Behind the Scenes of Kelly Slater and Jack Johnson's Secret Surfing Safari

Surfers are always on the lookout for the next big wave. Just ask Laird Hamilton. Or Quincy Davis. Or Courtney Conlogue.

Then there’s Kelly Slater, the 11-time world champion, who is on a different plain of thought than most surfers. According to Men’s Journal, his sights are always set on the perfect conditions at a specific break in the Marshall Islands, thousands of miles from home. “Wind’s really critical, because it’s generally not right for that place and the swell can be blocked by a number of different islands,” Slater told MJ of the spot. “It’s a very small window where it works.”

One of those opportunities recently opened up back in March, and Slater brought along pro surfing veteran, hit songwriter, and friend Jack Johnson. As Men’s Journal follows the two from unnamed airport to unnamed island—surfers are super secretive about where the best breaks are—they finally land in a small boat in the middle of the ocean, catching incredible wave after incredible wave.

Both in their 40’s, Slater and Johnson have been friends since they were teenagers, and have filmed a pair of surf movies together. Of surfing with his friend, Slater says: “He gives me a clean perspective about enjoying time in the water and riding waves for just what it is.”