Kelly Slater Nearly Beheads Fellow Competitor in Bells Beach Free Surf (Clip)

And so, it makes sense that the lineup might get a little hectic when a small army of the world’s best surfers descend upon a wave, all hungry to get their reps in, to refamiliarize themselves with a tour stop, and to, as they say, get their feet in the wax.

Like the aforementioned Bells Beach.

In the leadup to the event, Kelly Slater and Ryan Callinan shared a wave, as seen in the video above. It wasn’t so much a friendly party wave, but more so a drop-in – Slater behind a wall of whitewater, as Callinan took off further down the line.

And then, as Slater motored around a section, he hit the lip, lost control, and sent his board hurdling towards Callinan’s head. A close call.

Intentional? Take out the competition? Probably not.

When competition resumes at Bells, both Slater and Callinan will still be in the draw, fighting to keep their campaigns alive. Slater’s got Barron Mamiya in the Round of 32, and Callinan has Morgan Cibilic in the Round of 16.

And Slater, after talking about his baby boy incoming this summer, hinted that he could be hanging up the jersey soon – this could be his last event at Bells.

“I haven’t made an announcement, but I’m going to wrap this thing up pretty soon,” Slater said after his opening round win. “It’s probably my last Bells. I’m fine if it’s my last one. 30 years since I won my first, it would be a nice bookend.”