Kelly unplugged

“This is a day to be remembered in the history of surfing,” said Kelly Slater, marking the beginning of an unprecedented 20 minute live stream of consciousness rap as some of the most stunning images ever witnessed in surfing played out live on computers across the world. On a day of firsts, journalists and surf fans around the world realized that when the big events in the sport go down there is no one better to have on the mike than Kelly Slater. The champ took the stage just moments after snagging a couple of bombs at Cloudbreak himself and talked the world through a moment in history. You can smell the adrenalin seeping out of his pores:

On the action:

“It’s gigantic, it’s like a point-break. If you caught that wave like that Rincon at three feet, you would say it was the best wave you’ve caught in your life. And this is a left and it’s 20 feet.”

“You can go and do airs against Chippa Wilson and see how many shuvits you can pull off. There are certain specialties you can do in surfing and this is one of them. This is insane. Oh my god, look at this one! It’s the wave of your life and it’s there to be had.”

As an unknown surfer gets locked into a 12 foot runner:

“Kick out of that thing! It’s one of the worst things; you don’t wanna get stuck on the wave. It’s like being in a car with no brakes going down a hill. If you get stuck on that thing and there’s no way past the lip, you’re going so fast you can’t penetrate and dive through the back of this thing it’s really scary.

On Hawaiian hero, Mark Healey:

“Healey couldn’t draw a better wave. This is why this guy can hold his breath for six minutes. This is what he trains his whole life for. He probably wishes it was a little bigger. There’s gonna be a lot more great waves ridden today.”

On the camaraderie among the big wave heroes:

“They’re competitive but in a really healthy way. They’re each other’s best friends. It’s not like, ‘You won’t go because you’re scared, ‘ it’s lets push each other and do things no one has ever done on earth. That’s really happening, like right now you’re watching something that’s never been done. Last year it touched on it but the boundaries have been pushed, blown out of the water now. Literally you are watching every time waves break waves that have never been ridden over millions of years at this intensity especially under paddling power.

On the early morning heats:

“When Raoni came in that wave was just the beginning. Everyone was clapping him and stoked. He charged it but that wasn’t even a wave now, just a starter kit. Still nuts though, that was the end on the shish kebab section. He goes for it, he got some crazy ones at Chopes. My adrenaline is going crazy, I’m gonna get a boat and try and get a few out there. Um, what was I gonna say. I’ve lost my train of thought.” – Jed Smith