Riding the Ben Gravy train.
The world’s greatest surfer is, without question, Kelly Slater. Eleven-times a champion, oldest Pipe professional in history, Momentum Generation icon, dater of Gisele Bündchen. The boy from Cocoa Beach has been squarely in our spotlight for thirty-plus years and never, no not once, fails to delight.
But where was Slater during the just-passed “bomb swell?” California, as you know, was graced with its most robust surf in fifty years and Slater does sometimes reside in San Clemente so did he paddle Lower Trestles? Maybe Blacks?
Sand Spit?
No, no and no.
Delighting onlookers, the best of all-time decided to make barrel at a lightly-considered novelty wave in Seal Beach.
Seal Beach?
Seal Beach.
According to photographer Ed Smith, who happened to be there on the beach, “You just started hearing ‘Kelly Slater is here… there he is!’ He paddled out and surfed in front of me the whole time.”
Legend Peter Townend told the Orange County Register that Slater showing up in Seal Beach, heretofore most famous as home of progressive rock/post-hardcore band RX Bandits, would be like Tom Brady arriving at a local football field to toss the ball around or Lebron James coming to a neighborhood court and shooting some hoops. “Well, for Seal Beach Surf grows, Slater turned up to catch a few Southside shore grinders to stoke out the locals,” he added on his socials.
Slater, ever progressive, must certainly have been paying attention to the rise of Ben Gravy and his novelty wave quest over the years. Do you think the Seal Beach session telegraphs a move to the vlogosphere?
Would you watch?
Speaking of football field, the University of Southern California’s school of social work will no longer use the word “field” because of its connotations to slavery.
Exciting times.
Watch here.
For all the Kelly Slater fans (including myself). He is an amazing surfer awesome to watch, I got to see him shred a few times in the early 00’s. But I’d have to say Laird Hamilton is probably the best surfer in the world! But it’s hard to compare just a personal opinion.
Kelly slater turned up recently at Soup Bowl Barbados….Dec.10..the locals went crazy in excitement….
What happenes when one needs to field a call? Oh, that’s right, the slaves will answer it.
BOOOOOOO from the gallery!
Yes Slater should Blog. Quit the Wozz and absolutely I’d watch. I watch every fucken blog.. even Koa Smith’s… Sometimes. Not the unboxing shite the pipe stuff is good though.
He just got done crushing nuking soup bowl. This is just a little playful day compared to that.
always answer ‘how ya doing?’ with: I’m outstanding in the field!
Please refrain from using the word “field”. Class, we will now use the word “practicum” instead, to not offend any white, purple haired, effeminate, gender confused males
He’s not an epidemiologist but credit due, he invented the ADS vaccine some years ago
SB, blue moon? Nah.
What a shit choice
Actually some waves at Seaside for the World Junior’s
Isn’t that how surfing works? The pros surf shoulder to shoulder with the proletariat at any break they choose to surf. If you’ve never surfed alongside a pro, you either:
a) live in the middle of nowhere (good for you)
b) you surf shit waves.
Where’s Skeeter and Sweet when you need them?
Kelly shows up at my local break in the 80s … our grom crew frothing watching him from the rocks. Even then he was next big thing, although obviously no one saw 11 titles coming. Nary a reporter in sight. No SM obviously. Just Kelly and his crew driving an hour or two from his hometown to score our little somewhat secret fairly heavily localized corner of heaven. Fast and loose and well on his way to dominance in the small stuff (but who knew he would dominate Pipe/Chopes/Fiji etc)…
You up in the red neck part of Florida?
Is there any other part?? At the time I was actually a bit south of cocoa …
Haha.
We talking Pelican Beach, Canova area or up near Hangars?
Further south … down where the reef breaks start to appear
I’ve fond memories of getting slammed into the shorebreak and punched by the bigger kids as a grom on a boogie out there.
Just like Soup Bowls and except cold polluted and closing out.
Sipping Shitstreams
Bum Gravy?
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
That was pathetic Chuck.