Photos by Cori & Austin Stephens

Recap: Nines and Tens Only

The World Premiere of “Snapt 5: The Final Cut” Goes to 11

elsewhere // Aug 4, 2025

Words by Corina Stephens

Reading Time: 5 minutes

The sun glows low over Bolsa Bay as a boisterous crowd gathers at the sand’s edge. West winds swirl, a vague queue forms, and people fidget and mill in excited anticipation, showing tickets and fists for a stamp. It is the eve of finals day of the 2025 US Open of Surfing, but the masses have flocked to the northernmost beach of Surf City, USA, to witness the fifth and final installment of the Snapt film series.

The waning hours mark more than just the end of the day. The August 2nd World Premiere of Snapt 5: The Final Cut serves as a potential marker of the end of an era, and possibly that of an entire genre of surf cinema.

The crowd, spanning in age from grom to sage, swells quickly from dozens to hundreds, eventually maxing out the capacity of Sea Legs, the seaside setting for this cultural swan song. West winds gust, the sun glares, a DJ set shakes the air, and stars appear on the sand.

Logan “Chucky” Dulien is the mastermind behind all of this – not just the Snapt anthology, but the energy gathering at this beachside bar, a mere chop hop away from his own stomping grounds of Newport Beach. A man whose life story could garner its own film series, Chucky has been the magnet to which some of the world’s most watchable surfers have been drawn for over 20 years now. From the series’ humble yet hefty beginnings, much has changed, and yet the simplicity of the endeavor hasn’t wavered: “If I can get 9s and 10s to really good music and keep the formula super simple, leave the bullshit out, then that’s what has always made Snapt do well… section based movies to really good music.”

Blak Bear Surf Club’s film, “Ride the Line” served as the evening’s opening act

Here, at the series’ ultimate point, the orb sinking behind the horizon is a symbol of what may not be to come. According to some, the genre of independent, section-based films is dying. This debut serves as a precipice – a cliff on which to gather and, yes, celebrate. It’s also a point from which to reflect on what surf cinematography may look like once hard-hitting indie films are no longer a part of the landscape.

The sky blushed mauve as Andre Nickatina took the stage to spit rhymes and other obscenities at the adoring crowd. The wind now settled, herbal vapor lingered in the damp saltair, adding another sensory layer to the set. And once the audience was fully primed and the evening turning inky, an even heavier lineup followed.

Ever the under-salesman, Mr. Dulien – introduced by Chris Cote – uttered a few words about his efforts, but focused mainly on the talent, the sponsors, and looking forward to being more present for his family post-premiere. And with that, the jumbo screen standing stark against the dim horizon came to life.

I’m not going to pretend that I know where this stands in the lexicon of performance surf filmmaking — or that I always know what I’m looking at with regard to technicality or difficulty of maneuvers — but what’s contained in the hour-long film appeared pretty all-time to me, and those in attendance evidently agreed. The film had it all, including men, women, and children, each spanning the spectrum of style and aesthetic approach. But mostly it was just nines and tens.

The stage should’ve collapsed with this kind of heft

A further testament to the legacy built by the man who started out “sweeping sand in the parking lot at Froghouse” is that, unlike in the fourth Snapt installment, there is no prize purse this time around. Meaning that the surfers stacked clips for years, not just for their own glory, but for the benefit of surfing at large.

If anything, the 76.5-minute piece of electric surf cinema is a prime example of why the genre should be kept alive. The man sold out a remote, open-air venue with physical tickets going for $25 a pop, for crying out loud. Isn’t Y2K trending anyway?

In my eyes, the sun will rise again on this style of filmmaking, but the bar has been set high – arguably at 11. Look out for additional tour dates of Snapt 5: The Final Cut coming to a city near you, before wide release this Fall.