The Legendary Kelly Slater: Surfing Icon And Business Mogul

Kelly Slater is probably the most famous surfer of all time, at least in terms of mainstream fame. To date, Kelly Slater has won a record 11 World Surf League championships. More impressively, he won the Championship when he was 20 years old, and when he was 39 years old. That makes him both the youngest person ever to win the title AND the oldest. He's written books about surfing, starred in films and TV shows, typically as a surfer or a surf stunt double, and most importantly, dated a murderer's row of the world's most beautiful celebrities, including, but not limited to:

• Pamela Anderson
• Cameron Diaz
• Bar Rafaeli
• Gisele Bundchen

Along the way, Kelly has earned tens of millions of dollars through endorsements and a range of business ventures, notably a line of sandals called Killy and a line of soon-to-be-released Kelly Slater-branded skincare products. He has also invested wisely in real estate.

Kelly Slater's Real Estate Ventures

Kelly owns a half dozen properties in surf locales around the world. He owns a condo in Florida, a home in Australia, a home in Southern California, and at least two properties on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. His real estate investments demonstrate not only his passion for surfing but also his keen business sense.

Slater purchased one of his Oahu homes, which is located near where he used to go on surfing trips as a teenager, for $7.8 million in 2017. Now, he's looking for a buyer to take it off his hands for $20 million. This significant markup reflects both the sentimental value of the property and the rising real estate market in Hawaii.

A Home with a Story

Slater seems to have purchased the property for partially sentimental reasons, as he reportedly already had a home in the area when it hit the market in 2017. He expressed his feelings, saying, "I've always dreamed of living on this street—to kind of have a throwback to my childhood, coming over to Hawaii…This area has always meant a lot to me." This connection to his past shows how important these locations are to him.

The home has several separate structures on the half-acre lot, including a two-bedroom main house, a guesthouse, and a detached garage with a second-floor guest apartment. Altogether, it boasts approximately 7,600 square feet of living space, plenty of amenities, and a collection of Polynesian-style art from the home's previous owner, which Slater is including in the purchase price.

Rental Opportunities and Future Plans

Despite Slater's sentimental attachment to the property, he never called it his primary home, preferring instead to live in his other place, located more centrally to his surfing lifestyle. He has been renting the home out for an average of $60,000 per month. Now, though, he’s hoping to place it with "a family that loves it" rather than an investor, showing his desire for the home to be appreciated by someone who values its history.

Unfortunately, there aren’t any recent videos of the home available, but there is a grainy video tour from when it was listed in 2013. This property truly reflects Kelly Slater's life, bridging his past as a young surfer with his present as a successful entrepreneur.