Stab Surfer of the Year 2023: Harry Bryant, Nathan Fletcher, Frankie Harrer, Tosh Tudor, Sierra Kerr
Day 1/10: Pack a cooler, crack a roadie — we’re riding this best-of train through the New Year.
Stab Surfer of the Year is back!
Over the next 10 days, expect daily drops featuring some of the most influential voices in surf as we crown the best surfers, edits, films and YouTube channels of 2023.
This is our fifth year doing this dance, and by now you likely know how it goes, but we’re gonna lay it out for you anyway.
Stab Surfer of the Year is a 10-part peer-reviewed poll featuring five surfers a day. Each surfer is granted five picks in the Best Male and Best Female category and one pick in the Best Junior: Male and Best Junior: Female, Edit of the Year, Film of the Year, and Best YouTube categories.
The scores are tallied up on a first-to-last system: 5 points for each 1st place vote, 4 points for 2nd place, 3 points for 3rd, trending downward to 1 point for each 5th in the Best Male and Female categories. One point is awarded to each junior, edit, film and YouTube channel. The final 10% of the vote is given to our ever-so discerning Stab Premium Members (if you haven’t already, cast your votes here).
Last year, the World Champs Filipe Toledo and Stephanie Gilmore reigned supreme. Caity Simmers and Hughie Vaughan won the Best Junior categories. Kael Walsh won a Bitcoin for his edit “Idiot Box.” Noa Deane and Mikey Mallalieu won Film of the Year for their 30-minute, nothing but hammers, opus “NOZ VID.” And, Mason Ho and Rory Pringle took the Best YouTube category with their potent Ho and Pringle Productions channel.
A lot went down in 2023, so let’s get to it.
Day 1 of SSOTY features the likes of Harry Bryant, Nathan Fletcher, Frankie Harrer, Tosh Tudor, and Sierra Kerr.
Scroll south.
Harry Bryant
Best Male
1. Noa Deane (5 points)
Noa’s my favorite surfer and one of my closest friends. Seeing his work ethic in the water and working on his most recent film Mash has been hugely inspiring. I owe lots to Noa for pushing me so hard and setting the bar so high.
2. Ethan Ewing (4 points)
Ethan’s surfing is timeless — it’s simple and predictable but so nice to watch. Coming back from that injury and reaching that level of performance at Lowers this year was insane. He lets his surfing do the talking, not many people can pull that off nowadays.
3. Mason Ho (3 points)
Mason will be in my top-5 forever. He’s in his own category and surfs for pure stoke and enjoyment — that’s why we all started surfing in the first place. Whenever I’m sad or get a bit jaded on surfing, I put Mason’s YouTube channel on and everything in the world is better again.
4. Al Cleland Jr. (2 points)
Al is raw. He came and slept on the floor of my house for a week while filming for Quiksilver’s Repeater video, then flew straight to the Canary Islands for a surf comp and won it, then flew back to keep filming with the Quikky Boys.
5. Eithan Osborne (1 point)
Eithan really impressed me this year. I headlocked him for a few trips for Motel Hell and got him out of his comfort zone. Instead of being scared he sacked up and went harder than anyone. He’s a reverse cycle air con unit blasting hot air everywhere he goes.
Best Female
1. Frankie Harrer (5 points)
I was with Frankie in Namibia earlier in the year and she was the first person in her wetsuit in the morning, last out in the arvo. She’d put vaseline all through her wetty to prevent rash cause she was doing so many run arounds.
2. Coco Ho (4 points)
Coco’s a die-hard gurfer with an infectious bright and bubbly personality that everyone wants to be around. She lights up every lineup or room she enters. She’s my new favorite surf partner.
3. Moana Jones-Wong (3 points)
Moana Jones’s performance at the Vans Pipe Masters was one of those historic moments in surfing that will be remembered forever — she’s up there in one of the greats to ever surf Pipeline.
4. Caity Simmers (2 points)
Caity has really come into her own this year. I always knew her for her radical raw style and unpredictability on a surfboard but now seeing her charging Teahupoo has made her the full package.
5. Jaleesa Vincent (1 point)
I grew up watching Jaleesa surf around the Sunshine Coast, and I’m so stoked to see she’s still got the same amount of love and passion for surfing as she did when she was tiny. She’s grown into a woman with a ton of power and flair and is so exciting to watch surf. Goofy Pride + Pussy Power !
