Photo: US Embassy in Fiji / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Kelly Slater is, simply put, the Michael Jordan of surfing, except his dominance spanned an absurd three decades. Eleven world titles is a number that may never be touched, and the fact that he won championships as both the youngest and oldest champ tells you everything about his longevity and competitive fire. What elevates him beyond the contests is his innovation, the Surf Ranch wave pool genuinely changed the sport and helped push surfing toward the Olympics. He surfs with a precision and flow that still looks effortless decades in. For me he's not just a great athlete but a true visionary who reshaped his entire sport.
Overview
Kelly Slater is an American professional surfer born on February 11, 1972 in Cocoa Beach, Florida, and is widely regarded as the greatest surfer of all time. He has won a record 11 World Surf League world championships, becoming both the youngest and the oldest men's world champion in history. Beyond competition he is an entrepreneur known for developing the Surf Ranch artificial wave pool and co-founding sustainable apparel ventures, and he has occasionally acted and produced.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Kelly Slater
- Name (Japanese)
- ケリー・スレーター
- Reading
- けりー・すれーたー
- Born
- February 11, 1972 (age 54)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Rat
- Origin
- Cocoa Beach, Florida, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 175cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- Actor / Surfer / Film producer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Cocoa Beach High School
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.