The wave demigod, Kelly Slater, has experienced numerous terrifying experiences within the surfing arena. However, the 11x world surf league champion once encountered rather a heart-wrenching episode outside his field of sport.
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In 1990, when Slater was touring around the world for participating in various surfing championships, he once experienced in-flight turbulence, which accounts for one of the scariest flights the surfer has ever been to.
Kelly Slater’s scariest aircraft journey
A couple of years back, Kelly Slater appeared in an interview with Men’s journal, where he profoundly chatted with the host about his world tours and championships. At one point, the host asked the surfer about the scariest flight he has ever been on.
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Slater’s horrific experience dates way back to when he was just 18 and was already winning hearts around the globe. Reminiscing about his 1990 ISA World Surfing Championship, Kelly answered, “Landing in Miyazaki in 1990 for the World Amateur Champs”, was a frightening experience. Explaining the turbulence, Slater further added, “There was a typhoon and heavy winds”.
As per Slater’s revelations, the aircraft has a camera installed on its sole, which was showing the live footage to the passengers. Hence, because of the turbulence, “the plane showing the live landing and the plane came down, front wheel first”, recalled the 50-year-old.
Moreover, as soon as the plane landed, the camera went shut. On which, the surfer cited, “I thought we had a crash landing on our hands”. Clearly, the then-18-year-old Kelly Slater’s turbulent flight journey became one of the scariest air rides of his life.
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RIO DE JANEIRO, RIO – MAY 12: Kelly Slater of the United States of America surfs during his Round 1 heat at the Oi Rio Pro on May 12, 2015 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Daniel Smorigo/World Surf League via Getty Images)
Interestingly, the 1990 World Amateur Championship turned out to be the stepping stone of Kelly’s career. After the championship, Slater became a surfing pro at the young age of 18. The turbulent flight might have terrified the young Slater, but it proved to be the source of his destination.
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