But is it true? Let's fact check the king!
It is Thanksgiving in America and I am Thankful for Kelly Slater. Someday he will disappear, leaving us only with memories of flat earth debates, OuterKnown, spotlight stealing head fake retirement announcements, Surf Ranch, 11 x world championships etc. but today is not that day and so let us gather around the family table and enjoy another fable from the greatest to ever slither into a rash guard.
Kelly chatted with Esquire magazine recently and ostensibly about technology. It is not an interesting conversation (he likes Candy Crush, he liked when Surfline was an 800 number read here!) but he does reveal something I find extremely doubtful. Let’s just get right into it.
It’s a Sunday afternoon in November, and downtime seems to be the order of the day. It has been for awhile now. A May 2018 incident on his personal wave machine left him phoneless for a couple weeks (call it an occupational hazard), forcing Slater to disconnect and appreciate the moments when acquaintances, brands, and obnoxious journalists aren’t blowing up his cell to chat.
“I was doing a live thing from a jet-ski and I dropped it in the water,” he laughs. “They found it like three weeks ago. It was kind of nice. You stop thinking about it, you know?”
Slater talked to Esquire.com (from a new phone) about how technology has changed his industry, his guilty pleasure app, and where the world’s best surfer goes for the world’s best waves.
Ok. Do you believe that Kelly Slater went without a phone for a couple weeks sometime in May and probably extending into June? Do you really believe in your heart of hearts that he “unplugged” as it were? Let’s go look at Instagram!
May 2 (a post of Kelly Slater in a pool from old issue of Surfing)
May 13 (a loving post from Kelly to his mother for Mother’s Day)
May 20 (a well composed post of Kelly saluting an airplane at Surf Ranch)
May 22 (a video of Kelly giving away sessions at Surf Ranch)
May 27 (a post featuring Ramon Navarro on a bomb in Fiji)
May 30 (a repost of the AI movie trailer)
June 2 (a video of Italo Ferreira spinning)
June 9 (a post of Kelly’s x-rayed feet)
June 16 (Happy International Surfing day post)
June 17 (Kelly wishes himself a happy Father’s Day)
June 22 (a beautiful sunset post from the North Shore)
Etc.
I ain’t seeing a lot of 2 -3 week gaps here but maybe he was referring to a metaphorical 2 -3 weeks? A gorgeous 2 -3 weeks of the soul (that go for 24 hours or something)?
We could all learn from Kelly, anyhow, especially the Americans here who will likely be amongst family and especially today. Tell everyone you are taking a break from technology while getting much praise then sneak into the bathroom lots to chat with your buddies at BeachGrit.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!