Kelly Slater On Turning 45 (Today!)

Kelly Slater, as an article written by a woman named Emily Mendell put it, is entering the eye of life’s storm. Today, Mr Slater turns 45. The man’s insatiable appetite for life, waves and the world surrounding him has kept him youthful, spirited, and in realistic grasp of an unfathomable 12th world title. We could talk about the year he’s had, what he’s accomplished, his politics, biz ventures, or the fact that the only thing that shows his age is the lack of hair on his head. But instead of aggrandising the GOAT, we’re just here to wish him a happy birthday.

“I’ve learned to be more patient with myself and other people,” Kelly tells Stab on the most valuable thing he’s gained this year.

And, as a man who lives in perfect balance, Kelly also reveals to Stab that, interestingly, his proudest accomplishment in life is this: “Not getting caught up in the drug scene, and honouring my mother in that way.” It’s no secret that drugs are (and always have been) deeply embedded in surf culture, so it’s unsurprising that Kelly’s proud to have weathered the fame and fortune that has been the undoing of so many.

So to breeze into his 45th year, and being the wildly talented golfer that he is, Kelly says he’ll “play the Pebble Beach Pro Am tournament, and then have a mellow dinner party with some friends. I’ll invite Bill Murray and hope he shows.”