Kelly Slater is among the wealthiest professional surfers, with a net worth of $25 million as of 2024. He holds 56 Championship Tour victories and still competes at the age of 52.
Kelly was born on the 11th of February, 1972, in Cocoa Beach, Florida, U.S.; his zodiac sign is Aquarius.
Since 10, the surfer has been winning several national and global championships. The professional surfer is sometimes called “The Micheal Jordan of Surfing Slats.”
Besides being a surfer, he is also a musician, film producer, actor, and voice actor.
He is in the 2023 second season of ‘Make or Break,’ a new docuseries about behind-the-scenes of the surfers.
In the surfing world, Kelly Slater is a legend. He is considered the greatest surfer for his incredible surfing skills and 11 world championship titles, among which he has 5 consecutive wins. He is also the richest surfer of all time.
Below are the quick facts to know before jumping to the article.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Kelly Slater |
| Birth Date | 11th February 1972 |
| Birth Place | Cocoa Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Nicknames | Kells, Slates, King Kelly, And The Micheal Jordan Of Surfing Slats |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Master’s Degree In Criminal Law, Sydney University |
| Horoscope | Aquarius |
| Father’s Name | Stephen Slater |
| Mother’s Name | Judy Slater |
| Siblings | Sean & Stephen |
| Age | 52 Years Old |
| Height | 5’8″/ 1.72 m/ 174 cm |
| Weight | 160 lb./ 73 Kg |
| Shoe Size | 10 |
| Profession | Professional Surfer, Musician, Voice Actor, And A Film Producer |
| Net Worth | $25 Million |
| Married | Unmarried |
| Girlfriend |
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| Children | Taylor Slater |
| Salary (Yearly) | $3 Million |
| Merch | Book |
| Social Media | Twitter, Facebook, Instagram |
| Last Update | March 2024 |
Net Worth & Income
Slater has a net worth of $25 million as of March 2024. Most of his income is from his surfing, acting career, entrepreneurship, and endorsement. The amount he earns from his career is estimated to be between $3 million and $4 million.
He also earns a handsome amount through acting and voice acting, as he did in “Surf’s up,” a film that earned him success, earning $149 million world wide.
Besides all these, he has also earned as a brand ambassador of The Chia Co. He has started a beverage company named “Purps” and co-founded a company called “Outerknown.”
Kelly, in 2020 collaborated in a plan to build a 150-room hotel, 600 homes, and an 18-million-gallon wave pool with Michael Schwab worth $250 million, a 400-acre surf resort in La Quinta, California.
House, Cars & Boards
In 2017, Slater purchased a beach house worth $7.8 million in Hawaii. The home contains a seven-bedroom and seven-and-a-half bathroom. The design is a cultural mix and includes a pond with the Buddha statue.
Aside from the main building, two guest-house are included, all of which are open to the private garden, the pool, and the lawn.
The private balcony of the master’s bedroom has an astounding view of the ocean.
As for his car collection, he has quite a few. His most preferred one is Land Rover for his day-to-day commute.
Next are surfboards. Unlike other surfers, Kelly uses his own designed surfboards, the Slater Designs. Often, he rides the 5’10 Banana model featuring the new stickers. Greg Webber designed this.
The surfer launched his new brand at Surf Expo 2016, held in Orlando.
Till now, there are three Slater-designed boards which are,
- The Sci-Phi: This board has dimensions of 5’10”x 18 3/8”x 2 1/4”. Daniel Thomson designed it.
- The Owni: This particular surfboard was designed by Daniel Thomson again. The dimensions are 5’3”x 18 3/4”x 2 5/16” (24.8 liters)
- The Banana: The last one is The Banana, designed by Greg Webber. The dimension are 5’10”x 18 3/8”x 2 1/4” (25.8 liters)
Currently, surfboards are in massive demand and are reviewed by many YouTubers and surfers.
Lifestyle & Vacations
Slater strictly believes in proper nutrition, sleep, and low stress for a healthier lifestyle.
After losing his father to cancer and other friends to many other diseases, he has become highly conscious about his health and longevity.
For this reason, he exercises regularly and frequently goes to the physiotherapist for regular checkups.
Being a professional surfer, he has been to many surfing destinations for vacations and events.
His favorite destinations are Tavarua, Fiji, Hossegor, France, etc. In September 2020, he was on vacation in Bali, where he was seen riding the waves on a near-empty beach due to the global pandemic.
Charity Works
The surfer donates his fortune to many non-profitable organizations and social initiatives.
Along with other celebrities like Justin Timberlake, Jack Johnson, and many more, Slater has supported many organizations. Some of these include:
- Hillsides, Southern California: An organization providing a stable environment and protecting children’s rights.
- Kelly Slater Foundation: An organization to increase social and environmental consciousness.
- Life Rolls On Foundation: An organization that helps young people suffering from spinal cord injuries.
- Wildlife Warriors Worldwide: A global organization (Australian-based) that helps preserve and protect threatened and endangered wildlife and flora.
Movies, Investments, Endorsements & Book Publications
The American surfer is also into producing films and acting. As a film producer, he has made many movies, some of which are: The Ultimate Wave Tahiti (Documentary) and Jack Johnson: The September Series (Documentary).
