Kelly Slater Takes a Heartfelt Stance on Ocean Protection: “It’s Not Okay”

In this heartfelt short, Kelly Slater reminds us of the importance of protecting our environment, especially our oceans.

For Slater, the ocean and surfing have brought him almost everything he holds dear in his life. "It's given me everything from friendship to spirituality, to direction and inspiration," Slater said. 

Slater reminds us that the oceans cover a lot more than 75 percent of our planet when you think about how deep the depths of the oceans truly are. "What if every other type of animal created as much garbage and crap as we do?" he asks.

Slater really brings the issue home. Not only does pollution harm the ocean's rapidly depleting biodiversity, it affects all humans — even surfers in Malibu. He recalled a time he and a bunch of other surfers got gnarly infections after trying to surf after a big storm runoff. It's more common than you'd think.

"It’s all of our ocean—one giant ocean," said Slater. "We need a shift in our awareness. There's definitely other ways to do all the things that we do."

Slater ends the short by telling us that "It's everyone's problem. It's not okay to remain unaware. It's not okay to ruin the natural world." 

There are a lot of really great organizations fighting to protect our planet and oceans out there, but we recommend checking out the Surfrider Foundation for more information on how you can help.