Kelly Slater: The Last Wave in Pro Surfing 

Kelly deserves a wildcard into any event he chooses to enter for the rest of his life. Period

Hard to imagine the sport without him. I discovered surfing in 1993, he was the king even then.

Floridians are Proud of you. Thanks for the memories.

He totally understands mind , body and soul . A pillar for the generations to follow . Congrats King Kelly.

Thank you for the passion and emotion over the years. You are still a 50 year old grom and will never quit surfing for the love of it! Congratulations on your next chapter with your daughter and your amazing woman, hit me up when you build your Florida dream home .

In my opinion the greatest professional athlete of any sport ever. Not being over the top. Think about it.

It’s been an AWESOME privilege to watch this man over the years, a true legend!! PRO SURFING is not going to be the same. There are great surfers and then there’s KELLY SLATER. In my humble opinion, there will never be a surfer like him again. WHAT A RIDE 🤙

WSL has no one on tour that can bring excitement to the tour like Kelly did.. Everyone has to wait 18yrs from now to see if Kelly and kalani baby will be a pro surfer... GREAT JOB KELLY

It’s been emotional Ke11y! Greatest surfer of all time ❤

LOVE YA KELLY THANKS FOR THE YEARS!!!!!! RESPECT

End of an Era. Kelly, no words can express the journey/your journey for us all. God Bless you in your new life brother!!!

Thanks for the ride Kelly, you deserve a wild card. All the best.

Met Kelly when I was dating his cousin in Jacksonville Florida. He asked me to keep some of the girls back as we played pool after watching his East Coast movie . What an awesome guy and amazing athlete. I am 52 years old now and still surfing and I have followed him all my life.

Same age. Reality creeps in to the point of making some changes undeniable and it can only be pushed aside for so long for every human. Kelly is an extraordinary human and athlete, which can intensify it all that much more. You still have a lot of good days athletically over 50 if you stay in shape and keep pushing, but it ain't and can't be 30 and time never goes backwards. I don't plan on stopping...and champs like Kelly still inspire me. Really have enjoyed Kelly's career and I'll always tune in to watch him surf. Peace be with you all.

👏 Legend! Met him once in Hawaii, he was so nice and down to earth. Thank you Kelly.

From the beginning to the end the Alpha and Omega I and so many others have loved Kelly and his Surfing. Thankyou so much..💜

THERE WILL NOT BE ANOTHER KELLY SLATER EVER . 1 GOAT .

A legend, the GOAT of surfing, an inspiration to all inside and outside of sports...Kelly you will be missed but will live on in those surfing in your footsteps. It's a sad day for me personally, we are about the same age and I grew up watching you and Curren going head to head...much love.

Just give him wild cards for ever for any event he wants any world champions should get that

I surfed with Ke11y in Newport Beach, California a few years ago. The GOAT! I don’t believe anyone will break his records.💪🏼🇺🇸

Gonna miss having Kelly competing. Absolute legend. He’ll make a comeback when he turns 60

Yeah the GOAT! I’m 38 and Kelly has always been at the top of the sport for as long as I can remember… what an Amazing career! I’m sure we’ll still see plenty of footage of the GOAT ripping.

Yes….. over all THE BEST ATHLETE OF ALL SPORTS …. YES HE IS ….. AMAZING HUMAN BEING ….GOD BLESS YOU CHAMP…. THE ULTIMATE GOAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I vividly remember a trip up to Sebastian inlet in the 80s when I was a grom - maybe 9th grade. The swell landed and kept getting better all day. We were at first peak and there was a kid a couple of years younger than us that paddled out and started RIPPING with Matt Kechle and I think even Jeff Crawford was out eventually in the late afternoon. It was clear that the kid was Kelly. We all had heard about him by then and the surfing confirmed it. The crowd got pretty serious and it was clear that an actual pro session was starting (and I also saw a 7' bull shark in the lineup) so I got out and stood on the jetty to watch these guys. PS: none of the locals cared about the shark Anyhow, as we watched it was obvious that Kelly was the new guard, easily destroying the rights out there and I don't think he ever stopped dominating from that period forward. I remember some of the pros yielding waves to him, even back then. Glad to be able to watch over the years, and I consider that experience at Sebastian to be akin to watching a young Jordan play in high school. Just incredible to see how next-level people can be.

Now it’s time to go visit waves you’ve only dreamed of and enjoy the sunsets instead of the dawn patrol sunrises 🤙🤙

Love you, Kelly. Cool to know a guy who surfed where I grew up surfing at Sebastian Inlet and Vero is the best to ever put on a jersey. Loved watching you and Rob Machado battle in ping pong and heats back in the day. Still love watching you now. Blessings for whatever is next. 🌊❤️

Love and light. You are an Icon

Hope to see more of him,as a wildcard or whatever!Thank you for everything you did for this sport!

