We have lived this year, for the most part, without Robert Kelly Slater in a competitive jersey. It was hard at first, but the ache dulled. Time did its job. New faces came in, some worth rooting for. 

Then, this morning, a marketing team popped a bottle. Slater will return to the Championship Tour, resurrected by wildcard, set to surf again at Lower Trestles, California.

Fitting, in a way — 35 years since his very first CT win at this same spot. Just a kid then, 18 years old, in 1990 — a decade out from the new century, back when the comp was called the Body Glove Surf Bout.

His win was the morning of his earth — the dawn of his empire, pre-trophies, pre-Pammy, pre-hairline retreat. He’d win here six more times over the years, his last in 2012 — 13 years and several retirements ago, marking the 50th CT win of his career. Sounds distant, but in the Church of Kelly, barely a blip. Time bends for demigods.

Trestles is also the cornerstone location of one of the greatest ever surf films — Kelly Slater in Black and White, a film that announced the coming of the king, the Kelly-Quik alliance, and the spark that lit surfing’s new commercial fire.  

Though it hurts to admit, a wildcard slot at a high-performance wave built for teenage knees doesn’t exactly scream Slater miracle. It’s at heavier locations where Kelly can defy his years, leave jaws agape, and genuinely outperform surfers less than half his age.

Then again, he’s been absolutely tearing around the Gold Coast the past couple weeks…anyway.

Maybe it’s reverence, maybe the anniversary, maybe the OuterKnown logo stitched into the story — or all of it tangled together. In any case, the GOAT returns to Lowers in a couple weeks, and we’ll be watching as he continues his hunt for a fitting finale. 

We’re late — let’s get that over with — it’s May 20th.

We apologize, but it’s been a very busy month preparing for Stab High Japan 2025 Presented by Monster Energy, which goes live in three days. Click here for all the info.

Now, like Stab High judge Lee Wilson snubs his nose at a double grab, we don’t often like to elevate a mere pun in the comment section.

But, this time’s different. We can’t argue with 46 likes — the most-liked quip of the past few months on Premium.

Plus, Mr. Cheddar’s a real rising star in the comment section. It’s time we show him some amore.

Mr. Cheddar, please send us an email at [email protected] with screenshot proof of your Disqus account — you just won a free year of Stab Premium and you will be entered in the running for the mega-prize for “Comment of the Year” at then end of, you guessed it, the year.

If you remember from this article, Ratatouille will now be one of 12 commenters (one for each month) that will be a candidate for COTY. He’ll be sparring against 11 other keyboard rodents for top honors.

Happy nibbling.

Snakes on a Plane — there are snakes. They’re on a plane. That’s the movie.

Kill Bill — the goal is to kill someone named Bill. That’s what happens.

Rebel Without a Cause — he rebels. No particular reason.

TUBED by Macklin Flynn — young man gets utterly barrelled in Western Australia

Titles that define exactly what’s going to happen are a lost art. Nice to see a new one keeping the tradition alive.

Macklin is an 18-year-old, relatively underground surfer who appears to have skipped the developmental phase where you learn the fear of death. Not exactly rare from West Oz spawn.

He seems just as proficient in the air as he is in the juice — a trait now standard issue for the new-gen Aus flock, led by Lennix Smith and Dane Henry. For unknown reasons, Macklin has flown under the radar compared to his swooping compatriots.

That should change after this edit. Watch above. 

Last year’s Swatch Nines was equal parts chaos and beauty. 

When else in surf have you seen someone send themselves on/over/through a giant floating orb? 

This year, things are going to get even more interesting — we’ve heard whispers of a big fucking crane hovering over the pool at Waco Surf to make the newly-minted features easier to hit (more to come on that).  

Swatch Nines just opened the gates for wildcard entries, and they’re not checking your follower count at the door. They just want to see you do your thing.

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A post shared by Swatch Nines (@thenines.cc)

Here’s the breakdown:

Who Can Enter: Anyone with a surfboard and limited interest in pushing that surfboard up and down a wave face several times for a 5.33. 
What They Want: 45 seconds of your most interesting surfing. Can be filmed on a potato. Doesn’t have to be a pool. 
Deadline: May 28th, which is either an eternity or tomorrow, depending on your level of procrastination.
How to Enter: Post to Instagram, tag @thenines.cc, and use #SwatchNines and #BecomeANineSurf.
How to Win: The Nines Crew will select a top five. From there, Swatch riders Coco Ho and Noah Beschen will each get a vote, and the rest of this year’s invitees will also chime up for a cumulative vote weighted the same as Noah and Coco’s. 

Sound good? Then get busy, and we’ll see you in Waco from June 23 – 25.

All photos by Jimmy Wilson.

You’ll recall, vividly, that the most prestigious surf contest of 2024 took place on the North Shore last December. From every coastline they came — trained, prepared, and driven by the possibility of glory. 

Of course, we’re talking about the 2024 Mai Tai Masters, won by Holly Wawn, hosted out the front of Turtle Bay, where a warbling right-hander sometimes wraps around the headland.

