Kelly Slater, playtime oop before work begins, Hawaii

Yes, Kelly Slater has some work to do if he is to steal the world title from Mick Fanning’s clutches, but it is nothing new to Kelly and a challenge he ain’t afraid of rising to.  Except, of course, if the waves don’t pick up. In Portugal, Kelly said he’s been having a hard time being inspired by the conditions the tour experienced through Lowers, France and Portugal (see also: not great). But in Hawaii, rather than being uninspired, Kelly’s having straight-up fun. “It was pretty small but still the best day ever at Cocoa Beach,” says Laserwolf, who shot this (and is also from Florida). “Kelly was just playing around. Sharing waves with all the mini groms and letting them burn him. They were psyching to share rides with the king. He lost his board a couple of times and every time, a pack of kids on the beach would race to see who could retrieve it for him. I lost track of how many people stopped him for photos in and out of the water. Pretty cool that he takes the time for each one of them. Just one more reason why he’s surfing’s greatest ambassador.”