In an interview with ABC Australia, Kelly Slater made a serious accusation, without naming names but clearly referring to Gabriel Medina and Italo Ferreira, doubting whether their real intention in saying they did not want to compete with sharks in the Margaret River Pro was fear or a simple strategy to get through the stage without a bad result.

This is what the best in history said: “There are theories that indicate that those who did not want to surf were looking for an impact on the rankings. The voices that were most raised against the realization of the test do not have a history of brilliant results, so we can reflect on whether the real cause was the fear of surfing.”



Neither Medina nor Ferreira took the hint and did not respond to what was said. The former has not managed to get past a fifth place in his entire career at Margies and the latter managed a third place in his only full participation in the event.

Slater also spoke out about the WSL's decision to cancel the tournament, saying he supported it but stressed: "If I had been there, I would have surfed."

And he provided more information: "“A month ago there were 100 whales stranded 20 minutes off Margaret River, which is a sure sign that there will be more sharks in the region in the coming months. So perhaps the incidents of the other day may have been just a precursor to a bigger problem they may face in the near future. I hope not, but we will see,” said the 11-time champion.

Last Monday, the WSL put the Margaret River Pro on hold following a shark attack that took place in Gracetown, five kilometres from the tournament site. It resumed after an hour and a half, and later it was reported that there had been a second attack.

It was then announced that due to waves, the event would not take place the following day and later in the day it was announced that it would be cancelled due to the abundance of sharks in the area.