Journey
Journey
Kelly + Tahiti | A Film by Todd Glaser
We were witnessing greatness when Kelly Slater returned to Teahupo’o as a wildcard at the 2026 Outerknown Tahiti Pro. At 54 years old, Kelly went on an incredible run, taking down some of the best surfers in the world and reminding everyone why he remains one of the greatest surfers of all time.
But what most people didn’t see beyond the jersey was a different side of Kelly - as a father, partner, and person away from competition. Between heats and lay days, Kelly spent time exploring Tahiti with his two-year-old son Tao, his partner Kalani and his youngest daughter Azumi.
Along for the trip was Kelly’s longtime friend and photographer Todd Glaser, who documented it all. The result is Kelly + Tahiti, an intimate short film capturing competition, family and life in one of Kelly’s favorite places on earth - all through the eyes of Kelly Slater.
Press play below, then keep scrolling for our full conversation with Todd on the moments that shaped the film.
Todd had his hands full. Between capturing iPhone Reels for social, shooting photos, and filming and directing this short film, he was documenting the trip from just about every angle — a juggling feat only Todd could manage.
As Todd puts it, the contest may have been the reason everyone was there, but the story was always bigger than the jersey.
We caught up with him after the trip to hear how it all came together.
What story did you want to tell with Kelly + Tahiti?
Todd Glaser: While we were in Tahiti, you could feel the energy and excitement from Kelly to not only get to compete at one of his favorite waves, but to be there with his family. He’s won the event five times before and, from my point of view, he competes his best when he is inspired by the potential to catch an amazing wave. My approach in making this film was to show an intimate look at what it’s like to experience surfing at the highest level through the eyes of his son, Tao. During the two weeks we spent in Tahiti, you spend the least amount of time with a jersey on. The rest of the time is spent with family, surfing and exploring the island. I wanted the film to show life outside of the jersey just as much as we wanted to share the passion and fearless approach Kelly had in the water while in the heats, too.
We’ve seen Kelly time and time again pushing himself over the ledge and onto the podium for years. Rarely have we seen an intimate look into the process and a true day-in-the-life experience. Kelly gave us permission into his world, and I wanted to celebrate those moments by capturing them in a personal and beautiful way.
As a new parent yourself, what did you take away from watching Kelly balance competing at that level while also being there with his family?
Kelly went from having one of the best performances of the entire year as a wildcard to coming in and changing diapers. As a new parent myself, I think that resonates with a lot of families who are both trying to achieve success at the highest level while also finding the balance between their personal and professional lives. On the down days, we spent most of our time playing guitar, jumping off the dock and exploring the island’s natural beauty.
You started the video with Kelly and Tao playing “Wheels on the Bus.” How did that come together?
As a photographer, I’m constantly looking to create the most beautiful imagery of real, raw moments, and I took that approach to filmmaking, too. One of my favorite moments was watching Kelly and Tao play “Wheels on the Bus” together. Every morning they would get on the guitars and jam together, everything from Chris Stapleton and Glen Hansard to a few others. This day, I walked into the room and they were singing “Wheels on the Bus.” As soon as I heard them playing, I grabbed my camera and started filming. That moment became the soundtrack to the theme of the film as a whole and helped me shape it into a three-act narrative even though it’s only four minutes long: family time, fearlessness in the lineup, then a beautiful underwater scene.
You’ve spent a lot of time with Kelly throughout his competitive career, how is it seeing the GOAT in dad mode?
Kelly, like any parent, wants the best for his children and also wants to share what he is passionate about with his family. Music, golf, the ocean, food, new places, connecting with friends, and exploring the world have all shaped Kelly’s life, which in turn is going to reflect on the life he gets to share with his family too. I loved watching Kelly go from making scrambled eggs and changing diapers to 10-foot Teahupo’o and back, without skipping a beat.
What was it like watching Tao experience the island for his first time?
Tao wakes up in the morning, does one big stretch, then runs around playing until he literally passes out after lunch, takes a long nap, then runs again until nighttime. He is a born athlete and very curious like his dad. He’s two years old and is constantly inspired and in motion. He had so much energy and had so much fun swimming, checking out the island, trying new foods, staring at the night skies and being on the boats.
Changing diapers, then 30 minutes later he’s comboing Gabriel Medina at heavy Teahupo’o... What’s that switch like to watch up close?
Kelly really wanted to show himself and the world how much he loves surfing, and he knows what it takes to not only win a heat, but to have fun in the water. Leading up to the event, he’d been on the Gold Coast and hadn’t spent much time in heavy surf, so I think more than anything he was excited at the possibility of riding an amazing wave. When he is inspired to surf, he gets this look in his eye, and that’s usually when the guitar comes out before a heat. He channels all those emotions into what some might call a distraction, but it’s him getting into the zone so once he hits the water, he’s laser-focused on what’s right in front of him. Kelly has this uncanny ability to live in the most present moment and elevate himself and others in the process.
You close the film with this beautiful underwater free surf. What drew you to shooting it that way?
Shooting surfing underwater, in my opinion, is the most rare and beautiful way to show surfing. There are not a lot of places where the water is clear enough to shoot underwater, and getting to be in a place like Tahiti is extra special. When watching the footage, you always see something new – a fish swimming by, the way Kelly places his hand in the water, how the water flows off the rake of the fins, or the bubbles exploding from a passing tube.
A lot of photographers and filmers always shoot above water so they can show the subject’s face, Kelly is an artist himself. He and I have worked so much together he trusts me to capture him in a more abstract and unique way. All the imagery we make is a collaboration of our creative minds, actions and visions together.
