Photo: WSL/Kirstin Scholtz

This was big news last week – while Australia had moved onto April 2nd, the U.S. was back on April 1st and Slater unleashed his gag for the day – retirement. There was just enough seriousness in the text and combined with the time difference, people were all of a sudden wondering if the man was actually calling it a day. Derek Rielly followed it up with him and got this response, “Non. F—ing gullible people, haha,“. You can read a more serious run down of the joke and its possible consequences on the sport over at the SMH in Kelly Slater retires…sort of…but what happens to surfing when he goes? Worth a read.