Gallery: Ritual Vision’s ‘Ritualistic Tendencies’ Premiere at Vans California HQ

Golden hour seemed to hang a little longer in the air of Costa Mesa on Friday, May 8th prior to the California premiere of Ritual Vision’s maiden film, Ritualistic Tendencies.

As Kona’s were cracked, pizza boxes popped, and a crowd poured in, an effervescence could be felt amid the landscaped courtyard of Vans Global HQ. The sun sank lower and purple clouds drifted into the sky – a reminder that nothing lasts forever and all things move in cycles. Life, trends, the seasons, washing machines. There’s no escape from the changing tides.

It makes sense, then, that the surfing organism itself, and all that feeds off of it, would do the same: booms and busts, peaks and troughs, downpours and droughts.

For those who stick around and wait for the tide to turn, however, reward often awaits. Over the past 15 years, the surfing “industry” has been through the ringer. The wash cycle has run its course, and while much of it still seems to be spinning out, a focused few have come out the end with clearer vision and a keen atunement to what truly matters.

This is the sense of anticipation that lingered in the coastal, 405-scented air last eve: That of a prime window approaching once more. A golden arc of time when forces converge – inspiration, creativity, response to a need – and the people can rejoice in it. 

This seems to be the driving force that fuels Dion Agius and the crew behind Ritual Vision eyewear in their latest endeavor. Partnered with dear friends and veteran freesurfers Noa Deane, Harry Bryant, Mikey Wright, and filmmaker Wade Carroll, among others, the boys (and babes) that comprise the quickly-growing RV cult are notorious for creating their own stratospheres.

Ritual Vision has only been in the market for a little over a year, but the Australian freesurfer-led eyewear brand is popping off. Since launching in 2024, the brand has blown through multiple rounds of inventory, struggled to keep up with demand, signed two of Australia’s most outlandish female surfers (Holly Wawn and Milla Coco Brown) and is now premiering its first feature-length film.

The Ritualistic Tendencies film itself was as good as you’re hoping it will be. Shot and edited in under 18 months, it held some remarkably high-octane footage within. Paired with an intriguing, wide-ranging soundtrack, the masterful visuals of Wade Carroll made for a 30-minute high-performance fever dream.

According to Agius, each premiere of “Tendencies” has seen a slightly different version, due to what he describes as “tweaks, adding new stuff if it comes in, and taking some stuff out”, creating an unintentional incentive for fans to see it again and again.

When asked about the making of their film and his dream surf trip, brand co-founder and film standout Mikey Wright stated simply, “Somewhere where we’re all together.”

:’)

He continued, “It’s hard in today’s society. Trying to be a professional surfer’s just getting harder and harder because budgets are getting chopped — so it’s still pretty sick to be able to do it. Dion created that for us, something where can just go and make surf films and chase waves, and that’s all we want to do.”

This is the constant that helps a select few thrive amidst the tumults of time and an ever-evolving economy. Last night, hundreds gathered in Costa Mesa in shared appreciation of this desire. Young and old partook in the sacred tradition of passing down an obsession, a quest, a culture.