Kelly Slater

Hometown:

Cocoa Beach, Florida

Accomplishments:9 World Titles. 41 WCT Victories, 6 Pipe Masters Wins, 1 Quiksilver Big Wave invitational Win. Highest 2 Wave Heat Score. 14 Surfer Poll Award Wins. Member of Surfing Hall of Fame. Widely acknowledged as the greatest surfer in history.

Short Biography

What makes Kelly Slater the greatest surfer of all time? There's the trophies - 41 ASP wins, 9 world titles, 6 Pipe Masters, Eddie Aikau victory. Then there's the stuff of myth, the high five with Rob Machado at Pipe, the rivalry with Andy Irons, the Letting Go tube at Teahupo'o, the dolphin guiding him to a winning wave at J-Bay. There's also the neatly book ended story - a poor kid with a single mom grows up at a beach in Florida with almost no waves, but natural talent and a burning competitive spirit take him to the top and he stays there. He becomes the youngest and oldest world champ in history. Ambition and charisma make him the sport's first true celebrity.

Kelly Slater - he's Ali, Jordan and Woods all in one. If Kelly didn't exist an author would have invented him. Now that he's won his 9th ASP world title we wait and wonder what's next. But we're secure in the knowledge that just as he always has, he'll take us along for the ride.