September 2023 was a mournful month for the surfing community when the ‘Songs of the Century’ singer and avid surfer, Jimmy Buffett took his last breath. However, the one person who was affected the most by this was the surfing legend Kelly Slater. It is known to all that he shared a special bond with the singer and considered him a father figure as well. He posted an emotional tribute after Jimmy’s passing away showcasing the pure bond, he shared with him.

Ever since then, he never misses a chance to talk about Buffett. The 11x surfing world champion recently shared an unheard anecdote about the singer in a podcast making everyone emotional yet again. This story is another portrayal of the unadulterated bond shared between the two. Let’s have a view of this story.

Kelly Slater reveals one of Jimmy Buffett’s stories 

Kelly Slater was recently a part of a podcast, ‘Let’s Poddy’, with Benji Weatherley. One thing that grabbed the attention of everyone was Slater’s stories about Jimmy Buffett. In the podcast, Slater said, “Jimmy was like a dad to me in a lot of ways“. Continuing further, Kelly opened up about a story. He revealed that somebody sent him a movie in 2006 where Jimmy was acting as a teacher in Florida.

In the scene, Jimmy is seen finishing a class where he says, “Kids don’t you forget, Kelly Slater grew up in Florida“. Interestingly, this line wasn’t in the script, it was Buffett who demanded this line to be on the scene. This was before both of them even met and it was a terrific moment. It is impossible to not be emotional when Slater talks about his father figure. 

Surfing World Champion’s tribute to Jimmy Buffett 

After Jimmy Buffett passed away, Slater took to his Instagram to pen down a heartfelt tribute to one of the most important people in life. In this, he mentioned the fact about growing up by listening to Buffett’s songs. He narrated the entire story of how he met and bonded with the singer. He expressed, “I met Jimmy in France in 2010 about 8 years or so after my dad died and the first day I told him how much he reminded me of my own father“.

Read more: Tremors Suffered by Cape Town Family as Surfing Enthusiast Passes Away Post Recent Trip

He revealed the lessons that Jimmy taught him about life. However, he cherished the special moments he spent with Buffett. With this, he gave a super emotional ending and in Jimmy style, he said, “Fins Up!” Kelly Slater with his Jimmy Buffett stories will always make sure that the singer is alive in our hearts. 

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