Best Junior: Male
Hughie Vaughan (1 point)
Hughie is doing everything a kid his age should be doing. He’s a cheeky little Australian kid always looking like he’s up to no good. Eats nothing but lollies and hot chips. That’s what it’s all about.
Best Junior: Female
Erin Brooks (1 point)
She is about to blow up. Her approach to small and big waves for 16 years old is really impressive. She was tossing her little carcass so hard on the finals day at Pipe. She took gnarlier slams than any of the guys that day. Respect.
Edit of the Year
“Outer Edge of Leisure” starring Russell Bierke (1 point)
Russ is by far one of the best surfers in the world yet remains so humble. The way he holds himself in 20 foot waves and after 20+ beers is admirable.
Film of the Year
“Repeater” by Wade Carroll and Quiksilver (1 point)
“Repeater” takes the cake for Best Film for me. Wade Carroll’s got such a creative and artistic eye when it comes to editing and his music selection was the icing on the cake. The team that Quik has built is what made the movie special, everyone is the greatest of friends and that’s the only way you can achieve such a special video — having that great friendship and connection with one and other.
Best YouTube
Chapter 11 TV (1 point)
I have a real soft spot for the Chapter 11 boys after recently spending time in Ventura, a surfer owned and run operation, operating in an area of lackluster waves but backed by a die hard surf community. As frustrating as it is to watch my favorite surfer of all time (Dane Reynolds) surfing such shit waves, I’m still the biggest fan of his surfing and every piece of content that he creates.
Nathan Fletcher
Best Male
1. Harry Bryant (5 points)
Because of his movie Motel Hell. I liked that it was a lot of charging and I think he did a good job doing something different.
2. Noa Deane (4 points)
For his movie Mash and the waves he’s been surfing and how he’s always charging and doing air and his style in and out of the water.
3. Russell Bierke (3 points)
For his part in the Stab Edit of the Year (Outer Edge of Leisure) thing and for that wave at Aileens.
4. Mason Ho (2 points)
He’s the most interesting surfing alive.
5. Mikey February (1 point)
He can surf anything anywhere and showcases style, form and grace and does airs and everything. I was surfing with him the other day and it was double over ankle and he was riding this single fin and absolutely ripping and getting barreled and doing frontside laybacks at the sandbar. I love that.
Best Female
1. Erin Brooks (5 points)
For her dedication. She made it into the Pipe finals, for how hard she tries and trains and the results she’s getting.
2. Molly Picklum (4 points)
She’s a force to be reckoned with and for her backside attack. She’s helping progress women’s surfing a big deal.
3. Moana Jones Wong (3 points)
I love how she surfs and charges Pipe. I like who she is in and out of the water and I feel like she’s representing riding the barrel properly.
4. Vahine Fierro (2 points)
I love her style, I feel like she’s just getting started and she’s somebody who’s going to take women’s surfing to new levels. She’s so good frontside and backside in the barrel.
5. Sierra Kerr (1 point)
For her airs and style and power.
Best Junior: Male
Kalama Stratton (1 point)
He looks like a seasoned veteran, I like how he utilizes the whole waves and how he charges. He surfs so good in heavy waves for a little kid and I like his rail surfing.
Best Junior: Female
Erin Brooks (1 point)
(See above)
Edit of the Year
“Three Days in the Desert” starring Clay Marzo (1 point)
I really like his approach, his flexibility and the way he rides waves all loosey goosey. He surfs different than everybody and I think he has that X-factor.
Film of the Year
Motel Hell by Dav Fox and Harry Bryant (1 point)
I thought his film was really good and I liked the part where he greenscreened himself on those little mini waves. It was cool and creative.
Best YouTube
Ho and Pringle Productions (1 point)
I like Mason’s because he just surfs and there’s not a bunch of talking and he always plays Hendrix music.
Frankie Harrer
Best Male
1. Harry Bryant (5 points)
I’ve been surfing with Harry and he’s just the best guy. His movie (Motel Hell) was insane, all those waves were fucking crazy and he got that Pipe wave.
2. Mason Ho (4 points)
I love how unique his surfing is and it’s just fun to watch him.
3. Craig Anderson (3 points)
He’s one of my favorites. I think he’s always inspiring with how he surfs in his different approach. And I was in Namibia with him and he was getting absolutely tubed.
4. Rolo Montes (2 points)
He’s so raw and powerful and exciting.
5. Shaun Manners (1 point)
For his Cult of Freedom part. He’s a great surfer.
