Kelly Slater officially granted wildcard berth for 2024 World Surf League season

Hillard Grossman
Sat, Oct 28, 2023, 9:25 PM GMT+1·4 min read

How long has Kelly Slater been surfing?

In perspective, when the second event on the 2024 World Surf League schedule kicks off at Sunset Beach, Hawaii, in February, the 11-time world champion will be just 10 years from Social Security eligibility.

Yet, the sport's superstar, who grew up learning the mysteries of the ocean on 3rd Street North in Cocoa Beach, now called Kelly Slater Way, continues to be a star attraction in the water and out of the water, where he has 3.3 million Instagram followers.

This past week, the WSL granted Slater, 51, a wildcard berth for the 2024 season, which opens in late January with the Pipeline Masters in Hawaii, an event he won just days before his 50th birthday.

"It continues the Slater legend," said John Hughes, Executive Director of the Florida Surf Museum in Cocoa Beach. "He's pushed past the 50 mark and doesn't seem to be slowing down. It's good to see they're giving him another chance on the tour."

The t-shirt looks great with jeans or casuals! More colors & styles!!        Check out our selection here

Since that remarkable 56th career victory in Hawaii, which came 30 years after he first won at Pipe, Slater's championship magic never quite returned, although he showed plenty of flashes of brilliance along the way.

This year, he missed the mid-season cut for the first time, yet was given the opportunity to surf the second half of the season, although he never could move up far enough to qualify for the 2024 Olympics. He finished 23rd in the final rankings, with three ninth-place finishes among the nine events he entered.

Surfers not finishing among the top 24 men at the midway point are relegated to lower-tier qualifying series, where the world's much younger stars launch their careers and at venues not comparable to the major level.

Despite the naysayers who say he's taking a young kid's spot, keeping Slater on the primary circuit assures the league of a strong fan following.

"Kelly Slater is the draw," Hughes said. "As far as the general public goes, there's Kelly Slater, then there's everybody else."

During the Rip Curl Final 5 championships at Lower Trestles, Calif, where former Melbourne Beach resident Caroline Marks won the women's world title, 260,000 viewers tuned in to see the day's live webcast. Had Slater been competing, that number likely would have tripled.

"Definitely would have pushed the numbers up," Hughes said.

Slater won the last of his 11 world titles in 2011.

The 10-event 2024 WSL schedule could be in Slater's favor, with stops at Pipeline (a stone's throw from one of his homes and where he has won eight times); and Bells Beach, Australia, (four wins there) on the front end.

Following the mid-season cut, there's Teahupo'o, Tahiti (five wins there); Cloudbreak in Fiji (four wins and a perfect 20 score in 2013); and, the finals at Lower Trestles, a familiar spot where he won his first pro contest on the qualifying series' Bud Pro Tour in 1990, at age 18, not long after graduating from Cocoa Beach High.

The man-made waves at Slater's Surf Ranch, where judging criteria was questioned by at least three Brazilian surfers this season, and J-bay, South Africa, are not on the 2024 schedule.

The 2024 WSL rosters include seven rookies and 11 surfers from mainland America, evidence that the USA Prime Series has been a success in developing new talent to compete on a global scale.

Here's the full list of 2024’s World Surf League Championship Tour competitors:

Women’s 2024 Championship Tour Qualifiers

Top 10 Qualifiers from 2023 Championship Tour Rankings

• Caroline Marks (USA)

• Carissa Moore (HAW)

• Tyler Wright (AUS)

• Caitlin Simmers (USA)

• Molly Picklum (AUS)

• Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)

• Lakey Peterson (USA)

• Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA)

• Gabriela Bryan (HAW)

• Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW)

Top 5 Qualifiers from 2023 Challenger Series Rankings

• India Robinson (AUS)

• Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)

• Sawyer Lindblad (USA)

• Alyssa Spencer (USA)

• Isabella Nichols (AUS)

WSL Season Wildcards

• Johanne Defay (FRA)

• Brisa Hennessy (CRC)

WSL Replacement

• Luana Silva (BRA)

Men’s 2024 Championship Tour Qualifiers

Top 22 Qualifiers from the 2023 Championship Tour Rankings

• Filipe Toledo (BRA)

• Ethan Ewing (AUS)

• Griffin Colapinto (USA)

• Joao Chianca (BRA)

• Jack Robinson (AUS)

• Gabriel Medina (BRA)

• Yago Dora (BRA)

• John John Florence (HAW)

• Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA)

• Ryan Callinan (AUS)

• Connor O’Leary (AUS)

• Barron Mamiya (HAW)

• Italo Ferreira (BRA)

