Watch: Jordy Smith’s First Winter Home In 14 Years

Jordy Smith won the World Juniors in 2006, the QS in 2007 and has been on the CT ever since. In his 13 consecutive years on tour, he has won 7 events, finished runner-up to the world title twice, and finished the year in the top 10 ten times. 

At the time of his CT qualification, Jordy set off one of the biggest bidding wars in industry history between O’Neill and Nike. Nike offered five-mill, O’Neill two.

Nike called in the heavy-hitters. 

Tiger Woods calls Jordy. They speak at length. 

Michael Jordan sends Jordy an email reflecting on the similarities of their name. Jordan Michael Smith. 

An Air Jordy advertising campaign is planned. 

Jordy receives, in the mail, the boot Ronaldo used to kick a goal in a World Cup final. 

Another day, he gets a set of Tiger’s clubs.

Jordy is flown to Nike’s US headquarters to meet the company’s co-founder Phil Knight.

“He gave me advice on how he went about it when he was my age, and told me about the company he was with,” Smith will tell The Sydney Morning Herald. “It was kind of baffling in the beginning. You don’t know what to say because he’s such a high-profile guy, but you just cruise with it.”

So what’s Jordy do?

He signs with O’Neill. Been happily married ever since.

At age 33, Jordy is still a top 10 surfer finishing #7 in 2021. Incredibly powerful all-around, Jordy must be one of the only surfers over 6’3” and 190 pounds (88 kgs) who can lug his giant frame to Lemoore, Trestles and Rio — typically small wave venues — and find ways to beat light-footed aerialists at their own game. Jordy has wins at all three venues, FYI. 

Jordy still dreams of hoisting World Title trophies above his head but also appears, like many mature-aged surfers with the wits, to be leveraging his profile to pave a smooth transition into life post-professional surfing.

Between non-alcoholic beer brand, Heaps Normal, luggage company, Db, and eponymously named SMTH shapes surfboards alongside his father, Graham Smith, Jordy is investing heavily in his future.   

In episode 2 of Silver Linings, Jordy spends his first winter at home in 14 years. You can watch episode 1 here. 

After a close-shave in Washington airport running out of flights to get home re: COVID, Jordy and his wife, Lyndall Jarvis, make their way home to Cape Town to set up camp for the winter. “I swear you don’t want to be anywhere else in the world during the winter,” says Jordy who scores pumping waves on his first day back.

Watch to remind yourself why Mr. Smith is one of the most entertaining surfers on earth.