First Look: Behind the Cover of Kelly Slater’s New Book

You didn’t think Kelly Slater was going to just ride off into the sunset after he hung up his jersey, did you? In the last week alone he’s dropped a new surfboard model with Slater Designs and released a first-of-its-kind shirt made of seaweed via his brand Outerknown. And now it’s time to talk about the forthcoming book he’s been working on with longtime friend and collaborator Todd Glaser. The book, “Kelly Slater: A Life of Waves,” features words by Slater, photos by Glaser and a special foreword by Pearl Jam frontman and Slater friend Eddie Vedder.

Detailing Slater’s highest highs, and some devastating lows as well, from 2008 to 2023, the new book is an inside look at the life and times of the 11-time world champ like the public has never seen. Private moments captured quietly behind the scenes, Glaser’s exclusive access reveals the complexity of the greatest surfer of all time

From high-impact action to airplane rides lost in contemplation, “I like experimenting with lots of different kinds of cameras,” Glaser explained in a piece for The Surfer’s Journal more than a decade ago.

In the piece, Glaser and I talked through exactly what it was like being on the road with Slater. It’s endlessly fascinating, but this anecdote from traveling to Tavarua with him seemed very revealing.

“He may not be on the first boat in the morning, but he’ll often stay out for six or seven hours, and he’ll usually bring out three or four boards. He’ll have them set-up and ready to ride,” Glaser explained. “His backpack will have extra fins, leashes, his food and water. He has a place for his wax. He has a little pocket for extra fin keys. He’ll have extra boardshorts folded up in there. There’s a spot for sunscreen. 

“It’s the same thing when he travels,” he continued. “The bag he carries on the plane is always packed the same. He always carries his fins on with him. He reckons he can get boards wherever, but the fins, that’s the secret to it all. He won’t risk losing those. The routine is automatic, and it works.”

Released by New York-based publisher Rizzoli, which has been busy releasing a number of surf titles over the last several years, “Kelly Slater: A Life of Waves” is 255 pages of words and photos that are hard to put down. The book, which will retail for $75, officially goes on sale on October 15, but is now available for preorder here.

Related: Kelly Slater Graces Cover of SURFER Magazine’s New Print Issue