Kelly Slater Is Getting His Own HBO Special

Kelly Slater is getting his own special on HBO Sports. Announced today, an episode of the Emmy-winning HBO series 24/7 will be dedicated to the 11-time world champ this December. 

“The all-access, behind-the-scenes special will chronicle the most famous and prolific surfer of all time,” reads the HBO press release that came out today. “The one-hour special will offer an intimate look at Slater’s life on the North Shore of Oahu, where he keeps a residence and surrounds himself with close friends and family.”

Filming for the project is slated around the Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa this November as Slater preps for the Pipe Masters and what could potentially be his last event as a full-time Championship Tour surfer. No trailer is available yet because, as noted, production hasn’t gotten underway yet.

“I’m excited to have HBO 24/7 in Hawaii with me to cover what happens in my life and on tour as the year winds down,” said Slater in the presser. “Hawaii has been my favorite place since I was a little kid and being the birthplace of surfing, it’s the best place on earth to get the behind the scenes on what goes into surfers’ lives for competition and big waves. I’m really looking forward to it.”

“In a career spanning three decades, Kelly grants HBO unprecedented access to his process in and out of the water for 24/7 on his continued record-breaking, age-defying quest,” said Peter Nelson, HBO Sports executive vice president in the presser. 

Slater has a history with HBO Sports. He’s appeared on Real Sports with Brian Gumble, and last year he starred in the documentary Momentum Generation, detailing Slater’s rise through the ‘90s. The 24/7 franchise has 18 Emmy Awards to its credit, so it should be interesting to see what they capture. As Slater’s notoriously private and guards his personal life, maybe we’ll finally get to see what he does when he’s not golfing or on Instagram. 

“24/7: Kelly Slater” is scheduled to premiere on December 3.