Kelly Slater, a Lowers swerve, CA

This morning, Kelly Slater beat Matt Wilkinson in the day’s first heat.He then surfed round four against Julian Wilson and Taj Burrow, which on paper was an amazing match, and in the water was no less exciting. Especially when Kelly had an interference call against him on Julian Wilson. Excitement!

“I think the lefts are a little steeper this morning,” Kelly said of the conditions. “The rights are longer, but the lefts do have some corners on them. It’s funny, because it looks so perfect and it’s actually really flat and soft. It’s not as easy to surf as it looks right now, plus that early morning sun is right in your eyes.”

Kelly also spoke about the connection he feels to Lowers. “I love Lowers,” he said. “It’s been one of my favourite waves since I was a little kid. I surfed here for the first time in 1984 and it was really exciting to come to California for my first time and surf here. I won my first contest as a pro out here. I just feel like I have a good connection here. Tom Curren was my favourite surfer and he won his first event here so it was really special to me to get my first win here as a pro. It was right when I started with Quiksilver. I’ve been surfing contests here since 1989, so it’s been a long time!”

But, what about the world title? Kelly’s currently sitting at number four on the ratings and can’t afford any more slips. “My back is against the wall to be honest,” he says. “Every heat is really important if I want to be in the title race at the end of the year. I don’t really have any room to move after missing Brazil and just a stupid mistake in Tahiti where Ricardo got me. Those are my two throwaways for the year, but sometimes that’s good though. It helps you keep your focus. I’ve just got to make the right choices and hope I don’t get smashed by someone early on.”