Kelly Slater’s GoPro wave in a heat at Chopes

Remember when Jadson Andre was eliminated during a broadcasted Kelly Slater freesurf at Chopes (see also: their round three heat at the Billabong Pro)? Part of the whole ‘is Kelly even trying’ vibe of that heat included the Floridian stuffing a GoPro in his mouth for a wave. Important thing, part 1: Note to self, endorse Kelly and receive incomparable representation. Fact: Chopes scooped more eyeballs than any other surfing event in the history of surf events (just ask the ASP about their 1.9-mill unique viewers and the 12-mill households who watched it on TV). That’s a lot of people that saw the world’s most famous surfer using a GoPro in a heat. It’s like Federer acing Nadal while grooving to an iPod (shit, a tennis equivalent of Jadson is a tough one). Important thing, part 2: The footage from the camera isn’t the most important thing here. It’s the fact that in coffee table book Chopes, Kelly had the panache to stroke over to a boat, retrieve a hand-held waterproof camera, then stuff it in his mouth on a wave, having already proper combo’d his opponent. The wave spits a little too wildly for pristine tube vision, but the drop in and set up are magnifique. The only person who wasn’t impressed was Jadson. What an age we live in.