Kelly Slater has been a staple of the surfing world for decades. He’s both the youngest and oldest world champion. He’s got 11 world titles under his belt and countless contest wins. He’s got his fingers in many pies and has many pans on the fire, all to do with surf in some way. From Purps and Outerknown to the Surf Ranch and even Pottery Barn collaborations, Slater’s not afraid to dip his toes in different waters. Another one of his partnerships is with Firewire, which makes his new Great White Twin model surfboard, so he recently sat down in front of an audience at the Rip Curl San Clemente store to talk a bit of story, break down the new surfboard, and answer a few questions.
While the brunt of the public sit down was taken up by Great White Twin talk, there was one particularly interesting question from the audience. When asked whether he’d choose a wave pool over the ocean, Slater was clear about his preference. “I’d choose the ocean,” he said, “because there’s just so much variety and so many waves I want to surf and love. And my favorite waves in the world are in the ocean.”
