“This is going to sound really weird, but I honestly didn’t want to surf in this competition,” declared the greatest in history, Kelly Slater, after leaving the water following a loss to Barron Mamiya in Lowers.

“I was in Australia with my family, relaxing. I was hoping to stay there, but we had some work to do, so I came back and everything kind of fell into place,” he said.

He added: “I surfed really nervously in that heat. This morning I felt good, relaxed, but once Italo found a good one, I told myself to wait for a heat, and it never came. I thought I'd regroup and go again later. I think I did well in the heat; I didn't surf very well, I wasn't really in my head, I got ahead. I fell off in the last few maneuvers of my first two waves, and at the end, I made a huge mistake: I took a wave with priority when I didn't need to, and a good wave came and he caught it. So, good for him… A small mistake on my part.”

Slater was asked about his new role as a father: “Sleep patterns change, and priorities change. I always knew that. But it's something I welcome with open arms. I'm very happy. Kalani and I are happy… Every parent in the world knows it's not easy, but it's a great thing, and it's so fun to learn along the way.”

The 11-time champion concluded by commenting that his hip hasn't healed well since his surgery and that one of the steps he's going to take now is to see how he addresses that issue.