For the most part, Kelly Slater is a local in Fiji. Just ask the lovely ladies that run the heart shaped island of Tavarua and they'll tell you that Kelly is their guest of honor. When Kelly visits he doesn't rent a Villa…rather he is welcomed with open arms to sleep at a friend's house. And his performance over the last few years is proof that he has spent more time in Fiji than any other WCT surfer. 
The barrels were spectacular but Kelly through a few turns into the mix because…well, why not.
This year his performance at the Fiji Pro was nothing short of spectacular. Undeniably the surfer of the event and probably the person with the most local crowd support with the exception of Wildcard ripper, Aca Lalabalavu, the son of Tavi's Chief Druku. Aca, who surfed against Kelly in Rounds 1 and 2, knows a few things about getting keged at Cloud Break and Restaurants but in the end Kelly steamrolled the competition not stopping for anything short of the winners circle.
To say Kelly has this place wired would be an understatement.
With a strong start to the year and a mediocre last few events the pressure was on. If Kelly wanted to compete for a 12th World Title he had to show up in Fiji. And The Champ showed up BIG. Anyone see those two 10′s in the Quarters? Insane, a perfect heat score. Every heat Kelly surfed caused a frenzy of excitement and there's a great chance the rest of the Tour is going to be much the same.
A huge congrats to Kelly from his family at Quiksilver for winning the Fiji Pro and taking the lead in the WCT title race. Hope you get a chance to meet your new nephew soon and good luck to you and the other Quiky boys in Bali.
Hey Kelly, how big is it?
As seen at monstrous cloudbreak... Shop Slater's Signature Boardshort
