Weird Ideas Only 

Nobody really knew how the Swatch Nines would play out in surfing. 

The event’s been around since 2008, but it had never before veered in the direction of wave riding. It started as a mountain event founded by a former professional skier from Germany. Skepticism would be fair enough. 

But its core premise proved to be easily translatable. That premise being: When you get a bunch of talented people together and find novel ways to remove pressure, big things happen. Proof? Here you are. 

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Removing pressure means creating an environment that screams fun, and the organizers take the idea of annual reinvention quite seriously. Each year, they host a creative workshop where the juices are meant to flow without obstruction.

“Just the idea of it is cool,” says Noah Beschen, who rides for Swatch. “You get a bunch of people you like all together and mostly just have fun, but then also dedicate some time to bounce ideas off each other. It doesn’t really feel like anything is off limits.”

Coco Ho has been with the brand for over ten years and has even designed her own watch with them. She’s been a driving force behind the Swatch Nines surf event, and refuses to miss one of these workshops.

“My favorite part is when you come up with a simple concept, and everyone adds to it, says Coco. “Then it either becomes reality — like Mason’s wall ride last year — or a funny joke that lives on forever in every workshop.”

This year’s edition will be back at Waco Surf from October 8 – 10, with the 10th being open to the public for the first time. Current whispers hint at rail lines (think: turn, boardslide, air, boardslide on one wave), a gigantic mirror floating in the sky, and a healthy mix of flower petals and pyrotechnics.

Let’s throw it to Noah for one last tease.

“I think we might try to hit one rail on a wall, then hopefully be able to keep riding the wave. I’m not sure if it’ll work, but I know it’ll at least be really entertaining to watch people try [laughs].

We’ll give you a closer look at the features in mid September, then a full event preview right before it kicks off.