It’s tough to scare a GOAT. But sometimes, even GOATs just aren’t feeling it. That’s the main reason Kelly Slater gave up his Eddie Aikau spot to first time event surfer, Chris Owens.
The interview above is super-candid Kelly. He’s so comfortable these days, he can talk about almost anything. Apparently KS wasn’t feeling it on a day the waves went 40-50 feet on the face. That doesn’t mean Slater couldn’t have pushed through. Come on, let’s be real. But the gesture to give his spot to a first timer was pretty spot on. “Your ego gets in the way, obviously, ‘oh you didn’t go,’ but whatever,” he said. “But if you’re not feeling it, you’re not feeling it.”
Good words from the 11-time champ. Bottom line. The ocean will always be there. Sometimes it’s just not your day. There’s an excellent chance Kelly will have an opportunity in big scary surf coming up at the Pipe Pro in a few days anyway.
