Jordy Smith, combing Reunion Island’s rich soil with rake and rail

“In Reunion it was pretty much groundhog day every day,” says the photographer, Mr Miller. “Wake up to a light air wind into the rights and then the wind would get uncontrollable by midday. I have no clue how the boys (Julian Wilson also starred) even stayed on their boards in the lineup much less surf those waves. This day that you see here, we woke up and the wind didn’t seem to be blowing at all. It was like looking at an entirely different break. Just looked like any light wind day in the Mentawais. Even though Jordy came to do punts he changed gears real quick and started putting that huge frame of his to work. He abused those clean open faces with some massive man turns. It is a harsh environment down at that wave with all the wind and salt spray. Typically, only the most die-hard surf fans would come to spectate. This day, the whole jetty was lined with the local community. Everyone was really fired up for us to be there. With the shark attacks over the last few years surf tourism has dropped off massively. We got a ton of “thank you for being here” type comments.” Y’like the taste of Jordy’s loam? You might want to soak in Bending Colours, Jordy’s profile movie, where this turn appears, but in moving form.