Kelly Slater’s 19.06-point round two performance at the Tahiti Pro was one for the ages. But his post-heat interview with Chris Cote almost overshadowed his punishing wipeouts and tubes. Slater’s jokes managed to intertwine Jeremy Flores, Eli Hanneman, Strider Wasilewski, and a friend’s Instagram comments all into one cohesive set that bordered on stand-up comedy.
After defeating Gabriel Medina and notching what at the time was the highest heat total of the event, Slater was giddy on camera in the channel. Even after decades of surfing the world’s best waves, it was clear that giving Teahupo’o caverns to 54-year-old Slater is akin to letting a toddler loose in a candy store.
Right off the bat, Slater went into his comedic banter, thanking his “coach” Jeremy Flores for the pep talk that he gave while he joined the commentators in the broadcast booth.
“So (Flores) actually got me to really think about how to engage and get in the heat,” Slater said in a playful tone, managing to keep a straight face. “And so I tried to push a bit deeper today.”
Then Slater started roasting himself for the massive, over-the-falls wipeout he took early in the heat. He said it was one of the biggest waves he had ever paddled at Teahupo’o, and even though he realized that he was above the lip, he went for it anyway.
“The apex of the ledge went underneath me, and I was like, ‘Well, I don’t know. The boys would be stoked if I went,’ so I just stood up and jumped,” Slater said, still keeping his poker face among the slew of jokes.
“I was in the air just going, ‘Eli Hanneman, I know how you feel!’ So shout out Eli, you inspired me there,” Slater added, alluding to the monstrous wipeouts that Hanneman suffered in his round one heat against Slater.
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Slater followed up with his best Strider Wasilewski impression, imagining what the WSL commentator was thinking as the next wave approached. “I was sitting out the back with priority when my good one came, and I could see Strider just going, ‘You better get this thing…’”
The conversation turned to the validity of Slater’s wildcard. He took the chance to call out a friend by name who had left an Instagram comment saying the wildcard should have gone to a local.
“There are a lot of people doubting me, (saying) they should have gone with a local wildcard,” Slater said. “And I get why people say that. Ronny Nelson, shout out to you. All good. But when you see your friends say it, it pisses you off. But without pressure, you got no diamonds, so it kind of fired me up to see that stuff.”
Slater ended the interview on a more somber note, acknowledging that the heat with Medina was emotional and that he nearly cried afterward. Last week, Medina and his wife lost their child after three months of pregnancy
“Everyone knows Gabe’s been through a lot lately,” Slater concluded. “We’ve become good friends, and I just really appreciate his surfing and his career, and I think he’s awesome. It’s tough to come all this way, losing to someone who’s not in the title race. I feel all those emotions and the toughness of that travel, being away from family, and all that stuff.”
To get the full comedic experience, you really have to listen to how Slater delivered the remarks. Here’s to another Slater post-heat interview in round three.