• Kanoa Igarashi (JPN)

• Ian Gentil (HAW)

• Jordy Smith (RSA)

• Liam O’Brien (AUS)

• Caio Ibelli (BRA)

• Matthew McGillivray (RSA)

• Callum Robson (AUS)

• Rio Waida (INA)

• Seth Moniz (HAW)

Top 10 Qualifiers from the 2023 Challenger Series Rankings

• Cole Houshmand (USA)

• Samuel Pupo (BRA)

• Jacob Willcox (AUS)

• Crosby Colapinto (USA)

• Eli Hanneman (HAW)

• Imaikalani deVault (HAW)

• Frederico Morais (POR)

• Jake Marshall (USA)

• Kade Matson (USA)

• Deivid Silva (BRA)

WSL Season Wildcards

• Kelly Slater (USA)

• Miguel Pupo (BRA)

WSL Replacement

• Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR)

The t-shirt looks great with jeans or casuals! More colors & styles!!        Check out our selection here

Shark kills Surfer in Hawaii Forcing the Suspension of a Surfing Competition | Hawaii Shark Attack

A surfer who was attacked by a shark in Hawaii on Tuesday has died, prompting the suspension a women's professional surfing competition in Honolua Bay.

The unidentified victim passed away early Wednesday evening.

The 56-year-old man from Lahaina, a city in West Maui, was paddling out from the old ramp in the bay when the incident occurred, according to a release by Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. He was taken to the hospital and admitted for surgery after the attack.

The state department posted multiple photos to social media showing a surfboard with large bite marks. One photo showed a bite mark appearing to measure 17 inches wide. The attack prompted the indefinite hold of the World Surf League women's professional surfing competition Maui Pro on the day of the incident, according to a release by the WSL.

The WSL announced the decision to cancel the remaining heats of the competition at Honolua Bay on Wednesday, stating in a release that the organization is working on options to complete the event at an alternate location in Hawaii after working with local authorities and speaking to surfers.

The surfer who died in the attack was a recreational surfer and was not involved in the WSL competition.

The surfing organization shared condolences to the shark attack victim's family, friends and the Maui surfing community in a social media post on Thursday.

"The WSL has learned that Tuesday's victim of the shark attack at Honolua Bay has tragically passed away," wrote the WSL in a caption on social media. "Our thoughts and hearts are with the victim's family and friends as well as the entire Maui surfing community."

The Rise of Frederico Morais: Athlete Profile

While Frederico Morais made quite an impact last year, he maintains all the trappings of a hidden threat. He thrives in the shadows. Growing up in Portugal, he was pretty far removed from the epicenter of European surfing power in France. But while he's spent much of his career outside the limelight, he spent a good chunk of last year turning doubters into believers. Frederico Morais is ready for prime time.

The Waves 10 points of the World Tour 2017

The Waves 10 points of the World Tour 2017 from Surf Slab

All waves with a score of 10 in the 2017 World Surf League.

Surfers:
Ezekiel Lau
Italo Ferreira
Sebastian Zietz
Filipe Toledo
Jordy Smith
Julian Wilson
John John Florence
Frederico Morais
Gabriel Medina

Song:
Cold Funk Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

All images by http://www.worldsurfleague.com/

#Tournotes: Thumpings

Supertubos is quite a sight when it's doing its thing; it's also quite a fright when it's thumping, which it was during Round One of the 2017 MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal. The peanut gallery was lively amidst the commotion, as the punishment was being served up all day. Few surfers were spared.

TAG Heuer Big Wave - Don't Crack Under Pressure

Videos from WSL Big Wave Awards

Compilation of the four episodes the TAG Heuer's big wave series "Don't Crack Under Pressure"

Episode One

In the first episode of TAG Heuer's big wave series "Don't Crack Under Pressure" the world of high surf rescue is examined in depth. 

Episode Two

In the second episode of TAG Heuer's big wave series "Don't Crack Under Pressure" we hear about what motivates Gary Linden, the founder of the Big Wave Tour. 

Episode Three

What makes Big Wave Women's Champion Paige Alms tick? Find out what drives the Maui surfer to be the best there is in the third episode of TAG Heuer's big wave series "Don't Crack Under Pressure".

Episode Four

What does it take physically and mentally to survive wipeouts under unfathomable tons of furious whitewater? Listen to the best big wave riders in the world explain how they prepare and how they execute in the heaviest situations in the fourth episode of TAG Heuer's big wave series "Don't Crack Under Pressure".

