Emotional Kelly Slater falls out of tour, spelling an end to his phenomenal career

Kelly Slater, 52 and still charging, announcing his retirement during an interview after he was eliminated at the Margaret River Pro by world No. 1 Griffin Colapinto.

Eleven-time world surfing champion and legend of the sport Kelly Slater has called time on his career.

A visibly emotional Slater sent a message to his family after the realisation suddenly hit him.

It was almost fitting that it took the current world No.1 Griffin Colapinto to bring the curtain down on the greatest career in surfing history.

Slater gave Colapinto a hug as the clock ticked down in their round of 32 heat at the Margaret River Pro, with one final miracle escape beyond the 52-year-old legend.

Slater needed a win to survive the mid-season cut. After surviving an elimination heat at Main Break, he found rankings leader Colapinto too much to handle.

Slater lost to his fellow American in the round of 16, meaning he missed the World Surf League’s mid-season cut and fell off the Championship Tour.

The 11-time world champion was chaired from Main Break, with fans and fellow surfers acknowledging a career that will probably never be equalled. He won 56 titles — his first in 1992.

“It’s almost hitting me, it’s right there, it’s bubbling,” Slater said of the realisation that his full-time career was at a close.

“It is what it is . . . everything comes to an end, and if you don’t adapt you don’t survive. My motivation hasn’t quite been there to put in that 100 percent that everyone’s doing now.

“I’ve been struggling since my surgery, fighting through the pain and hoping for adrenaline.

“It’s been an incredible lifetime of memories.

“It’s so much emotion for so long . . .  it’s not all roses but it’s been the best times of my life.

“It feels like the end but it’s the start of something else, the rest of my life.”

The 52-year-old has battled a hip injury since 2022.

His tour elimination had a silver lining,  he said.

It gave him more time to prepare for the arrival of his baby with partner Kalani Miller, due in just under three months.

Colapinto, who was runner-up at Margaret River last year, said he didn’t realise he had sent the GOAT (greatest of all time) into retirement until he saw him being chaired up the beach.

Slater had taken surfing into a new professional era, he said.

“The fact that he was chaired up after a heat with me, I was pretty blown away and was just trying to take it all in,” the Californian said.

“I gave him a high five as he was getting chaired up.  He has given me and everyone else on this tour so much — like we make a living because of him.

“He took the sport so far and it’s pretty incredible.”

As Slater was chaired off the beach and up the stairs to loud cheers, Slater revealed he had asked for a wildcard into the next event in Fiji because he didn’t want to end on a wave that had never been kind to him.

“I’ve had a fight with this wave my whole career, so it’s not necessarily the wave I want to end on. I have put in for a wildcard for Fiji and we’ll see how that goes.”

Slater has dominated surfing unlike anyone else over his three decades on tour but said the time was right to move on , with a baby due in three months.

“I couldn’t quite pull a miracle off this week. I’ve pulled off a few over the years. I still had that hope out there.

“But to lose to the No.1 . . .  I’m kind of avoiding that emotion. It hit me at Sunset this year. I have been struggling. I’m just fighting through the pain, hoping for adrenaline.

“I broke down at home. This feel likes the end but it’s the start of something else.”