As an actor, some of his contributions to filmography are Thicker than water, Cloud 9, View from a Blue Moon, Momentum Generation, etc. He also played in some of the TV series called Baywatch.
Kelly Slater, to date, has made two huge investments in the organization named “Vessel” and “Hyperice.” He has also joined hands with an Australian investment firm to build the world’s first wave pool featuring a continuous, world-class wave.
Slater has endorsement deals with companies such as Quicksilver wetsuits and Channel Islands Surfboards.
He also had a deal with lux wristwatch brands, the WSL’s official beverage, etc. However, the amount of income he gets through these endorsements is unknown to the public.
As an author, he has written two books named “Pipe Dreams: A Surfer’s Journey” and “Kelly Slater: For the Love.” These books are about his incredible and inspiring journey in the surfing world.
Career
Slater, the son of a bait-store proprietor, by the age of 10, started competing and won his first division U.S. championship title.
After two years, he competed in the junior division at the world amateur championships (third) in England and the Pacific Cup junior championship in Australia (first).
In 1990, Slater turned professional but struggled during his first two years on the professional tour.
After winning his first professional tour event, the Rip Curl Pro, in France, he took a break from competitive surfing at the end of 1998 before returning to the world pro tour in 2002.
He also won major surfing league championships like the Quicksilver pro-Australian Open.
Winning a total of 55 world surf league contests and holding the title “The world championship holder” from 1994-1998, he has received several awards throughout his surfing career.
Besides his surfing career, he has also been in several movies and TV shows.
Kelly slater is in the second season of new docuseries about surfers ‘Make or Break,’ an eight-part season, which offers behind-the-scenes access to the internationally-recognized World Surf League champions Kelly Slater, Stephanie Gilmore, Filipe Toledo, and others released by Apple TV+.
They compete for the top title at the Men’s and Women’s World Surf League Championship Tour.
The company will release four episodes of season two on Friday, February 17, 2023, followed by another four episodes on February 24, 2023. It takes viewers on location for the 2022 competition to surfing locations worldwide.
Achievements
Below are some of his achievements to date.
- 1st place winner of Nike Pro US Open ( 2011 )
- Winner at Hurley Pro ( 2011 )
- 1st place at Volcom Fiji Pro ( 2013 )
- Winner of the Association of Surfing Professionals (‘ASP’) World Tour.’
- Winner of ‘Rip Curl Pro Landes’ and the ‘Marui Pipe Masters.’
- First place at competitions like ‘Quiksilver Pro,’ Indonesia, ‘Chiemsee Pipe Masters’ and ‘Triple Crown of Surfing.’
- Winner of tournaments of ‘Snickers Australian Open,’ ‘Energy Australia Open,’ ‘Boost Mobile Pro,’ and ‘Quiksilver Pro.’
- Slater has been a champion of the World Surf League ( 11 times ).
- An awardee of the Laureus World Sports Award for Action Sportsperson of the Year ( 200, 2009, 2011, and 2012 )
- Youngest and Oldest champion surfer in the world
- Total of 55 competition victories
- Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau (Specialty-Hawaii in 2002)
Facts About Kelly Slater
- Slater plays instruments such as guitar and ukulele. He has been in a band with Rob Machado and Peter King. The band is called “The Surfers.”
- His favorite movie is “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”
- He has been in a console video game for PS2 and Xbox. The game was called “Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer.” This game is considered to be one of the best surfing games.
- He is the youngest surfer who’s ever won the world surf league championship. As a professional surfer, his skills to this date remain unmatched.
Social Media Presence
The surfer is active on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
He mostly interacts with his followers on these platforms by updating them about his new competitions, fundraising events, and upcoming series and documentaries.
- Twitter: 890.8 k followers
- Facebook: 1.9 million followers
- Instagram: 3.2 million followers
View this post on Instagram
Kelly uploaded a video that covered one of his high achievements, a perfect 10 at Pipe Masters back in 2019.
Kelly Slater Quotes
- “My schedule changes every morning based on the surf.”
- “Big waves are a whole different ball game. You’re riding a wave with an immense amount of speed and power, generally over 10 meters. On the face of the wave, obviously, life and death thoughts start to happen.”
- “If your mind is not switched on and excited about things, you grow old really fast. I think that’s when you age and your body starts to go. I think life’s over at that point.”
- “For a surfer, it’s never-ending. There’s always some wave you want to surf.”
- “For me, it’s sort of like time slows down. You become hyper-aware of a lot of different things – the way the wave is breaking, timing, putting yourself in the right part of the barrel. It takes all of your mental capacity to do it just right.”
- “Friends that were on tour with me 20 years ago, ten years ago, are now family guys married with kids. They say, “I can’t believe you’re still doing it, that you’re looking for waves every day.”
The Search Graph
The search for Kelly is on the higher end due to his high performance in surfing, and he still has an active career.
The graph illustrates his fans’ search momentum over the past 12 months.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)
Which is Kelly Slater's biggest wave?
Kelly Slater had his biggest wave in May 2021 in Nazare, Portugal. Well, this wave measured about 22.4 meters.
Does Kelly Slater own Surf Ranch?
Yes, Kelly Slater is the developer and owner of Lemoore's $30 million Surf Ranch complex. Lemoore is a 2,000 feet long and 500 feet wide artificial lake built mainly for water skiing.
