The invention provides a negative pressure air bearing slider which comprises a slider body for flying above a surface of a recording disc during relative rotation of the recording disc, the slider body having a principal surface for confronting the disc surface, the principal surface having a lead portion, a rear portion, a first side portion and a second side portion, wherein the lead portion is spaced upstream of the rear portion relative to a longitudinal direction of the slider body which is coincident with a tangential rotational direction of the recording disc, and wherein the first side portion is spaced from the second side portion relative to a lateral direction of the slider body; first and second projections extending from the lead portion of the principal surface of the slider, wherein the first and second projections are spaced apart from each other in the lateral direction of the slider body, each of the first and second projections defining a central negative pressure air cavity and a forward negative pressure air cavity for the slider body, and a third projection extending from the rear portion of the principal surface of the slider body at a position centrally located in the later direction of the slider body, the third projection having a transducer mounted on a rear edge so as to establish pseudo contact with the disc surface while the slider body is flying above the disc surface.