How They Survive

Anyone who has ever been thumped by a head-high wave knows the sick feeling of dread in your gut when you're fumbling towards the surface, vying for a gasp of fresh air. Now times that feeling by ten. No, scratch that, times it by fifty and you're beginning to understand what a wipeout at Pe'ahi or Nazare or Maverick's feels like. "It's like, get ready for eight rounds with Mike Tyson, 'cause it's coming straight at you," said 2x Pe'ahi Challenge Champ Billy Kemper.


Don't Crack Under Pressure
In this Tag Heuer "Don't Crack Under Pressure" feature, the WSL Big Wave Tour's Medical Director, Dr. Terry Farrell, breaks down some of the physiological challenges surfers face when dealing with intense wipeouts, specifically the stress it places on a human's lungs. "You just overcome and adapt," Kemper said.

Back in January 2016, Maui's Aaron Gold paddled himself into perhaps the largest wave ever ridden without vehicle assistance -- a 66ft. behemoth at Jaws, aka Pe'ahi. Not long after that, he nearly drowned surfing at Cloudbreak in Fiji during another huge Pacific swell.

Billy Kemper at Jaws, Hawaii on December 6, 2015 (B). Photo by Mike Neal. A 2016 Paddle Award entry.

Even big wave surfers like Billy Kemper are forced to face their fears head on in frightening conditions. It's what you do to compose yourself in the moment that makes the difference. - WSL / Mike Neal

The incident is forever crystallized in his mind. "I fell on the first wave, basically got held down by the next wave and then it was like somebody shut the lights off, I blacked out," Gold explained. "Luckily they wound up seeing my board and found me floating unconscious under water, grabbed me and were able to resuscitate me."

WSL FIRST-EVER CONTEST AT PE'AHI JAWS

Photo: WSL

You won’t want to miss the Pe’ahi Challenge. Tune in to the WSL website December 6th at 7:30am local time to watch the event LIVE HERE: http://bit.ly/PeahiLIVE 

Adicionar legenda

World Surf League’s Big Wave Tour Is On!

Makua Rothman Photo: Zack Noyle

The world’s best Big Wave surfers are on heightened alert as the World Surf League (WSL) commences the second phase of the 2015/2016 WSL Big Wave Tour (BWT) season. With a window running from October 15, 2015 to February 28, 2016, the remaining portion of the competition year focuses on the Northern Hemisphere swell cycle with the potential of running four world-class events at some of the most dangerous locations on the planet.

“I don’t think you will find a Big Wave surfer in the world who doesn’t believe this winter has a chance to be one of the greatest of all time,” said Peter Mel, former Big Wave World Champion and Commissioner of the WSL’s Big Wave Tour. “Everyone is training hard and preparing themselves physically and mentally for whatever the oceans have in store for us in the coming months. I surfed through the last two major El Niños in 1982/83 and 1997/98, and like anyone who experienced the surf in Hawaii or on the west coast will tell you, those seasons were legendary. If this winter even approaches those levels, it’s going to be a show not to be missed.”

The Oregon Challenge, Punta Galea Challenge, Pe’ahi Challenge and the Todos Santos Challenge comprise the upcoming Northern Hemisphere season and an expert meteorological team from Surfline.com, the official surf forecaster of the WSL, will track swell systems daily through the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, monitoring for the precise combination of conditions that will produce waves of 25-feet or higher with ideal winds.

Each event features a competitive field of the 24 best Big Wave surfers in the world, including the Top 10 finishers from the 2014/2015 BWT rankings, plus a diverse assortment of wildcards made up of local specialists and globally respected Big Wave legends. For a full list of competitors for each event, see the BWT section of the WSL website.

The Quiksilver Ceremonial at Punta Lobos in Chile was the only event during the Southern Hemisphere season to experience the required wave size to run. The event took place on Friday, May 1, 2015, where reigning WSL BWT Champion Makua Rothman (HAW) claimed victory and solidified his place at the top of the current BWT rankings.

All upcoming BWT events will be webcast LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com and via the WSL mobile app. In addition, the WSL recently announced a deal with Universal Sports that will give millions of fans in the US the opportunity -- conditions permitting -- to watch televised broadcasts of the following four heart-pounding Big Wave events.

Oregon Challenge: Lincoln City, Oregon

October 15, 2015 - February 28, 2016

$50,000

Punta Galea Challenge: Punta Galea, Basque Country Spain

October 15, 2015 - February 28, 2016

$50,000

Pe’ahi Challenge, Haiku, Hawaii (aka “Jaws”)

October 15, 2015 - February 28, 2016

$100,000

Todos Santos Challenge: Ensenada, Mexico

October 15, 2015 - February 28, 2016

$75,000

In addition to the Top Ten finishers in this year’s events, coveted spots on next year’s Big Wave Tour will also be awarded to the highest finishers in the Surfline Overall Performance Award category of the WSL Big Wave Awards. The Overall Performance Award recognizes the greatest rides captured on video throughout the course of the entire season -- outside of BWT competitions -- at the most incredible surf breaks around the world.