Naturally, the people cried out for more. The market demanded a sequel. And in 2025, it arrived — not in Hawaii, but reborn in the chlorinated utopia of Palm Springs. From the ashes of the Mai Tai Masters rose the Martini Masters, a wave pool event governed by two sacred rules:

1. Skull two martinis before you paddle out
2. Entertain

The 2025 Martini Masters was technically a surf comp. Spiritually, it was a pool party. Officially, it was held to mark the release of Curren Caples’ signature Vans shoe. 

Given Curren’s genetic overlap with both skating and surfing, the lineup reflected his dual citizenship. Zion Wright, Lizzie Armanto, Alex Midler — all skate-world royalty — took to the water with alarming competence. The surf contingent featured Harry Bryant, Holly Wawn, Micky Clarke, Noah Schweizer, Karina Rozunko, Jake Kelly, Lola Mignot, Andrew Jacobson, and Evan Caples (Curren’s dad), with the judging panel featuring Jake Anderson and Dane Reynolds.

Eventually, it came down to Curren, Noah, Harry, and Holly.

Harry, riding a boog, was a problem for Dane. “I don’t want to give it to the guy on the boog,” he allegedly said.

Harry responded with a two-minute sermon about wave-riding being wave-riding, that the vessel is irrelevant, and the only metric that matters is entertainment. He delivered it dripping wet, borderline evangelical, and disturbingly hard to refute.

Dane blinked. “Well, shit,” he said. “Can’t argue that.”

So Harry won.

And thus concluded the most important surf event of 2025.

In a recent chat with a pro surfer contemplating a plunge into the vlogosphere, I landed on something mildly controversial: vlogs aren’t that bad.

In fact, they’re a welcome side dish to surfing’s main course. No one’s forcing you to watch them, and sometimes, just sometimes, their saccharine voyeurism tastes just right. They can feel like the next best thing to tagging along with that talented friend who made it and now casts a long, cold shadow over you. “What’s it like to be with me, bru?” Jordy asks his designated driver and traveling companion.

But as with anything, too much can feel a bit too much. There’s bland. There’s cringe. There’s the kind that makes you go for the “Report” button, hoping the algorithm never serves you that flavour again.

Jordy’s new contribution to the digital pile-up is none of the above. Its only real misstep might be the title, which could use a little more bait, a little more spice, to dodge the oblivion of the right-hand-side-of-the-screen YouTube queue. Is it too much to ask for a pro surfer vlog titled “How I Contracted Herpes on Cavill Ave”?

Sans unnecessary chatter and filler, Gold Coast features prime Jordy doing what very few can on right points and playful beachies. His precision and tempo make some of these waves look deceptively easier — and more fun — than they actually are. Not least impressive is his wave count around a zone with one of the highest surfer-to-square-kilometer ratios on Earth. Much of the footage was shot before and after the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro.

Looking as nimble and sharp as ever, the current World #3 seems intent on having a much awaited moment on a floating podium in the South Pacific come September. Margs favors his approach and frame. He’s won once in Rio, twice at both Lowers and J-Bay. And, he handles a left reef just fine.

BDPS has said it many times before, but I’m now starting to believe it: “This could be Jordy’s year!”

Can you even imagine someone other than Dylan Graves or Nate Florence showing up to a heavily localized spot and being welcomed with open arms by its staunchest enforcers?

Like a cosmic wink, a rare swell lit up the elusive Newcastle Harbour wedge — a wave seldom seen by locals, let alone outsiders. Dylan just so happened to be in Steel City, chaperoned by none other than Craig Anderson, for a singular session at this temperamental, shape-shifting, ever-changing refraction breaking over industrial debris.

“Should’ve seen it 20 years ago!”

Trying to describe what you’re about to watch feels futile. Dylan, a gifted storyteller in his own right, gives us a rare window into a wave and a scene you’ve likely never heard of, documenting a cast of true-blue core characters who define this industrial city’s tightly knit surf community.

And while Ando’s name might read like the headliner, it’s boog lord Garth McGregor — never seen in a wetsuit — who, not so quietly, steals the show.

Core curriculum.

Whenever Slowtide drops a new box of towels at the Stab office, they dissapear into the back of staff vehicles within hours.

Whenever Coco Ho drops a new clip, surfboard model, or brand, we’re picking up the phone within hours.

And, when two entities who consistently put out quality products come together, we pay attention.

Below are the details on the new Slowtide x Coco Ho collection, which you can buy here.

“Slowtide is proud to unveil its newest collaboration with professional surfer Coco Ho—a collection of towels and blankets inspired by her favorite colors, prints, and the spirit of the place that shaped her.

Born into surf royalty on the North Shore of O‘ahu, Coco’s life has always been shaped by the ocean. First sponsored at just nine years old, she grew up between waves and competitions, but her story goes deeper than sport. This collection reflects Coco’s roots: the heritage of her family, the rhythm of island life, and the beauty of looking back while moving forward.

The capsule includes two beach towels, two DriftWeave Turkish towels, and two DriftWeave blankets—each piece designed to carry you through long beach days, quiet sunsets, and summers to come. These are staples built for movement, meaning, and memory.“

Click here to explore the entire collection.