“I Was Dying”: Kelly Slater Reveals Shocking 1994 Rip Curl Scare as Old Video Resurfaces

Kelly Slater vs. Flavio Padaratz matchup at the 1994 Rip Curl Pro, in Hossegor, was actually one of the key heats of that season. Slater’s performance was strong, but the Brazilian was a tad bit better. Padaratz got a heat score of 29.46, while Slater ended his stance with a total heat score of 28.77. This was a rare loss for Slater. Why?

Because he still went on to win his second Association of Surfing Professionals Men’s World Tour title (now WSL), and won his first of his five consecutive titles in 1994-1998. But now, after around 31 years, Slater has come forth with the reality behind his loss against Padaratz. 

While scrolling through Instagram, the Florida-born surfer stumbled across a reel about the 1994 Rip Curl Pro finals. And that’s when he remembered a story.

He shared the reel on his Instagram Story and revealed that it was actually a ‘fever’ that was likely the reason behind his loss. He stated, “Random side note: I started coming down with something and had a fever before this heat even ended and went straight to bed and couldn’t move for a few days. @shanedorian had to pack my bags and move me and all of my stuff to Biarritz for the next event cause I thought I was dying.” 

Slater still stands as one of the greatest professional surfers of all time. After all, he has established a record of 11 world championship wins, a record that still stands. He became the youngest men’s world champion at the age of 20, in 1992, and later in 2011, he became the oldest men’s world champion as a 39-year-old.

No wonder his precise, versatile, and innovative aerial maneuvers garnered a shipload of applause from the crowds. And now, he has retired from full-time championships following a nasty hip injury. 

But this wasn’t the worst health scare for Kelly Slater. Despite learning the art of surfing from a young age of 5, Slater witnessed a life-threatening experience during one of his surfing crusades.

No, it wasn’t a shark attack, and Slater wasn’t the one who got into trouble. But the experience was pretty scary for the Floridian with 55 career world tour event wins.

Kelly Slater reveals a life-threatening experience in Tahiti

Surfing the great waves certainly comes with a price. That includes risking one’s eardrums because of the water pressure. And Slater has found himself in situations where he could have injured his eardrums. But a mishap with the surfboard can cause a lot more damage. That’s what Slater talked about during his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience episode #1185. 

Slater recalled the time when he was surfing with his friend and fellow world champion, Tom Carroll, in Tahiti. “Tom wiped out and his board speared him in the ear and it broke the helmet and broke his eardrum so we were just wondering like what the hell would have happened if he didn’t have his helmet on, you know like, probably what if it killed him?”

It was certainly a narrow escape for Carroll. But Kelly Slater isn’t really free from surfing-inflicted injuries, as well.

Back in 2017, during a free surf session at Jeffreys Bay, the Floridian went inside a barrel wave, but his board slammed into his right foot underwater. In his own words, it was “like smashing my foot with a big hammer.” There were several fractures in his metatarsals and a critical tear in his Lisfranc joint. Even after undergoing surgery, he had to deal with a slow and painful recovery. But setbacks like turf toe further complicated things. 

In 2022, he injured his hip, and that worsened gradually. He underwent surgery to reconstruct his labrum and smooth his joint surfaces in 2023. And this was the injury that finally pushed him away from full-time competitions.

As of now, Kelly Slater is recovering while competing in events like the Pipeline Pro. But do you think he will make a comeback in other major competitions, too?