Surf Media Juggernaut Becomes First Vlogger Inducted Into Surfers’ Hall of Fame - Stab Mag
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Surf Media Juggernaut Becomes First Vlogger Inducted Into Surfers’ Hall of Fame

Please welcome Jamie O’Brien, Jeff Deffenbaugh, and Ilima Kalama into the gates of eternity.

elsewhere // May 27, 2024
Words by Stab
Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Surfers’ Hall of Fame has recently declared three new men to be worthy of enshrinement. The 2024 inductees will include QS journeyman and Huntington Beach stud Jeff Deffenbaugh, Hawaiian water-bishop and 1962 United States Champ Ilima Kalama, and YouTuber Jamie O’Brien. 

It’s been a long time coming for JOB. Since his pubescent Pipe Masters win in ’04, Jamie has become surfing’s digital prophet, as well as being the first human to successfully capture and retain mainstream interest in surfing videos. 

Before Mason Ho and Nate Florence, there was the omnipresent JOB. He’s the godfather of per-diem content production, and his success on YouTube has revolutionised what it means to be a contemporary pro surfer. 

Jamie’s channel has amassed over 1.2 million subscribers, and now includes daily vlogs, podcasts, and many videos with the words ‘RAW POV’ in the title. Naughty. 

If his bones could talk, they would tell obscene tales of erogenous and abusive love affairs with the world’s most harrowing waves. Luckily for us, JOB lives with a GoPro clamped between his molars, so when he almost dies, which is apparently often, cute little cameras are there to capture the moment. 

Some memorable uploads include, ‘THIS ENDED REALLY BAD (COUCH SURFING)’ and ‘HUGE SHOREBREAK WAVES BROKE MY COUCH.’ 

Clickbait be damned – all is forgiven when you’re one of the most naturally gifted surfers of all time and soon-to-be Hall of Famer. 

The official induction ceremony will commence at 9am on Friday, the 2nd of August, which happens to coincide with the US Open of Surfing. Regular townspeople are invited to gather and witness the three surfers plunge their naked hands and feet into wet cement, whilst the most hallowed stretch of sand on the planet serves as tasteful background decor. Long live Huntington Beach, and may God bless America.

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