New Kelly Slater movie shows Daddy’s glorious Tahiti campaign through the eyes of 2-year-old son Tao

"Kelly gave us permission into his world, and I wanted to celebrate those moments by capturing them in a personal and beautiful way.”

It is easy to presume most surfers of age and with a slight bent to nostalgia felt a sense of love when old man Kelly Slater, 54, who had aged since the last time we’d seen him, more belly and ass, classic ageing, thrashed Gabriel Medina at real big, real ugly Teahupoo in August.

“I almost cried,” said Slater. “There are a lot of people doubting me, saying they should have given the wildcard to a local…it pisses me off.”

Well, now, thanks to the photographer Todd Glaser, long an associate of Slater and the shutterbug responsible for the iconic first photos of Slater’s Surf Ranch, fans can experience his glorious Tahiti campaign through the eyes of his two-year-old son Tao Druku, named after the beloved Fijian Ratu Sakiusa Nadruku Lalabalavu  aka Chief Druku. The Tavaura chief died in 2015 aged just sixty-three and was close to the 11-time world champ, who has been visiting Tavarua since 1990.

Tao was the first child for Slater and Ms Kalani Miller, the thirty-six-year-old Chinese American girl boss of Mikoh swimwear, although they’ve since birthed a second child, Ms Azumi Moon.

“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,” says Glaser.

“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.”

Many beautiful moments including Daddy Slater, who exhibits an extraordinary degree of vitality even in his sixth decade, and Tao singing The Wheels on the Bus together.

Essential.