Slater does what he does best… and has been doing it for a long, long time. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Surfing is weird. In a good way, but it’s weird. There aren’t many other sports or activities or whatever you want to call surfing where you get to share the playing field with the best in the world. But surfing? It happens.
That’s how it was in the Mentawai Islands when Kandui took off. Sure, most of the surfers were better than the world average, but if you found yourself on a boat with Kandui way ahead of you, you’re probably not a bad guy. Kelly is an 11-time world champion, though, so it’s likely that there were at least a few surfers paddling around who surfed like stars.
But that’s the ocean, right? A great equalizer. We all fall, even Kelly. He just doesn’t fall as often.
“Kelly Slater made an appearance and put on a show for everyone on board,” Jesse Little wrote on YouTube.
Kelly may be a little older, but he still carries himself like a young man, especially when the waves are rolling. He’s lithe, flexible and strong. Functional fitness, so to speak. Not stocky like a bodybuilder, not spindly like a marathon runner. He still surfs with the best – maybe not as much as he used to, but definitely not. He’s known to prioritize health and fitness, which is what you have to do if you’re going to compete in a physical sport in your fifties, and he’s happy to explain how he stays in top shape.
And he stays in top shape so he can continue to do what you see in this video. What better reason?
