Brevard Native Kelly Slater Saves Woman and Her Son In Hawaii On Wednesday

By Space Coast Daily // January 29, 2016

ABOVE VIDEO: Kelly Slater was inducted into the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. (Space Coast Daily Video)

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Kelly Slater was in the right place at the right time on Wednesday.

Photographer Chris White’s wife and their son, Van, were swept off Kamehameha Highway in Oahu, Hawaii by a freak giant wave.

Slater rushed into action by saving the two from danger.

White took to Instagram to personally thank the 43-year-old pro surfer.

So thankful the surf gods denied @kellyslater today cos for whatever reason he was right there to save my wife and kid who were swept across a road by a freak wave today. Forever grateful to the great man and so thankful my family is alive and safe ?? ❤️? Thanks to all the lifeguards too who saved many lives today. A photo posted by Chris White (@chris.whitey) on Jan 27, 2016 at 10:42pm PST

Slater responded a short time later and was glad he could just help.

“For some random reason I stopped by there today when I normally don’t,” said Kelly Slater. “So glad all is well and someday we can all laugh about it. Van’s (Chris White’s son) first wave was a huge one.”

The 43-year-old Slater, who graduated from Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr. High School in 1991, has been crowned ASP World Champion a record over 11 times, including five consecutive titles from 1994–1998, and was not only the youngest title-holder in ’92, but also the oldest when he claimed the title at age 39.

He is also the all-time leader in career WCT event wins with 48.

Clearly, he has great instincts to go along with his lustrous and storied career as a surfer.