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JEFFREYS BAY, EASTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA – JULY 14: Eleven-time WSL Champion Kelly Slater of the United States after surfing in Heat 6 of the Elimination Round at the Corona Open J-Bay on July 14, 2022 at Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa. (Photo by Beatriz Ryder/World Surf League via Getty Images)
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JEFFREYS BAY, EASTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA – JULY 14: Eleven-time WSL Champion Kelly Slater of the United States after surfing in Heat 6 of the Elimination Round at the Corona Open J-Bay on July 14, 2022 at Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa. (Photo by Beatriz Ryder/World Surf League via Getty Images)
When it comes to surfing, Kelly Slater needs no introduction. As the sport itself takes a lot of guts to participate in, only someone like Slater can make it look easy. Given he is the 11-time World Surf League champion, it makes him the most decorated surfer. Currently, at 50, the surfing champ is still going strong in his sport. His rivals are just no competition for him!
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Back in 2019, Graham Bensinger had a lot of questions for the most decorated surfer ever. He asked Slater about the technology that could have helped him prepare for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. And Slater revealed how the technology did not work for him.
Technology that Kelly Slater needed
Wave technology wasn’t something new for Kelly Slater. He had heard about the plan from the guy who shaved his boards back in 2004 or 2005, according to him.
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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 14: Kelly Slater of the United States rides a wave into shore during the Boost Bondi Beach SurfSho at Bondi Beach on March 14, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
“We worked for so long to try to get someone to believe in this project and what we were doing,” Slater said. “And essentially that wasn’t happening.”
Even after multiple attempts by the legendary surfer himself, no one was ready to believe in the project.
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Sweepstakes ends June 16th@outerknown_live @firewireboards #OKFijiPro pic.twitter.com/otDwcu5NGD— Kelly Slater (@kellyslater) June 15, 2017
“Jeff and I just said look we either need to shut this project down and go build it ourselves,” Slater said. “That was the scary moment.”
As it was time for him to take things into his hand, the ace surfer wasn’t ready for it. Slater spent the money he earned his whole life on the project, and as it wasn’t going the way it should, that scared him.
He just wanted someone to believe in the project, as he was the only one who believed in himself.
The importance of the technology
The wave generators were called hydrofoils. It just pushes through the water at a certain angle. This also detects the type of wave it would create as it passed through the water.
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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)
Kelly Slater also involved the USC School of Engineering in his project. The pro surfer wanted them to create a solitary wave.
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Had the technology worked for Slater, do you think the surfer legend would have won more titles? Let us know in the comment section.
Written by
Edited by
Abhishek Kumar