentum 1 (1992)
- Focus (1994)
- Endless Summer II (1994)
- Factory Seconds (1995)
- Momentum 2 (1996)
- Good Times (1996)
- Kelly Slater in Kolor (1997)
- The Show (1997)
- Loose Change (1999)
- Hit & Run (2000)
- Thicker than Water (2000)
- September Sessions (2002)
- Step into Liquid (2003)
- Campaign 1 (2003)
- Riding Giants (2004)
- Young Guns 1, 2 & 3 (2004–2008)
- Campaign 2 (2005)
- Letting Go (2006)
- Surf's Up (2007)
- Down the Barrel (2007)
- One Track Mind (2008)
- Kelly Slater Letting Go (2008)
- Waveriders (2008)
- The Ocean (2008)
- A Fly in the Champagne (2009) (featuring Kelly Slater and Andy Irons)
- Cloud 9 (2009)
- Keep Surfing (2009)
- Ultimate Wave Tahiti (2010)
- Fighting Fear (2011)
- Wave Warriors 3
- View from a Blue Moon (2015)
- Andy Irons: Kissed by God (2018)
- Momentum Generation (2018)
TV Shows
- Baywatch, 7 episodes (1992–1996)
- The Jersey, surfing episode 18 (2001)
- Lilo & Stitch: The Series, 2 episodes (2003) as Surfer (voice)
- The Girls Next Door, "Surf's Up" (one episode)
- The Ultimate Surfer, "Kelly-vision" cameos
- Kelly Slater: Lost Tapes, 11 episodes (2022)
- Make or Break, 2 seasons (2022–2023)
Video Games
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (2001)
- Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer (2002)
Books About Kelly
- Pipe Dreams: A Surfer's Journey (2003)
- Kelly Slater: For the Love (2008)
Images for kids
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Aerial photograph of 80-acre parcel of land in South Florida proposed to be developed with surf facility (outlined in red).
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Slater competing at the US Open at Huntington Beach, 2011
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See also
In Spanish: Kelly Slater para niños
