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Air school with Jordy Smith, Reunion Island

He might play class clown well, but Jordy Smith also has a fondness for teaching. He has more knowledge to impart on his contemporary, Jules Wilson, than you’d think. Like how to do whirly birds.

“Jordy was more than willing to ham it up for the camera this morning,” says photog Ryan Miller, currently in Reunion Island with the pair of surfers for a Red Bull x Stab x Surfing trip. “We have a massive chalkboard in our kitchen with all the important information for the house, like owner’s phone numbers and days to take the trash out. Jordy erased the whole thing to give Julian a lesson on how to do punts. It was fucking hilarious and all the boys were crying with laughter. He drew a wave and then Julian doing a whirly bird above the wave and the wind holding his board onto his feet. He also advised Julian on riding 6’2″s. Julian’s to do list – whirly bird + 6’2″ = Game over and clips for days. Pretty simple equation.”

Indeed. Lucky Jules, huh?

Photographer profile

Ryan Miller

Ryan Miller, 33 years old, does not know how to write a bad email. Your pals at Stab have learnt to live vicariously through Miller’s red wine-fuelled letters from the road. His travels take him to some dreamy locales and, in those places, he scores all-time photos: “My favourite photo I’ve shot was of Benny Bourgeois in the Caribbean, with a fisheye. Often I just take photos, but rarely do I get to make one.” In an age of tail-highs and released fins, Ryan still most likes to shoot someone who can lay-down a big backside turn. Namely: Jordy Smith, Dane Reynolds, Gabe Kling, Kekoa Bacalso, Damien Hobgood and Peter Mendia. Like most photogs, Miller misses Scott Aichner’s work. But, as far as contemporary inspiration? “Trying to see things through my daughter’s eyes. It’s wild to think about someone experiencing something totally new on almost a daily basis when, as adults, we rarely get to experience something truly new.”

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