Short description
A six-time world surfing champion and actor describes his life and career, recounting how he turned to surfing to escape his difficult home life, appeared on Baywatch for a year, briefly dated Pamela Anderson, and worked to achieve his athletic goals. Reprint.
Long description
From Beach Blanket Bingo to Baywatch, surfing has fascinated people for years, and Kelly Slater is the sport’s newest star. He’s one of the world’s most popular surfers; his radical moves have revolutionized the sport. Born in Cocoa Beach, Florida, in 1972, he found surfing to be a great way to escape problems at home. When he was eleven, his parents divorced. Slater and his brother, Sean, were raised by their suddenly single mother, who struggled to support two young sons. After Slater’s surfing career took off, he made the transition into acting and modeling. He spent a season starring on the popular television show Baywatch, where he won the hearts of women young and old-including Pamela Anderson, who he dated for about a year. He has also been featured in Versace ads. Slater has ridden the waves of the surfing world and experienced all of its ups and downs. He stayed focused on surfing during the difficult years of his life and has watched—and helped—the sport change through the years. In Pipe Dreams, he shares the stories that have influenced his life and have inspired him to overcome both personal and professional hurdles-and achieve his dreams.