When Kelly Slater was about to paddle out today at Teahupo’o, the air was ripe with anticipation. In the channel I counted 16 boats, 15 skis and another two dozen people on boards, all hoping to see Kelly turn it on. Throughout his career there has always been a sense that something magical might happen when he is in the water. He waved the wand just the other day, in round two, when he blitzed past Gabriel Medina with a vintage performance.
Today, everything seemed set for another classic, Kelly showdown. Right before he hit the water a double rainbow stretched across the Teahupo’o skyline. All the photographers turned to capture the moment – chasing rainbows. It seemed like Kelly was bringing the magic. As he made his way out, he went via the flotilla and sat amongst the cluster of coaches and onlookers on boards. Meanwhile, Jack Robinson distanced himself from the pack, a look of ruthless ambition creasing his face.
In the heat prior to Kelly’s, the swell pulsed, and George Pittar capitalised, hauling his lanky frame through a series of high-line exits. However, when the siren sounded for Kelly and Jack’s heat the waves stopped; nothing but niggle and hustle for the first five or six minutes. Eventually Jack broke the deadlock and scooped into an inside drainer for a 5.83, leaving Kelly alone with priority to choose any wave he wanted. However, despite years of experience and multiple victories at Teahupo’o, he chose unwisely. The wave offered no scoring opportunity.
Without priority, Kelly did everything within his power to pilfer the next set wave off Jack. However, Jack played his hand deftly, taking a gravity-defying drop and throttling his way to a 9.17. He sprint-paddled back to the lineup, tuning into a few sage words as he passed his coach Luke Egan. Holding priority, Kelly once again picked the wrong wave. Where had the magic gone? The energy was sucked out of the air as Kelly’s legrope broke and his board thrashed towards the lagoon. By the time he made it back to the lineup, there was a growing sense of futility about his quest, but if anyone could manifest a victory from an impossible scenario, it was Kelly. By the time he made it back to the lineup, he needed two good waves in twelve minutes to chase down Jack’s 15-point total.
A window was opened when Jack failed to find an exit on his next barrel. Kelly swooped on an unlikely-looking lump and manufactured a 7.83. The judges had kept him in the fight, and he was going down swinging. There was a glimmer of hope at the end of the rainbow, but there were only a few minutes left by the time he arrived back in the wave zone. The waves that broke were either too far inside or too wide. Kelly got stranded in limbo, deprived of a chance to perform. There would be no final stand.
No one resented Jack’s victory; he had been stoic and fierce in his approach, reminding everyone why he is still considered one of the best barrel riders in the world. After the heat he made a point of paddling back out and giving Kelly a ‘hard luck buddy’ tap on the shoulder.
After a post-heat chat with Stryder, Kelly hung around on the sidelines; watching Griffin slide into a pair of eight-plus rides and Miguel Pupo rally with an 8.5 of his own. You can imagine Kelly wishing he’d been on those waves. Miguel vs Griffin was a killer heat by anyone’s standards, but somehow the juice had been totally sucked out of the crowd by Kelly’s loss. It was as if they were collectively taking on his disappointment. Kelly losing felt like everyone losing.
When the final hooter of the day sounded, Kelly was the first one into the lineup for a freesurf. It seemed like the swarm of other surfers let him have the inside out of respect. He obviously needed a few waves to wash off the loss. The boat was on its way to the marina before I got to watch him ride a wave, but I dare say he would have stayed out till dark.
As always, that question looms. Will it be the last time we see Kelly pull on a jersey? It’s a question the surfing world has been asking for over a decade. Don’t be surprised if you see him back next year — but it doesn’t matter. He did enough in one round two heat to give us a lasting memory and walk away with pride.
