World champion surfer Kelly Slater makes extraordinary mid-wave recovery

'Well, that was interesting,' Kelly Slater wrote after pulling off incredible feat

As 11-time world champion Kelly Slater fell from his surfboard mid-wave during a tournament in Hawaii it looked like he was on his way to a wipeout. But somehow managed to pop himself back up and continue riding.

As he is thrown around in the wave's barrel, he somehow manages to recover and even stand back up, to the surprise of those watching on during the Pipeline Masters in Oahu.

The 46-year-old put his hands out in disbelief afterwards as he rode away to safety.

"Well, that was interesting," Slater wrote on Instagram afterwards, as he posted the video for his followers to see. "I thought I just fell straight onto my belly and bodyboarded out. Didn't realise I had to grab for it!"

His feat came on the same day that British surfer Tom Butler claimed to have beaten the world record for surfing the largest ever wave.