Kelly Slater’s return to Teahupo’o this summer was already insane – death-defying wipeouts, stomach-plunging airdrops, and a swift slap in the face to Father Time.
At 54 years old, competing as a wildcard at the Outerknown Tahiti Pro, the 11-time world champion threw himself over the ledge on 20-foot bombs, made late no-grab drops, and disappeared inside cavernous barrels against surfers less than half his age.
He opened the event with a 9.00 against Eli Hanneman. Then, facing three-time world champion Gabriel Medina, Slater dropped a 9.73 and 9.33 for a staggering 19.06 heat total.
But a new film from legendary surf photographer Todd Glaser reveals that Slater’s most meaningful Tahiti trip may have had little to do with scores.
For the first time, Slater experienced one of his favorite places with his young family: two-year-old son Tao, partner Kalani Miller, and their youngest daughter Azumi.
Kelly + Tahiti opens not with Teahupo’o detonating over the reef, but Slater and Tao strumming guitars and singing “Wheels on the Bus.” Glaser captures the family swimming, jumping from the dock, exploring the island and spending quiet mornings together before switching abruptly to Slater staring down some of the heaviest waves on Earth.
“During the two weeks we spent in Tahiti, you spend the least amount of time with a jersey on,” Glaser explained. “The rest of the time is spent with family, surfing and exploring the island.”
The juxtaposition is almost absurd.
“Kelly went from having one of the best performances of the entire year as a wildcard to coming in and changing diapers,” Glaser said.
At another point, he describes watching Slater go from “making scrambled eggs and changing diapers to 10-foot Teahupo’o and back, without skipping a beat.”
Slater, of course, has an older daughter, Taylor. But with Tao and Azumi, he has entered another chapter of fatherhood while somehow continuing to compete against the best surfers alive.
Glaser added:
“While we were in Tahiti, you could feel the energy and excitement from Kelly to not only get to compete at one of his favorite waves, but to be there with his family. He’s won the event five times before and, from my point of view, he competes his best when he’s inspired by the potential to catch an amazing wave.
“My approach in making this film was to show an intimate look at what it’s like to experience surfing at the highest level through the eyes of his son, Tao. We’ve seen Kelly time and time again pushing himself over the ledge and onto the podium.
“Rarely have we seen an intimate look into the process and life outside of the jersey. Kelly gave us permission into his world, and I wanted to celebrate those moments by capturing them in a personal and beautiful way.”
Glaser closes the film underwater, capturing Slater gliding beneath Tahiti’s impossibly clear water.
Maybe that’s the real story.
After decades of chasing trophies, Slater returned to Teahupo’o with something entirely different to share it with.
Related: 54-Year-Old Kelly Slater Dominates Competitors Half His Age at 20-Foot Teahupo’o (Video)
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