In 2015 Kelly unveiled his wave pool to the world. But did you know that Kelly had been planning this since high school? While this clip blew the world’s collective stoke wide open, a segment of surf nerds out there saw the fulfillment of a prophecy born decades ago. This month Matt George launched this and many other stories in hardcover. Including a 1990-something interview with prophetic grom Kelly Slater.

Kelly’s answers were simple, but a few stood out.
“Money? Well, I don’t know. I’ve never had a job. I was going to bus tables once, but then I didn’t.”

Right. But what about the surfing money, the career money?
“Oh, that,” he said. “Well, I guess that’s what everyone wants. It would be nice. But I just look at it like I’m gonna have a job I really love once I get out of high school.”

What would he do if he found himself with a lot of money someday?
”I don’t know. I already get my boards for free. Build a wave pool for me and my friends maybe?

In Deep is a collection of surf writings covering four decades of work by Matt George. The book is a must for anyone interested in our history (and good storytelling). You can check it out here.