Is this the last memory we’ll ever have of Kelly Slater as a World Tour competitor? Photo: WSL / TONY HEFF
What if the last memory we all have of Kelly Slater as a World Tour competitor is the moment he got stuffed by Gabriel Medina while sneaking out of a Backdoor barrel? There’s something unsettling about that question for obvious reasons. But it also just might be the most poetic and graceful goodbye possible. There are plenty of people who would argue the only farewell tour worthy of the King ends with a final World Title. But honestly, short of watching him celebrate for the 12th time, the double shaka salute was pretty profound. It was real. And years from now we’re going to look back on that image, smile, and forget whether or not he lost that heat.
Before the 2017 season, Kelly Slater declared this would be his last year on tour. Then a busted (destroyed) foot courtesy of JBay cut his swan song in half. This past week’s Billabong Pipe Masters was his first time back in a jersey since that injury, and he did more than earn his keep on a broken foot by making it into the 5th Round, where he was quite literally stuffed by Medina.
Meanwhile, Kelly had applied for a wildcard on the 2018 ‘CT…you know, just in case. Unsurprisingly, the WSL announced Tuesday the spot is his if he chooses to take it.
Whether he takes them up on the offer, as per usual, remains to be seen.
It’s unlikely anybody wants to see Kelly Slater hang them up just yet. So we’ll wait for a final decision, fingers crossed he has another run (or three?) left. And whether he’s on the CT or not he’ll probably surf in Lemoore when the Tour visits in early September. But outside of that, who the heck knows what the man has up his sleeve for 2018? Either way, he’s probably plotting something that will top the double shaka.
Triple shaka, maybe?
The rest of the World Surf League’s Class of 2018 for both the men and women is as follows:
2017 Top 22 CT:
John John Florence (HAW)
Gabriel Medina (BRA)
Julian Wilson (AUS)
Jordy Smith (ZAF)
Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Owen Wright (AUS)
Kolohe Andino (USA)
Adriano de Souza (BRA)
Joel Parkinson (AUS)
Filipe Toledo (BRA)
Sebastian Zietz (HAW)
Mick Fanning (AUS)
Connor O’Leary (AUS)
Frederico Morais (PRT)
Jeremy Flores (FRA)
Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Kanoa Igarashi (USA)
Caio Ibelli (BRA)
Michel Bourez (PYF)
Conner Coffin (USA)
Joan Duru (FRA)
Italo Ferreira (BRA)
2017 Top 10 QS:
Griffin Colapinto (USA)
Jesse Mendes (BRA)
Wade Carmichael (AUS)
Tomas Hermes (BRA)
Yago Dora (BRA)
Willian Cardoso (BRA)
Keanu Asing (HAW)
Ezekiel Lau (HAW)
Michael Rodrigues (BRA)
Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
WSL Wildcards: Kelly Slater (USA) and Ian Gouveia (BRA)
2017 Top 10 CT:
Tyler Wright (AUS)
Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
Courtney Conlogue (USA)
Carissa Moore (HAW)
Lakey Peterson (USA)
Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)
Sage Erickson (USA)
Johanne Defay (FRA)
Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW)
2017 Top 6 QS:
Silvana Lima (BRA)
Bronte Macaulay (AUS)
Coco Ho (HAW)
Caroline Marks (USA)
Keely Andrew (AUS)
Paige Hareb (NZL)
WSL Wildcard: Malia Manuel (HAW)