Following the conclusion of the winter’s action, the winners from both the WSL Big Wave Tour and WSL Big Wave Awards will be crowned at a gala ceremony in Southern California in April. Total prize money at stake across all WSL Big Wave competitions this winter will exceed $500,000.

Nikki Van Dijk Sexy Photos

Nikki Van Dijk was on the cusp of qualifying for the WSL Women’s World Tour for a couple of years – as a teenager. After winning the WSL World Junior Title with a solid performance in Bali in 2012, confidence seemed to kick in. She had her most consistent season on the Qualifying Series in 2013, punctuated with a win at the final women’s 6-Star event of the year, the Pantin Classic Galicia Pro in Spain.

She qualified. She's arrived. But Nikki was never a "newcomer" to the Tour, having received wildcards into the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and the Beachley Classic in the past. Now a full-time WCTer, she's taking notes, the occasional heat win and progressing toward becoming a true event and title threat.

“The best part will be surfing against the best women surfers in the world and showing the world how I can surf," Nikki told Surfer Magazine. "And of course traveling the world, learning, and growing. I think I’ll be a fun a new face to the Tour.”

LAY DAY CALLED AT J-BAY OPEN

Adicionar Photo: WSL

A third second consecutive lay day has been called at the J-Bay Open, Stop No. 6 on the 2015 Samsung Galaxy World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT). Another day of small surf at Jeffreys Bay and good conditions expected for the coming weekend have prompted event organizers to call competition off for the day.

"Unfortunately today there isn't enough out there so we won't be running any heats," Kieren Perrow, WSL Commissioner said. "We'll come back tomorrow morning. We know we have to be done by Sunday but the good news is that we've got a great looking forecast for the weekend and we're confident of finishing the event in great waves".

When competition resumes Heat 3 of Round 4 will see reigning WSL Champion Gabriel Medina (BRA) take on 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) and three-time World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS) in an all-star match-up.

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning to assess conditions and make the next call.

Surfline, official forecaster for the World Surf League, are calling for:

Small surf prevails Friday. Strong SW to SSW swell will build in through the weekend, likely peaking late Saturday through Sunday morning. Local wind will be highly dynamic with variable but, at least at times, favorable flow possible on Saturday. The first half ofSunday will likely see N/devil wind, before conditions potentially improve later Sundayafternoon and evening. 

World Surf League - São Conrado beach had to be removed from the competition.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - A sewage-filled Rio de Janeiro beach has been removed from the list of venues for an upcoming surfing competition in the city, the World Surf League said Wednesday.

Spokesman Dave Prodan said in an emailed statement that Sao Conrado beach had to be removed as a competition site "due to pollution issues."

Sao Conrado had been a backup for the May 11-22 Rio Pro event, to be used in case of sub-par waves or other issues at the primary venue, nearby Barra da Tijuca beach.

Wedged between the high-rent Barra da Tijuca and Leblon neighborhoods and two "favela" hillside slums, Sao Conrado is among Rio's most polluted beaches. Much of the sewage from the slums flow untreated directly into the water. A ruptured sewage main has added to the problem in recent days, unleashing a malodorous fountain of untreated waste that is cascaded down a rocky outcropping and into the water, creating a huge brown stain.

The result of spotty infrastructure and chaotic urban planning stretching back decades, Rio's water pollution is in the spotlight ahead of next year's Olympics in the city.

An extensive cleanup of Rio's beaches, lakes, lagoons and its big Guanabara Bay, sites where Olympic aquatic events from sailing to rowing to open-water swimming are to be held, was marketed as one of the main legacies of the games. But with little progress on the promised cleanup, and with local and state authorities acknowledging the Olympic goals won't be met, athletes have begun to voice health and safety concerns about competing in the polluted waters.

In its statement, the World Surf League said it was confident that Barra da Tijuca beach "will deliver excellent conditions" as the primary site for next month's surfing event.

However, biologist Mario Moscatelli, an environmentalist who has been denouncing the state of Rio's waterways for decades, said water quality during the surfing competition will likely depend on wind and tides. Barra da Tijuca is near the spot where the sewage- and trash-filled Jacarepagua lagoon flows into the Atlantic. During low tide, wind can spread the brown patch of contaminated water to Barra da Tijuca.

Source: http://www.aol.com/