Florida's Kelly Slater won the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro men's surfing contest today in Brazil.

Slater defeated Brazil's Adriano de Souza in the one-on-one final. The contest was completed in 2- to 4-foot waves at Imbituba, Brazil.

Slater fell behind early in the final heat, but took control with a score of 9.27 (out of 10) midway through the heat. Slater's received a final two-wave score of 17.94 to top de Souza's total of 14.67.

Slater made a last-minute decision to enter the contest, and then had to endure delayed flights and lost baggage. He surfed his first heat on a borrowed surfboard, because of the delay of his boards.

Slater, who won his record ninth world championship last year, entered the contest ranked No. 25 in 2009. He is now No. 9.

Dustin Barca of Kaua'i was eliminated in the quarterfinals and tied for fifth place. Kekoa Bacalso of Mililani was eliminated in the fourth round. They were the only Hawai'i surfers remaining for the final day.

The event was the fourth of 10 stops on the 2009 ASP World Tour.