Kelly Slater, right at (his second) home, Hawaii

Kelly Slater is back on the North Shore and there’s a brill sandbar built up in front of his house. He’s been ruling out there, obviously, and Stab tenders this photograph as factual evidence. First, a story about the day it was taken…

“I got the beach around nine-ish,” says photographer in this instance, Laserwolf. “When I was walking down to the water I noticed a kid sitting in the sand at the steps to Kelly’s beach house. He had a Quiksilver shirt in one hand and permanent marker in the other. I came in an hour later and he was still there, but this time he asked me in a French accent if I’d seen Kelly in the water. I just said “nah,” and went on my way. I had some breakfast and coffee at home and was back within an hour. And sure as shit, the kid was still there, but this time he was standing a coupla stairs up and kinda peeping into Kelly’s yard (full stalker status). “No Kelly?” I asked. He jumped off the stairs. “No Kelly,” he replied. I jokingly told him about a golf tournament going on down the road and that Kelly was probably there. His eyes immediately lit up and he took off running for the golf course. Two minutes later, Kelly comes walking down his steps to put on a tube riding clinic. I like to think I saved him from death by Sharpie. You owe me one champ (laughs).

“So, as far as the session goes, Nathan and Christian Fletcher, Mason Ho, Eli Olson, the Moniz clan and probably 50 other people were out making it tough to get waves. There was a super shitty current too, so it was tough to shoot water. I did a coupla laps and then ended up surfing. When the sandbars are this good and everyone’s calling it Little Kirra, it’s just too hard to pass up.”