Watch: Episode 2 Of Vans Stab High, Non-Chlorine Presented By Monster Energy

Episode 1 can be found here.

Episode 2 can be found here.

Episode 3 can be found here.

Episode 4 can be found here.

After a wave-deficient first episode of Vans Stab High, non-Chlorine, the Indian Ocean has come alive in ep 2. 

With a southwest swell blanketing the archipelago, our fleet of he and she-pilots awoke to substantial surf in their respective Indonesian camps (Men: Macaronis; Ladybirds: Kandui). The only problem? The conditions were too perfect. 

For most people, 4-6 foot glassy, hollow waves are the pinnacle of surfing. We spend years priming our skills in tiny, huge, windy, or otherwise unfavorable conditions so that one day, when those brief moments of glory arrive, we’re ready.

For our competitors, it’s just the opposite. They don’t want endless walls and glass-blown perfection. They want hideous closeouts with a wind blowing up the guts. So despite the seemingly “perfect” waves on offer, the boys and girls cried foul.

Enter our 46-year-old progression judge, Nathan Fletcher. Being a decade old and several centuries wiser than our eldest Vans Stab High competitors, Nate noticed things the others didn’t. Where they saw a perfect tube, he saw a ramp with a seamless transition on the other side. 

The resulting straight air (see the framegrab above) is a highlight of the program.

On the Ladybirds side, it was more of a mixed bag. A few small days allowed the girls to loose their fins (highlights: Erin’s tidy air rev, Sierra’s near-make straighties), but their peak moments came in the tube.

While this is officially an air contest, who are we to stop the Ladybirds from burrowing deep in Indonesian chambers? Progression of any flavor will be rewarded!

Episode 3 airs next Wednesday, December 16, at 7 pm PST exclusively on stabmag.com (and yes, you’ll have to swipe some plastic for it).