Kelly Slater Stars in Unruly Surf at Tahiti Pro's Opening Day

Eleven-time world champion Kelly Slater proved his enduring skill at the Tahiti Pro on Saturday, dominating the opening day in massive and unruly surf. The 54-year-old, who stepped away from full-time competition in 2024, achieved the highest heat total of the day, scoring 16.23 out of 20. This performance secured his spot in the second round, setting up a highly anticipated matchup with three-time world champion Gabriel Medina. Slater expressed the challenge of the waves, noting, "It's sort of like riding a bike, but you forget how gnarly Teahupo'o is." He added that the lack of practice in big waves this week made the immediate return to such conditions intense. Teahupo'o, renowned as one of the world's most challenging waves and the site of the 2024 Paris Olympics surfing event, presented difficult conditions with large swells and strong cross-shore winds. Competitors like Matthew McGillivray and Ramzi Boukhiam faced punishing wipeouts before Slater's heat. Slater himself secured a near-perfect 9 for a long tube ride and a 7.23 for another barrel, while his opponent Eli Hanneman experienced a severe wipeout. Local Tahitian surfer Kauli Vaast, an Olympic gold medalist from 2024, also performed well before competition was paused due to the expectation of more large waves.

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It's sort of like riding a bike, but you forget how gnarly Teahupo'o is.