Stab Magazine | Notes From The Teahupoo Channel: Kelly Slater's 9.83 And Win Over Nat Young

Live Now: Chapter 11 Mini-Documentary With Dane Reynolds

363 Views

Notes From The Teahupoo Channel: Kelly Slater’s 9.83 And Win Over Nat Young

“I didn’t think I was gonna make it!” says the King. 

news // Aug 23, 2016
Words by Jack Howard
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Kelly Slater shows up less than a half hour before his heat. Raimana and girlfriend Kalani are with him on the boat. He’s dressed in a black windbreaker, matching boardshorts and spends a minute Facetiming with someone back home.

“Love you too,” he says before throwing double shakas into the camera of his phone.

Kelly pulls on a black, Volcom spring suit and slips into the water. At the end of the current heat, there’s a flurry of sets on the west bowl. Kelly’s interest is piqued.

“The conditions are perfect, the wind couldn’t be better,” he tells his caddy Belly.

He’s up against Nat Young, they chat and joke lightly, but Kelly’s eyes never leave the lineup. He’s a shark, and there’s blood in the water.

The horn sounds and they sit… and sit.

“After seven minutes I started thinking restart,” Kelly admitted after the heat.

And after 15 minutes the judges do reset the heat. It doesn’t take Nat long to dip into a medium-sized runner that gets things underway. Kelly sits out the back and waits; then he answers with a technically sound 7.67.

 

Natty

Taking the King out in Tahiti ain’t for the faint of heart.

 

“I didn’t think I was going to make it,” says Slater, paddling past the small cadre of caddies and photographers.

Nat stays busy and threads his way through a couple more tubes for a 5.33 and then a 6.27. For a moment he’s leading the heat. Then Kelly drops the hammer.

The biggest wave of the day comes through; Kelly and Nat paddle rail-to-rail, but Kelly’s holding priority. He scratches in deep and goes. He finds his way to the bottom without laying a finger on his rail. Then, sets his line, holds on and gets spit into the channel. The judges toss him a near-perfect 9.83.

“I didn’t think I was going to make it,” he said once more while paddling back out.

I’m not sure if it’s sarcastic or serious, but either way, his performance is ridiculous. Time ticks down and Kelly comes away with the highest scoring heat of the day.

“I was sliding down the face, then it tried to bronco me off,” grins Kelly, recounting the winning ride.

After a quick interview with the webcast team, he’s back on his boat where Raimana and Kalani are waiting. And off they go, back to their secret Tahitian lair to continue their plot of global domination.

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Watch: João Chianca Had A Remarkable Hawaii Season Before His Injury

Plus an update on his condition.

Mar 28, 2024

Pittar’d And Feathered

Do the WSL judges deserve the internet's wrath? We asked the man of the hour.

Mar 28, 2024

Robbo, Pickles, And Tyler Wright Become The Underdogs Breakfast At Uninspiring Winkipop

The foreboding blade sharpens and inconsistent judging prevails on Day Two in Torquay.

Mar 27, 2024

“I Don’t Always Win Heats, But When I Do, I Try To Beat John John”

Slater shines and the axe begins its descent on Day 01 at Bells.

Mar 26, 2024

Back Against The Wall: The Ramzi Boukhiam Redemption

Morocco's first CT surfer on speaking six languages, having no coach, and snatching Fil Toledo's…

Mar 25, 2024

Will Kirra, Babies or JJF Stop a GOAT Winning at Bells?

Bluesky BOAG advice from a Superman specialist and former Trials winner.

Mar 25, 2024

Bells Preview: The WSL’s Victorian Sword Dancing Equinox Ritual

Will a Brazilian crack the Top 10 at Bells?

Mar 25, 2024

69 Shin Bones Later + the Anticlimactic State of Big Wave Record-Breaking

Lucas Chumbo might have surfed the biggest wave ever this year. But how will we…

Mar 23, 2024

Watch: ‘Fresh and Fried’ Ft the Quik Kids

How taxing is it to tackle the Gold Coast’s Triple Crown in a single day,…

Mar 23, 2024

The Popular Vote: The People’s Stab In The Dark With Kolohe Andino Champion

Which board looked best — to you —under Kolohe's talons?

Mar 22, 2024

Six Key Learnings From Portugal

Three CT events in, what do we know? 

Mar 21, 2024

‘Zipper’ Is Going On Tour, Here’s Where You Can Watch It  

Dates, times + locations for the Venice, Encinitas, Sydney + Byron premieres.  

Mar 20, 2024

Dane Reynolds On His Future, His Past, And Chapter 11’s Raison D’être

Our 9-minute plunge into the collective psyche of Ventura's pillar(s).

Mar 20, 2024

From ‘Blue Ribbon Cross Country Runner’ to Vogue – How Steph Again Is Back With A Rip Curl Remix

Everything we know about the she-GOATs sponsorship boomerang.

Mar 18, 2024

Stab Interview: Darren Handley Explains Why You Can’t Buy The Winning Stab In The Dark Model

And his decades-long standoff with Slater.

Mar 17, 2024

Griff Embraces Portugal’s Eternal Time Loop To Vanquish Medina + Ewing, Defay Delays The Inevitable

A redeeming closing act at Supertubos.

Mar 16, 2024

The Secret Behind Lungi Slabb’s Inconceivable Greenmount Funnel

Six broken boards, one leaking forehead, and five days of Superbank mysticism.

Mar 16, 2024

Cheat Codes: A Million Miles Worth Of Travel Advice From Coco Ho

Hard-earned wisdom from more than 2,000 hours in the troposphere.

Mar 15, 2024
Advertisement