Watch: Reef Heazlewood Pops Off Under Any Condition - Stab Mag

SHARK WEEK! The Great Debate is coming... July 26 (PST)

2247 Views

Watch: Reef Heazlewood Pops Off Under Any Condition

100% goofyfoot swordsmanship, featuring Luke Swanson, Jordy Lawler and Kai Kushner

elsewhere // Jan 4, 2024
Words by Ethan Davis
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Reef Heazlewood is a sweet boy you’d have no qualms introducing to your momma. 

He’d make his bed neat ‘n’ tidy, set the table, most likely even say grace before tucking in to his grub. Not before anyone else and with no elbows on the table. Obviously. Then he’d wow you with the ambassador work he’s doing for International Needs and as a coach for Queensland in the Australian Titles, all whilst finishing 19th on the Challenger this season.

You’d be on cleanup duty as he held a captive audience, though he’d probably insist on helping.

He’s a good lad, Reef.

The following clip was shot in West Oz, Hawaii, El Salvador, Portugal and Costa Rica explained Reef.  “The fact we are all goofies is coincidental,” he laughs, talking to his co-stars similar right-foot-forwardness. Less than ⅓ of all surfers are goofies according to a Stab IG poll of 7,000 people, which gives this assembly of surfers a <5% of occurring if plucked from a hat. 

As a surfer with incredible range and versatility, apparent in Reef’s ability to knife under the ledge at Pipe and slam the end section at gutless beachies with high completion, I was curious to know what Reef views as ‘good surfing’. “The ability to be radical in anything” went his response, before citing Dane Reynolds as the don of the domain. 

10/10 response.

Kai Kushner is a 16-year old from Manhattan Beach, California. “He’s just this absolute manchild and I was like, no way, you’re 16. He actually had an Instagram post yesterday of another one of those backside tail slide power turns and I’m just like, man, that is the sickest turn. Keep that going and stuff. So I was sick to see that and having a 16-year-old push my surfing”

Something else I noticed here — have the goofs trademarked the functional BS blowtail? I am of the firm belief no one other than these guys, Matty Wilko and Owen Wright know how to throw them mid-wave in a sequence of turns*.  

A CT breakthrough is on the near-horizon I reckon. 

*2010 Dane being one notable exception.

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

From The Championship Tour To Louis Vuitton | Mikey February | StabMic Ep. 24

Did LV rip off Vans?

Jul 27, 2026

The Great Shark Debate: To Cull or Not to Cull? 

Dr Michael Mehmet vs Fred Pawle.

Jul 26, 2026

Rasta’s Shark Theory

Return to your animal, trust your instincts.

Jul 25, 2026

How To Shark-Proof Your Next Surf*

Shark policy aside, what tech, gadgets and gear can actually keep you safe?

Jul 25, 2026

Good Luck Killing The US Open

A preview of the 2026 US Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach.

Jul 24, 2026

Mateus Herdy Heads Home

A profile on the Florianopolin CT rookie, his rich orbit of influences, and Yago Dora’s…

Jul 24, 2026

Response: A Shark Cull Won’t Make Our Beaches Safer

Science over sensationalism.

Jul 23, 2026

Op-ed: Why Australia Needs More Shark Nets

An unapologetic take on the need for safer lineups.

Jul 23, 2026

How Reunion Island Survived Shark Purgatory

With more shark attacks per capita than anywhere else on Earth, it's taken millions to…

Jul 22, 2026

Introducing EAST’s First Goofyfoot Test Pilot: Harry Bryant

“My life’s already a board test.”

Jul 22, 2026

The Trauma Gap: Surviving vs Seeing Shark Attacks

Three witnesses recall the incidents that changed them.

Jul 21, 2026

Are There More Great Whites In California Than Ever Before?

A firsthand shark attack story, a conversation with two researchers, and how to avoid becoming…

Jul 20, 2026

Australian Oil & Gas Co. Wants To Destroy A World-Class Reef

Does that make you mad? Good. Here's how you can save Scott Reef:

Jul 20, 2026

Welcome To Stab’s Shark Week

An editorial week dedicated to the large cartilaginous fish we share lineups with.

Jul 20, 2026

What, You Haven’t Heard Of Weslley ‘King’ Dantas?

The 28-year-old has beaten loan sharks, empty bank accounts, and unmet potential to stage his…

Jul 19, 2026

Kinda Pumping: Cole Houshmand And Teresa Bonvalot Win ‘Plan B’ Ballito Pro

The sorting hat for the 2027 CT season begins its dirty work in South Africa.

Jul 18, 2026

How To A.I.-Proof Your Life With Skip McCullough

“Fences? Laundry? It’s not sexy. But it makes money. That’s the bottom line.”

Jul 17, 2026

How Surfers Spend Their Money

We asked 7,500 surfers where their next paycheck is going.

Jul 16, 2026
Advertisement