Viral Video Unveils Mesmerizing Aerial Shot of 11-Time Surfing World Champion

Surf photographer Margharita Salyak often drops mesmerizing videos of professional surfers in action. Each of her videos is vibrant and lacks the over-saturated clichéd aesthetic often seen in surf photography. Instead, both her photography and videography highlight the raw power of the ocean, offsetting the movements of the surfers. All of these qualities were once again on display in her recent video of an iconic surfing legend.

Margherita Salyak chose 11-time World Surf League champion Kelly Slater for her recent video. Slater’s mastery of the waves is well known, and it was captured beautifully in each frame of the video.

Margarita Salyak’s artful shot of surfing legend Kelly Slater

Kelly Slater is revered as one of the greatest surfing heroes of all time. The 51-year-old has not given up his passion for surfing and continues to inspire a new generation of surfers. Salyak’s video showcases Slater’s perennial talent and has reminded everyone of his achievements in the world of surfing. Apart from 11 WSL victories, Slater has also won 56 Championship tours. He currently holds the record for both the youngest and the oldest champion in men’s surfing.

Margarita Salyak sought to pay tribute to this ace surfer and made a video for him. Salyak had captured the video from the air, possibly with the help of a drone. Margarita Salyak uploaded the video on her Instagram account and captioned it, “The art of surfing @kellyslater”. The legendary surfer glided effortlessly through the waves as the Laurindo Almeida song, ‘The Lamp is low’ played in the background. Salyak’s editing skills were on point, as Slater’s movements were beautifully synchronized with the rhythm of the music. This video came in the same week as Kelly Slater suffered a major setback in his ambition to surf in the Paris Olympics.

Kelly Slater’s elite world tour elimination

The 51-year-old surfing ace inspired everyone earlier this year by announcing that he would be trying to win a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics. This ambition drove him to take part in the World Surf League once again. However, on Tuesday, as Slater failed to move beyond the round 16 of the competition, that ambition remained unfulfilled. His loss came at Teahupo’o, which would have become the venue for his Olympic glory had he qualified.

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Kelly Slater had no trouble reaching the semifinals, but in the quarterfinals, the great surfer met a serious challenge from Brazilian surfer Yago Dora. The American ace could not keep up and lost by eight points. In April, Slater had said, “I’ve just been in a slump for like a year,” quite upset by his performance. Although this loss must have made him more upset, the video from Salyak will remind him of his incredible impact on the surfing world.

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