Rob and Kelly Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Surfing’s Greatest High Five
And The Inertia's 5th birthday!
20 years later, two of surfing's most respected figures come together to celebrate the most iconic high five in surf history. Photo: Juicewhale
Kelly had everyone in stitches with his hilarious impression of Occy. Photo: Juicewhale
As this photo illustrates, people were super excited to see these two legends in the same room. Photo: Juicewhale
Comedian and Workaholics star Blake Anderson getting amongst the fun with a few tasty adult beverages. Photo: Juicewhale
Kelly amused by one of the many questions asked by the audience. Photo: Juicewhale
A friendship so profound that surfing's highest achievement (winning a world title) took a back seat. Photo: Juicewhale
Kai Lenny fresh off a flight from Maui, where he competed in the first-ever Pe'ahi Challenge last week in massive 40- to 60-foot surf. Photo: Juicewhale
Rob brought his game face for story time. Photo: Juicewhale
Legends. Photo: Juicewhale
Following the film, we gave away a bunch of free stuff, including The Inertia's 5-year anniversary book signed by Rob Machado himself. Photo: Juicewhale
The Inertia founder Zach Weisberg shares his gratitude for the overwhelming love and support in making The Inertia surfing's definitive community. Photo: Juicewhale
Following the film, Rob and Kelly sat down together in front of a packed house and discussed the high five for the very first time in 20 years. Photo: Juicewhale
In addition to the high five, Kelly touched on a few other topics, including some pressing issues facing our planet today. Photo: Juicewhale
Rob being Rob. Don't let his zen master front fool you. This guy is super competitive. Photo: Juicewhale
Rob reflects on that faithful day at the '95 Pipe Masters. Photo: Juicewhale
That little guy doesn't know it yet, but he is taking a picture with two of raddest and baddest dudes on the planet. Photo: Juicewhale
Taking photos as evidence that this actually happened. Photo: Juicewhale
Kelly and Rob taking the time to fill the little squares of their fans' Instagrams. Photo: Juicewhale
The Inertia's Toby Aimer and Shannon Quirk hosted their own Q&A, but everyone was too busy with Kelly and Rob to care. Photo: Juicewhale
It's not every day you get to meet and chat with your heroes. This day, though, was different. Photo: Juicewhale
The Inertia's Senior Editor Alex Haro and significant other Stevie Lindquist flew all the way from Canada to meet their heroes. Photo: Juicewhale
From winning 11 world titles to his heightened environmental awareness, Kelly is one inspirational dude. Photo: Juicewhale
Last night at Turtle Bay was surreal. Two of the classiest gents in the biz, Mr. Rob Machado and Mr. Kelly Slater, came out to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of their high five at Pipe Masters and The Inertia’s 5th birthday with the Hawaii premiere of Hi-5: Rob Machado, Kelly Slater, and Surfing’s Greatest Heat, . Nearly twenty years ago to the day, Rob and Kelly were competing for a world title in magical conditions at Pipeline when they managed to set their competitive ambitions aside to share their lifelong camaraderie on a world stage. It was kind of a big deal. Following the film, Rob and Kelly sat down together in front of a packed house and discussed the high five for the very first time. What followed was one of the most epic nights in surf history we’ve ever had the good fortune to participate in.
Be on the lookout for a full cut from a very special talk story.
Special thanks to Rob Machado, Kelly Slater, Jim Machado, Sal Masekela, Sunny Garcia, Dane Reynolds, Dave Prodan, Primo Beer, Reef, Hurley, Squeak E Clean, and the WSL for being part of this project. It was a dream come true to make this film. We hope you enjoy it.