How Kelly Slater Achieved a Net Worth of $25 Million
Kelly Slater is a professional surfer best known for being the World Surf League champion 11 times. His success in this field means he is considered the greatest professional surfer of all time. His sports career has led to his involvement in many other ventures, and he is now a wealthy man. It is estimated that Kelly Slater’s net worth is $25 million. Here is how the surfer achieved his wealth.
His Early Life
Robert Kelly Slater was born in Cocoa Beach, Florida, on February 11, 1972. He was raised with his two brothers by the beach, so he spent time in the water from an early age and started surfing at just five years old. From the age of ten, Slater competed in many junior events along the Atlantic coast, and he won his first championship title in 1984. He then placed third in the junior division of the world amateur championships, which were held in England, in 1986. A year later, he traveled to Australia to compete in the Pacific Cup junior championship and won the title.
Kelly Slater’s Surfing Career
Slater turned professional in 1990, and he struggled to achieve any major successes in the early years of his career. However, his career took an upward turn in 1992 when he finished in podium positions in three out of his first five events. Later that year, he competed in the Rip Curl Pro in France and won his first event. Slater went on to win the Pipeline Masters in Hawaii in the same year, and he won his first world title. The following year was less successful for Slater, as he finished the year in the sixth position in the world rankings. However, he did not stay down for long, as he went on to win the world title for five consecutive years between 1994 and 1998, and he also became the Triple Crown of Surfing Champion in 1995 and 1998. During this period, many surfing events were televised, which brought Kelly Slater to the public’s attention. At this point in his career, Slater decided to take a break from competitive surfing, but he then returned to the world pro tour in 2002. It took Slater a few years to achieve the same level of success as he had enjoyed earlier in his career, and he did not become World Champion again until 2005. Slater also won the title of World Champion in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2011. More recently, he was the 2019 Triple Crown of Surfing Champion.
Slater’s Music and Media Appearances
In addition to his professional surfing career, Kelly Slater has also had careers in music and media. He plays the guitar and ukulele and has performed with multiple artists, including Ben Harper, Pearl Jam, Jack Johnson, Angus Stone, and Marilyn Manson. He is also part of a band called The Surfers. Slater played the recurring role of Jimmy Slade in the television series ‘Baywatch.’ He appeared in 27 episodes in the early 1990s. The surfer has also appeared in episodes of ‘The Jersey,’ ‘The Girl Next Door,’ and ‘The Ultimate Surfer.’ Furthermore, Kelly Slater has had roles or made cameo appearances in multiple films. These include ‘Surfers- The Movie,’ ‘Endless Summer II,’ ‘Thicker Than Water,’ ‘One Night at McCool’s,’ ‘September Sessions,’ ‘Step into Liquid,’ ‘Riding Giants,’ ‘Surf’s Up,’ ‘Bra Boys: Blood Is Thicker than Water,’ ‘Bustin’ Down the Door,’ ‘Waveriders,’ ‘Keep Surfing,’ and ‘Fighting Fear.’
His Other Business Ventures
Kelly Slater has published two books. His first, which was published in 2003, is titled ‘Pipe Dreams: A Surfer’s Journey.’ He then published ‘Kelly Slater: For the Love’ in 2008. Slater has had several sponsorship deals throughout his career. He had a deal with Channel Islands Surfboards, which he rode exclusively until he started riding Firewire surfboards. Slater acquired Firewire in 2014. Two years later, Slater released his own line of boards of which there are four designs. In 1990, surfwear company Quicksilver began sponsoring Slater, and they sponsored him until 2014. However, Slater decided he wanted to launch his own surfwear company that promoted clean living and responsibility, while also having a style inspired by his global travels. In collaboration with the luxury goods company Kering, Slater launched Outerknown. It is a sustainable and eco-friendly apparel company. Kelly Slater formed the Kelly Slater Wave Company, and its main focus was a 10-year experiment to create the perfect inland wave called Wave Pool. The World Surf League bought a majority stake in the company in 2016 and began hosting events at the Kelly Slater Surf Ranch. They then began acquiring land to develop other surf ranches in various locations across the United States., and there are also plans to create a hotel and housing complex built around a Kelly Slater Wave Company surfing basin. Not all Slater’s business ventures are related to surfing. One non-surfing example a beverage company called Purps which manufactures organic, zero-calorie energy drinks. Kelly Slater launched the drinks company in 2014 in collaboration with Dr. Chris Schaumburg and RVCA founder Pat Tenore.
Kelly Slater’s Net Worth
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Kelly Slater’s net worth is $35 million. He has made his money from surfing competitions, and he has also made money from sponsorship deals and various other ventures. His business interests include apparel, surfwear, surfboards, beverages, and indoor wave pools.
His Personal Life
Kelly Slater has been in a relationship with Kalani Miller for more than 15 years. They are not yet married, but plan to wed in the future, says The Net Line. Kelly and Miller have no children together, but Kelly has a daughter, Taylor, from a previous relationship who was born in 1996. Although he maintains a home in his birthplace, Cocoa Beach in Florida, Kelly Slater now has homes in Hawaii and Los Angeles.