Kelly Slater has won almost everything in the surfing world. The professional surfer bagged the prestigious World Surf League championship for a record 11 times. In claiming the world titles, he also championed 56 Championship Tours. His utmost love for surfing has kept him still active at 51. If not in the water, the legend has contributed visibly to making Surf Abu Dhabi. All these contributions never have gone out of the vision of his fan community. The Cocoa Beach of Florida has shared a fandom memory of its local boy by making a statue of Kelly on the beach. However, the recovery process from hip surgery kept Kelly away from surfing for a few months.?

Surf Abu Dhabi is a pet project of Kelly and his foundation. The world’s largest man-made surfing circuit saw some of the best in the practice joining hands. Well, they have scheduled the opening of the circuit in 2024. However, that could not keep Kelly away from showing his special charm for the circuit. He took to social media to announce his comeback in the water. On the same day, he made a social media post showcasing a beautiful gesture to one of his little fans.?

Kelly Slater is ‘grateful’ to little fan?

If surfing proves to be Kelly’s first love, his fans will come in second rank. The legend never shied from his gestures to the love of his fans through his social media. November 17 witnessed a similar incident of that kind. Kelly posted an Instagram story to thank a little fan who made it to Kelly’s statue on Cocoa Beach. Kelly’s heartfelt acknowledgment came as, “Thanks to everyone who visits my statue and posts pics and videos. I always love it.”?This came as a topping on the cake as the legend also posted a clip of his surfing to announce a comeback to surfing a period of hiatus.

After his problematic labrum reconstruction, it was his first outing of its kind. Kelly chose his pet project, Surf Abu Dhabi, as his launch pad. Announcing the comeback, Kelly took to the IG story with a caption, “@dylangraves’ take on the first waves/day at @surfabudhabi, and my very first ride(and first wave in 9 weeks post surgery).” Incidentally, the surfing legend Dylan Graves made a last-minute entry into Kelly’s comeback party. From these, the surfing community came out as the champion. On the same day, it saw both of its legends going all around in the waters of a pool of a rare kind.?

The camaraderie with Dylan Graves goes days back for Kelly Slater. In the Quicksilver team, they paired for the first time. Though the unveiling of the largest man-made surfing pool saw many of the champions gathering, both Kelly and Dylan came as the stars of the show.?

The public inauguration of the Surf Abu Dhabi?

The astounding project of Surf Abu Dhabi comes with offers such as the largest barrel, the largest man-made wave facility, and the longest ride. Kelly Slater’s foundation made use of its existing expertise in building this giant project. Modon Properties has played the role of the owner of this project.

Since the announcement, the project has attracted the fans’ attention. Sometimes the largeness of the project felt minuscule in front of the names who made a test surfing in the pool. The owners of the project wanted the pool to be well-tasted and prepared before the public inauguration. In that regard, they invited some of the best names.?

Read more: Kelly Slater Receives Heartfelt Comments From Surfing World as He Sends a Warm Welcome for Abu Dhabi Wave Pool: ?Absolutely World Class?

Ramzi Boukhlam, Filipe Toledo, Caroline Marks, and Stephanie Gilmore are the ones on the list. Now it was time for Kelly Slater to try the water. However, he found his best mate paired with him in the water the same day.?The public inauguration of Surf Abu Dhabi is slated to be in the early part of 2024.

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