Best Female
1. Caity Simmers (5 points)
She rips. She’s a fresh thing on the women’s tour. She surfs in a way that’s original and cool. And she’s bringing into both her freesurfing and contests and working on videos and doing the entire tour at the same time, which is pretty hard to do.
2. Stephanie Gilmore (4 points)
She’s the greatest of all-time, and every time we surf together I remember how insanely good she is. We did a trip to the Philippines together and she was going to the air and was ripping on a Burch. She was kind of doing it all.
3. Coco Ho (3 points)
We’ve been on a trip bender together and she’s just an inspiring person. She rips, she’s so smooth.
4. Jaleesa Vincent (3 points)
She makes really cool videos and just rips. She also surfs in a really original, fun way. When you watch her, she makes you want to go surf and have fun.
5. Laura Enever (2 points)
She’s a beast and she paddled into the biggest wave ever. And then she didn’t make a big deal about it.
Honorable Mention
Holly Wawn (0 points)
She surfs insanely good and does the biggest turns out of any of the girls.
Best Junior: Male
Hughie Vaughan (1 point)
He rips and seems chill.
Best Junior: Female
Sierra Kerr (1 point)
I feel like she’s the epitome of the new age of female surfers. She does it all.
Edit of the Year
“Cult of Freedom: The Shaun Part” starring Shaun Manners (1 point)
I liked the surfing a lot and the music choice.
Film of the Year
Motel Hell by Dav Fox and Harry Bryant (1 point)
It was fun, and they brought some skits into it and the surfing was insane.
Best YouTube
Chapter 11 (1 point)
I like what they do. Gotta give some California love into this.
Tosh Tudor
Best Male
1. Nathan Florence (5 points)
He dominated once again on the social media side of things. If you have Instagram, you have constantly seen him get barreled on the heaviest waves everywhere. I think in terms of who’s killing it the most, Nate’s definitely number one. One of the biggest score lords ever.
2. Mason Ho (4 points)
Every year he is the funnest surfer to watch, and if you get to watch him in person, it’s the exact same thing. He makes heavy waves and tiny bad waves seem fun. If you’re out having a bad session, you’ll look over and see him doing the longest floater ever or a sick little layback tube. He’s the epitome of what Surfer of the Year should be.
3. Ethan Ewing (3 points)
I think his rail game is just so much better than everybody and he’s so nice to watch on tour. Obviously Griff is one of my favorites but the way Ethan can connect the wave so smoothly makes him my favorite surfer on tour at the moment.
4. Balaram Stack (2 points)
You could put him in any type of barrel anywhere in the world and he goes out and shows everyone what’s up. He went to Chopes and killed it again this year.
5. Russell Bierke (1 point)
I got to watch him firsthand at some of his hometown slabs. It was just so crazy to watch what is possible and what you can paddle. And in his recent edit, he’s so comfortable in such heavy waves where most people would be absolutely fearing. He is just trying to push it to the limit. He is really gnarly on that forefront. I think he pushed big wave surfing a lot this year.
Best Female
1. Caity Simmers (5 points)
It’s kind of a no brainer. It was her first year on tour and she won two events and made it to the final five with three final appearances. That’s pretty gnarly. And she absolutely shreds. And she’s really nice and cool. Caity’s sick.
2. Sierra Kerr (4 points)
I saw her get such a sick barrel at Snapper earlier this year. And for those clips of her at Chopes just throwing herself over the ledge. She’s so gnar.
3. Moana Jones Wong (3 points)
She got the best women’s Pipe waves ever last year (Backdoor Shootout). It was probably one of the best female tube rides ever. She’s so inspiring.
4. Laura Enever (2 points)
She paddled the biggest wave a woman’s ever paddled. That’s pretty badass.
5. Ewe Wong (1 point)
I’ve been surfing with her a lot recently and get to watch how hard she shreds and she hits sections that I’m scared to hit. She rips.
Best Junior: Male
Lennix Smith (1 point)
I got to spend some time with him in Fiji and in Oz and saw how gnarly he is. He’s got really cool style and absolutely manhandles and charges heavy waves. He’s the real deal, people should definitely keep their eyes on him.
Best Junior: Female
Vaihitimahana Inso (1 point)
She’s really gnarly. I saw this recent Instagram post of her at Rockies and she was doing the craziest grab rail cutties. She’s pretty mental.
Edit of the Year
“Wandering” starring Liam O’Brien (1 point)
That was really sick. Every part that I watched in that I was like, “wow, holy shit, whoa, whoa, whoa.” He’s really good. Liam is the man.
