Kelly Slater

WORLD TITLES: 11 time world champion.

AGE: The youngest (20) and the oldest (39) world title holder.

VICTORIES: Most career event wins.

HEAT WINS: Most heat wins of all times.

TWO PERFECT TENS: In the 2005 Billabong Tahiti Pro contest at Teahupoo, Kelly Slater also became the first surfer who scored two perfect 10. This is the maximum possible amount of points in a surfing heat.

Kelly Slater is considered to be the greatest surfer of all times. Not only that - he might be the best athlete of all times. Read on to find out why and let me know if you agree.

He was born on February 11, 1972 in Cocoa Beach in Florida. He started surfing at a very young age and quickly demonstrated his talent. He won his first world title when he was 20 years old and is still the youngest surfer to ever win a world title. Today he has 11 world titles, the last one from 2011 when age 39 he also became the oldest surfer to ever win a world title.

Never before has a single athlete dominated his sport for such a long time, even more so if we consider how challenging and physically demanding the sport of surfing is.

source: 360guide.info

Kelly Slater has 11 world titles. He won in 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2011.

How far ahead is that when we compare him to other successful surfers?

The next on the list is Layne Beachley, she has 7 world titles. She is followed by Mark Richards who has 5 world titles.

Up until 2014 Kelly has two biography books:

Pipe Dreams – A Surfers Journey was published in 2003 and describes how he grew up and follows him until he wins his seventh world title.

Kelly Slater: For the Love was published in 2008 and again follows him on his way to 9 world titles.

Since then he won two more titles so it looks like he is ready for another?

Songs From The Pipe

As many surfers do in their spare time, Kelly Slater picks up his guitar and plays some music. During the 90′s he formed a band called The Surfers which released an album of surf music called Songs From the Pipe.

There is even a surfing game made by Activision called Kelly Slater Pro Surfer. In this game you travel the world and surf the worlds best breaks from shoulder high beach breaks to giant big wave surfing on Mavericks. A loved it when it came out and is still the best surfing game I think, it renders the waves really nicely and gives you some of that surfing feeling.

It is often the case that really really good athletes stay famous only in the circle of their sport and fans. Few from Worlds most popular sports break into the universal stardom. Surfing not being mainstream sport like basketball, soccer, golf... Kelly is the only surfer that is a celebrity.

Magazine cover shots, dating Pamela Anderson back in the days and a few more beauties, TV shows, Baywatch etc...