Kelly Slater crests new waves as activist and businessperson

Professional surfing might be a niche sport when compared with soccer, tennis or cricket, but the name Kelly Slater transcends barriers.

- By Craig Ray

Slater is the most decorated pro surfer of all time, with 11 world titles and 56 event wins accumulated over four decades of competitive surfing.

His name has become synonymous with longevity and excellence in the athletic arena. A global sporting force, he is a powerful advocate for environmental causes and living a clean and healthy lifestyle.

Slater (53) was recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards, which were held in Madrid, Spain, on 21 April. Another recipient of a special honour the Global Icon Award was tennis great Rafael Nadal. Among his athletic peers at least, Slater is viewed with the same respect as Nadal.

"I've lived a clean lifestyle, a drug-free lifestyle, and I've always been a proponent of being healthy and clean to young kids," Slater said of his longevity and appeal. "Aside from ... winning the 11 world titles, I'm proud that I believed I could do it and stuck to my guns."

Local connections

Slater, who hails from Florida in the US, has strong connections to South Africa through his sport. He came to Durban in the 1990s to compete in the now defunct Gunston 500 and has been a regular visitor to Jeffreys Bay as a competitor in the World Surf League.

The right-hand point break at J-Bay, as it is fondly known, is one of the legendary stops on the league's cosmopolitan calendar, and Slater has excelled here with four wins.

The surfer still competes sporadically through sponsors' invites, and one of them is to the Eastern Cape this July for the Corona Cero Open J-Bay, the 10th stop of the 2025 Championship Tour.