Yeah Kelly, still have my poster @ 52 with your autograph on in from 89-90! Unreal brother and congratulations on being a new dad again! Always a hero to me bro!

Thanks for the memories Legend 🙌🏄🙏

an inspiration to all surfers.. thank you kelly its been an honour watching you compete over the years

Best we will ever see absolute legend! Well done kelly you are the man

GOAT. He was always ahead of everybody. We won't see another athelete so competitive through decades improving, learning different techniques with all kind of generations. I'm a huge fan of him. 🇧🇷🇺🇸

This is the best post WSL interview for me ever. For me, also, I will likely be less interested in WSL since Kelly has retired. Best of luck in your future endeavors, Kelly, you will always be the GOAT for me.

Slater IS Surfing. Thanks for the waves champ🤙

Congratulations Kelly Slater on an incredible competitive surfing career. Thanks for your massive contributions to the, " Sport of Kings ". You've done well, great job and all the best to you and your family. C A

Kelly leaves a legacy of unequalled competition success and not the end of a surfing career. Still waves to be surfed and good times to be had.

Love you Kelly watched your whole career. You sir are the best thing that ever happened for surfing...

I’m a bodyboarder and still remember the day at bells Kelly did that reverse air into the flats! What a legend of water sports and life in general! Well done sir 🙏

You make this 70/yo Florida proud...Kelly Slater is the GOAT!

I met him at a charity do once. He was surprisingly down to earth and very funny..

He is a one of a kind. Truly inspiring to people of all ages, especially ones in their 50’s! Amazing

Congratulations Kelly, and thanks for the invite to your wavepool and Fiji to surf with you and Shane Dorian and thank your woman for relaying my message to you . Mark Smithson of Leucadia

Thank you, Kelly and all you’ve done for the lifestyle of surfing. Your name will live forever in this sport.

Been a thrill watching .I started surfing when he won his first title am the same age ever since he was always the man I. We all of my friends love to watch and tried our best to learn this style so thanks man .

From NJ, wishing you all the best.

You’ve pulled off miracles your whole career Kelly and inspired every surfer to be better In a sport with lots of scene queen cool talk and ego you were a gentleman I remember when it began and they asked you what you were into on that black and white video and you said cereal and homework.. that’s when I knew an athlete like Federer but for surfing had arrived Grace is the most powerful character trait there is and you have displayed that your whole career It’s fit it ended at Margaret River where in your own words you’ve always battled Where better as we all battle in one way or another Great time to leave the tour and in time you’ll be stoked you did just as the world has been stoked watching you surf Thank you mate we are all very proud of you

Robert Kelly Slater is an absolute legend. I caught my first waves with my dad when I was 4yrs old. I stopped surfing at around 21 when I found girls & work-life took over surfing. I havnt been a surfer for some years now. At age 31. I look back at all the events I watched. Andy irons verse Kelly Slater. I’ll never forget, I feel as though once AI passed Kelly lost that no.1/2 competitor that was pushing him. I always wanted Kelly to hit 12 world titles, I wanted him to get 1 more. He stayed on the tour for so long. What a career. The greatest surfer ever & the greatest professional athlete to ever live!

I've been watching you since you were a boy. Your fusion with the waves was a sight to behold. Thank you for the wonderful memories. Please continue to show us great surfing in free surfing.

I was at Skateboard City in '78. Kelly was six and doing things on a skateboard no one else was. I saw him do 30 consectutive 360's. Was deeply impressed.

Great ambassador for the sport of surfing! The GOAT! It would indeed be hard to imagine anyone coming close to Kelly surfing achievements over his 44 years of surfing.

Kelly the best of the best. Give everything and he had nothing to prove.

Keep being you mate!! Very grateful to be with you in Newcastle Australia for your rookie year!! ASP

Legend. I just starting surfing when his black & white film was out, watching it in a Ricky Young's surf shop in Bellevue, WA. Seeing the rest play out has been awesome. Seeing it come to a close is moving in a way, even though I'm not into contests or the industry it's become.

Great Kelly, years of achievements in one man! Thanks a lot!

Absolute Legend. Rock On Kelly Slater 🤙🏼🌊🏄🏼‍♂

I'm 55 , and was born in Titusville , grew up in South Florida , went to University at Embry Riddle in Daytona Beach Florida and all I remember is hearing about this guy from Cocoa Beach who was unreal good! Boy was that an understatement !! Congrats to him and his family on a well deserved retirement!!! A Champion in and out of the water.........Huli pau.......