Film of the Year
Through the Doggy Door by Alani Media (1 point)
It’s a really powerful film. It was the first real surf film that I’ve watched in a long time where you come out of it with a crazy feeling behind you. Like you would after watching Endless Summer or something.
Best Youtube
Ho and Pringle Productions (1 point)
It’s the best. I love watching it.
Sierra Kerr
Best Male
1. Filipe Toledo (5 points)
If I’m going surfing, I watch Filipe’s clips to get excited because he’s just insane, especially in performance waves.
2. Joao Chianca (4 points)
He’s always sending it and he’s got such good energy in his surfing.
3. Yago Dora (3 points)
His airs are insane and his surfing is just so fun to watch. It’s radical.
4. Ethan Ewing (2 points)
Him at the Final Five was the most insane thing to watch. I don’t think you can watch better surfing that that, really.
5. Josh Kerr (1 point)
He’s always pushing me and I always watch him and think how does he do that? He inspires me the most.
Best Female
1. Caity Simmers (5 points)
Most fun surfing to watch. We go surf sometimes and I’m like, dang, she surfs so good.
2. Molly Picklum (4 points)
I also surf with her a bit, especially at Pipe and stuff. She’s really good in barrels and does insane carves.
3. Carissa Moore (3 points)
She dominated all the comps until the last one pretty much. She was so many points in front of everyone.
4. Stephanie Gilmore (2 points)
She’s the best ever. I had a heat against her at Snapper and it was so fun to watch her. I had her combo’d into the last five or ten minutes and she ended up winning. It was so cool.
5. Caroline Marks (1 point)
For going from third to winning the world title.
Best Junior: Male
Hughie Vaughan (1 point)
I went on a couple trips with him this year and he is crazy. He’s always sending it and doing insane airs.
Best Junior: Female
Erin Brooks (1 point)
Because she does the craziest spins and pushes me.
Edit of the Year
“Into Dust” starring Jacob Wilcox (1 point)
I was super frothing on that. He does the most insane backside rotes ever.
Film of the Year
Toasted by Caity Simmers (1 point)
Best girl’s surf film, it gets me psyched up when I watch it and it’s gotten me excited to make mine.
Best YouTube
Ho and Pringle Productions (1 point)
Those videos of Mason with dry reef slabs are so fun.
Stab Surfer of the Year Leaderboard
Best Male
1. Mason Ho – 13
2. Harry Bryant – 10
=4. Ethan Ewing – 9
=4. Noa Deane – 9
=6. Nathan Florence – 5
=6. Filipe Toledo – 5
=8. Russell Bierke- 4
=8. Joao Chianca – 4
=10. Yago Dora – 3
=10. Craig Anderson – 3
=13. Al Cleland Jr. – 2
=13.Balaram Stack – 2
=13.Rolo Montes – 2
=17. Shaun Manners – 1
=17. Mikey February – 1
=17. Josh Kerr – 1
=17. Eithan Osborne – 1
Best Female
1. Caity Simmers – 17
2. Moana Jones-Wong – 9
3. Molly Picklum – 8
4. Coco Ho – 7
5. Stephanie Gilmore 6
=8. Sierra Kerr – 5
=8. Erin Brooks – 5
=8. Frankie Harrer – 5
=11. Carissa Moore – 3
=11. Jaleesa Vincent – 3
=11. Laura Enever – 3
12. Vahine Fierro – 2
=14. Caroline Marks – 1
=14. Ewe Wong – 1
Best Junior: Male
1. Hughie Vaughan – 3
=3. Lennix Smith – 1
=3. Kalama Stratton – 1
Best Junior: Female
1. Erin Brooks – 3
=3. Sierra Kerr – 1
=3. Vaihitimahana Inso – 1
Edit of the Year
1. “Outer Edge of Leisure” starring Russell Bierke – 2
=4. “Cult of Freedom: The Shaun Part” starring Shaun Manners – 1
=4. “Wandering” starring Liam O’Brien – 1
=4. “Three Days in the Desert” starring Clay Marzo – 1
Film of the Year
1. “Motel Hell” by Dav Fox and Harry Bryant – 2
=4. “Repeater” by Wade Carroll and Quiksilver – 1
=4. “Through the Doggy Door” by Alani Media – 1
=4. “Toasted” by Caity Simmers – 1
Best YouTube
1. Ho and Pringle Productions – 3
2. Chapter 11 TV – 2
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