Kelly Slater Out Of Pipe Pro After Early-Round Loss
Eleven-time world champion Kelly Slater's run at the 2024 Pipe Pro came to an end in the Round of 32 as the runner-up to last year's world title, Ethan Ewing, made short work of the GOAT. Surfing in the first heat of the morning, before the sun had risen over the Pupukea hills and lit up the lineup, there weren't a lot of scoring opportunities for either surfer, but Ewing got a jump on Slater early and never really looked back.
"I was really looking forward to this event," said a disappointed Slater afterwards.
There were a chance that the contest could hav"e run yesterday, but with big, turbulent conditions, the WSL opted to take the day off.
"I think that swell yesterday was a bummer," Slater continued. "It kind of showed up too late and ended too early. Had it arrived ten hours earlier or later, I thought there'd be enough remnants to be good."
"Tough one, I do hate those strategic heats and love a shootout," he added. "I really don't mind losing at all when you're both getting waves and you have your opportunities. But I was just trying to scrap and make something happen."
Slater will now turn his attention to continuing to rehab his surgically repaired hip before the next Championship Tour event at Sunset Beach in a couple weeks. Meanwhile, Ewing will face fellow Australian countryman Liam O'Brien in the Round of 16. Stay tuned for more updates from the Pipe Pro as the action continues on the North Shore of Oahu.
Video: Kelly Slater Makes His Return To Pipeline
With more than 25 years of writing about surfing, the ocean and action sports, Jake Howard continues to share stories, profiles and issues that shape the surfing world. One of the premier subject-matter experts in the field today, he's savvy in the ways of print, digital and social media, his breadth of work is expansive. Getting his start writing Surfline surf reports and recording the phone reports for 976-SURF in the late '90s, Jake served as the managing editor for Surfer Magazine in the early 2000s before moving on to launch RedBullSurfing.com and cover surfing for ESPN and the X Games. Over the years, Jake has also enjoyed time behind the edit desk at The Surfer's Journal, as well as the World Surf League, where he worked as the Senior Editor for a number of years. Beyond producing editorial content, Jake has served as a digital marketer and copywriter for iconic surf brands such as Quiksilver, Roxy and Rip Curl. Writing thousands of pages of copy for Surfline, he has deep SEO experience as well. The surf columnist for the San Clemente Times, Jake continues to dedicate himself to the culture and history of the sport through his involvement with the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in San Clemente.