Congratulations Kelly,with all your énergies i m sure you ll help the world ,specially poor people,you re such an inspiring person ,many il follower the new flow of your life.

The start of a new beginning ❤❤❤❤❤❤ Slayter 💯 Over 50 ❤❤❤

Truly epic athlete Thanks for the memories bra You’re truly an inspiration Ras Spect Jah guidance ☝️💚

Kelly Slater is a living legend. Thankful to have followed his career from the time I was a kid dreaming of surfing to now being a father and dreaming of teaching my kids to surf. Thank you Kelly Slater for always charging 🤙

Just imagine this…He had 4 world champs before his last competitor was born 😮

True legend and an inspiration to all ages 👌

So much dedication !!! Ya bro - you are a miracle, no worries mate !

Your inspiration will survive. Your mark on the surfing world is indelible.

Nobody comes close to the 🐐 Thank you for everything Kelly 🤙

Honestly, surfing is a mentally and physically scary fking sport. Hes been attacked by sharks and survived large fking waves in insane weather. Insane

Thanks for the great vibes and surf chill! peace, best to you brother!

Kelly what a man! Total respect for you, a complete sportsman, remarkable athlete and an inspiration for all the old dogs😊It’s not gonna be the same without you!

I remember seeing Kelly hitchhiking with friends when he was a kid by Chuns reef on the North Shore in the early eighties. I was about 18 or so driving a pick up truck and didn’t pick them up😂. I’m 59 now. Watched him all years !! Thanks for the memories Kelly!!

He is the GOAT 11 times he is the lion of surfing

Somebody get this man a wildcard to Tahiti.

Sean O'Hare caught perfectly the trajectory of your career here in Cocoa Beach. He said in the beginning you kids traded off winning. Then you began to win more than they did. Then only you would win. I ran into Dick Catri 8 or so years ago and told him I had just re-watched Bruce Brown's, "Surfing Hollow Days". Brown began in Miami (clips of Murphy & Catri doing their dive act) and traveled north up the coast. He savaged everything about East Coast surfing. I said to Dick: "THEY'RE NOT LAUGHING NOW!!"

When I was 17 he was already on tour, now I am 49 and he was still there… who could ever again achieve what he did? GOAT ❤

Thanks for the memories Kelly! Best of luck for future adventures!

Kelly, you have done well. Starting out with very little, traveling the world, being a role model and coming back around full circle. Family, and so much life ahead for you. You still have much to offer. Keep smiling. :).

Legend

Class act through and through. Thank you Kelly!🙏

I didn't know that he had made this announcement, and I cried watching this....he is one of kind and what a talent, what a career! But I agree that it is time to call it

Few sportspeople ever reach the heights of this amazing athlete. Congratulations on a wonderful career

I think anything and everything that could be said about the greatest surfer that ever lived, has been said in the comments down below. Thank you Kelly. You are not only the greatest surfer, but also the greatest ambassador the sport has ever known - humble to the end. Long live the King! Greetings from Africa!

We love you Kelly ! We know you will be around. Hopefully you around a lot. You still look great out there. But what you’ve done in surfing is practically unmatched in any sport. True legend.

Thankyuo kelly u have been a huge inspiration

Don't know anything about surfing. Except Kelly Slater. Legend.

See you in FIJI for the WildCard :D

Thank you Kelly, what an inspiration. Next “half” will allow you to keep doing amazing things. Best wishes! ❤

“The BEST THAT EVER WILL BE!”surfed in a session at New Smyrna Beach when he was there.Just plain Awesome watching him shred those small waves.

So much respect for this incredible man

Although he didn't sound it, believe he was tearing up around @2:29. Must be such an emotional day to walk away from it all.

One of the world's greatest ever athletes, maybe the greatest

Kelly one of the best human beings out there, so much respekt! LOVE YOU KELLY!

It has been a long wonderful ride. Dude has always been a great professional surfer!

To think I saw Kelly win the Jr Op Pro in 1989. NINETEEN EIGHTY NINE! George Bush Sr was Prez. Think about that. What an amazing athlete.

Kelly will always be the GOAT, no one will ever accomplish what he has done.

What a Ambassadeur for the sport. Bless you GOAT respect. Thanks for your contribution to the sport and the continuation there of. Go and enjoy your family.

For this man the term GOAT was made

Best sportsman to ever live in any sport

Thanks for all the good times Kelly!

Retired and still ripping ❤

Thanks Kelly. Been watching you rip since 1990. Legend