"The first heat Kelly and I ever surfed against each other was 38 years ago, when were 12 years old!"
To the surprise of no-one, Kelly Slater has dominated the opening stanza of the invitation-only Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy 2022, stomping former tour buddies Taylor Knox, Rob Machado, Ross Willims and local wildcard Hussain “Iboo” Areef in the single fin division.
The contest runs over three days. Single fins. Twins. Thrusters. Twenty-five gees to the winner.
Fifty-year-old Slater, who finished third at the Outerknown Tahiti Pro in ten-foot waves last week and who is the current world number fifteen, made short work of the Momentum Gen, including one-time arch-rival Rob Machado.
“I feel like I learned a lot about how to place my turns better and more subtly, and not try to force things,” Slater said. “Whereas on a high-performance board you’re always trying to force the most radical change of direction you can. I think a single-fin is great for your style and your flow.”
Shane Dorian, also fifty, said, “This year is extra special because we all have been best friends for three decades, almost four decades. The first heat Kelly and I ever surfed against each other was 38 years ago, when were 12 years old! It’s cool to have grown up together and surfed a bunch of heats together and travelled the world with each other. It’s just so cool to be here with our little group of friends, and to be here with Iboo as well, surfing with and against each other.”
So how is it an over 50’s event when 2 of the 5 surfers are under 50?
Machado is 48,Williams 49.
Williams isn’t eligible until next year,Machado the year after that.
whoever picked the music should be forced to listen to Ke11y blovaite about vaccines and lineup regulation…
Oh wait, thats us…
stretch five fetish?
Seriously if you’re still on CT you shouldn’t be able to compete in over fifty division. 🤦♂️
Gag me with a spoon.
Negs can you unban my post I made about the single fin comp I’m running in Newy this weekend? Got picked up as spam because I included a website link.
Also watched Shane Powell dismantling 4 foot angourie yesterday, looking as sharp as and as fit as he did 25 years ago. Would like to see him against these Seppos
Ah, it’s there now.
But also. Powelly. Fuck.
How busy in Angourie these days?
Still very manageable if you’re polite. This was this morning, bit smaller but also not a set https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
you on holiday in Yamba?
I was! Two doors down from the Pacific Hotel. Heaven. Heading home today. Been a good run – broken head, tea trees, greenmount, angourie plus a heap of back beaches. La Niña keeps on delivering
Good on you….. I used to stay at the caravan park in Yamba…. cheap for a grom on the run.
wait, you road tripped all the way to Noosa?
Said it before and I’ll say it again This comp sucks. Those lucky few get to enjoy and take over for 3 days one of the premier breaks limiting your average punter who has forked out a fortune to the remaining few. It’s just an advert for a resort.
I would agree, but the joint is toast. Sooooooooooooooo many boat charters now arrive every day.
Saw a full melee between Israeli’s and Spaniards from two enormous boats… 20 guys on each. They had a fight the day before and picked up where they left off.
It was just 4 of us from Chaya and by the time I escaped, at least 60 guys were out. Ruined.
2016, I had a crazy work schedule…. Chicago, Aruba, West Palm, Dallas, back to Chicago…. I had a boat trip planned and decided to train at the resort before my friends arrived. I scored 5 days of empty Sultan’s, head high to nearly DOH (it was best at 8′). Surfed all day, so ready by the time our crew arrived in Male for the flight to the boat charter.
Couldn’t wait to go back. Chaya resort was a mess, renovation and Sultans would have 8 boats in the channel by 8 AM every day. I kept hoping the next day they would find another spot, but they kept returning… massive cruise liner type boats. The Kiwi’s were on a boat that had the dining table on the deck replete with fresh linens, super luxe. Then there was a boat of beginner Germans that looked like Miami Vice…..
The Chinese fucked the joint approving every boat charter that applied. Maldive Govt was promoting sustainable toursim. Chinese gain control, flood of Euros to follow.
Young guys, none could surf, but they were all fit and could paddle. All snaking each other, no courtesy.
Yu could write a book.
Then read it to yself.
It’s a shame they couldn’t just show the surfing and had to have all the talking and single move shots.
Take something vaguely interesting and edit it to be just like everything else, sigh.
You see how they gentrified Gland?
I wonder if Rory and Mikey C are breathing a sigh of relief now that Ke11y is the target?
What sort of an idiot would give $25k to a guy who doesn’t need it for surfing a few ‘heats’ with his old mates(+1) ?
Did the five of them (and foolishly so for four) all put $5k in the kitty, winner take all ?
Did Slater put up all $25k knowing he’d be getting it back in a few days ?
Otherwise, who is the ‘sponsor’ ?
This needs every bit of your masterful(?) investigative sleuthery to find out the truth, and then show it to us through the medium of your internationally known and respected(?) top-gun journalism…
mega infomercial clusterfuk!
Hey I’m running a single fin comp this weekend in Newy. Not quite the four seasons Maldives but you could potentially win a Sam Egan single fin and I can guarantee you a warm can of Steel City at some point.
eastendboardriders.com.au
How like wow retro , did you think of that concept all by yourself ?
Jeez lighten up mate
Nah half the reason the surf is overcrowded is due to pro surfing and the amature wanna be surfrider clubs and all the bull shit surf events , all of which are rolled out originally by the surf brands , so sorry mate no offence but Nah.
Nice, clean site SA…. looks like fun.
Noahs on the beach > 4 Seasons Maldives all day, everyday.
Did I just see Shane holding a everyday performance shortboard with a “all options” fin set up? Ugly.
you did. he’s gonna ride the same board for all fin configurations… which would be a cool concept to try too adding in 4 fin heat.
I think it’s lazy. The profiles and designs should be a lot different. Would be a better concept than it is now
It’s fucking lame anyway. Wave is fun, but about as challenging as Lowers. Left is always windy it seems. Who cares?
But the other atolls are holding Negs.
Stick ALL the fins in for extra-hold.
Seemed like Kelly was riding a Slater designs, modern board with a big ole single plonked in there too.
True, on both counts.
Dirk, though rich, is no fool, however. The cost to host the finals there would be astronomical. Far cheaper to put everyone up in ghetto San Clemente.
yeah, well gay is frowned on in their culture there. elo, and jmd know they can flex their gay in ghetto sc
Pedros
Thanks. Keep these coming.
Firewire single fin shortboard—I’ll give it 6 months before these go on sale and my local gets invaded by them
lol
The music made me stab myself in both eyes
I know, how bad?
Momentum generation bad.
Tim Bonython video levels of bad
“This is the part where you say yeah!”
https://www.google.com/sear…
Stab: We Like To Sarf
Sickening propaganda.
Kelly being invited and winning this event reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer takes up Kaaarrattteee. Jerry and Elaine were impressed that he was so quickly the head of his dojo. One day they decide to go by to see for themselves and find him fighting children.
And so it has become, the transformation nears completion.
Beach Grit has now become Ke11ygrit.com
Ke1.17grit.com
Complete? It’s just started, we’re only at Prom night blow-job level.
sooo you’re saying there’s a chance?
What the hell are they doing with the sticks in the lagoon at the beginning of the vid? Chasing away rays?
You see how tight they edited Taylor? Must have been a shocker heat for him….. 🙂
Ross looks like he inspired Tyler Wright.
RIP Sultans, will never ever go back. Shame, but these commercials every year have worked and not for the Four Seasons.