Surfing Icon Kelly Slater Gets Emotional as He Opens a Box of Memories on His Father’s Birthday

In his surfing vocation, Kelly Slater has left little that he never touched before. The 51-year-old rejoiced at the rare occasion of lifting the WSL title 11 times. Nonetheless, he almost nutmegged several legends to see himself echoing in the same voice with legends like Joel Parkinson and the late Andy Irons. However, deep down there, some apogees are still above the reach of the surfing GOAT. 

On the eve of his father’s birthday, Kelly Slater decided to try on his memory of one such apogee. The surfing community couldn’t help but hold tight for the prized rejuvenation. 

Kelly Slater shares a heartfelt birthday message to his father

December 20 holds a special place for Slater as it commemorates his father, Stephen Slater’s birthday. On this occasion, the surfing baron ornamented his IG story with his father’s picture and a caption, “Happy 84th Birthday, Dad”.

In the still, the surfer shared a snap of an old photograph that showed his father in a black tux, talking to someone. It indeed was an heartwarming gesture from the surfer. However, for surfer, it was rather a hard patch of relationship that he shared with his father.

The zero point in the Kelly Slater story 

On a much less occasion, Kelly Slater revealed about his father, Stephen Slater. All he could gather in much was directed grief such as “You know I grew up we didn’t have much money,”. But that doesn’t tell the full story. The Slaters had a critical relationship with Stephen, but the surfer acknowledged that his father was a liked person despite his alcoholism. In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Slater claimed, “ He taught me in different ways. Unfortunately, you know, some of the ways he taught me was by screwing up and other ways it was by being funny and being a good dad”. 

Read more: Owing to Family History With Substance Abuse, Kelly Slater’s Glamor-Fuelled Life Never Took a Dark Turn

However, Stephen’s alcoholism led to the untimely separation between the surfer’s parents. His mom played the leading role in his life. But it wasn’t like he hated his father. Despite the issues they had, he still used to visit his dad sometimes. And now, to pay his sincere encomium to his father, Slater penned a heartfelt birthday wish.

Watch this story: “Watch My Dad Die From Cancer”: How ASurfing Legend Turned A Sad Fact Into A Profitable Investment