Kelly Slater, mock serious claim, Micronesia

So here we see Slater claiming a six-foot barrel to his pals Ross Williams and bodysurfer Mark Cunningham. But, he ain’t serious! But he is! “Kelly got one of the best barrels of his life, and it was the best barrel I’ve ever seen, and he’d just kicked out,” says Morgan Maassen. “He doesn’t claim waves but at the same time he was so pumped and he knew we were right there so he humorously claimed it.”

The back story to this trip is, two days before, Maassen had just arrived from Hawaii to his home in Santa Babs California when Kelly called. Told him a particularly fine righthander in Micronesia was probably going to be on. This was eight pm. I’ll call you back at midnight to let you know if it’s on, he says. At midnight the button was pushed and Morgan dropped five-grand (“the most I’ve ever spent on airfares”) for the three flights to Micronesia, a 35-hour journey. And we ain’t done yet. Kelly chartered a private plane for the final leg and they arrived on the island’s coral airstrip to be greeted by the famous boat skipper Martin Daly and his just-as-famous boat The Indies Trader. The wave? A spinning righthander in the clearest water in the world. Six to eight feet. Kelly. Ross. Mark riding with fins. For Kelly it was kinda emotional to be back with his ol pal Martin and his regular buddies Mark and Ross. Pals and an absence of internet or telephone reception and you have the recipe for a very certain type of bliss. “Kelly was about as happy as he could be, happy as I’ve ever seen him,” says Morgan. “At first he was a bit freaked out about not having cell service, not talking to his girlfriend, but overall it was like a spiritual experience not having to deal with phone calls or texting or emails.”