JOB Loses YT Throne, And Not To Ben Gravy - Stab Mag

Live Now: Chapter 11 Mini-Documentary With Dane Reynolds

5794 Views
World #2 stays psyched.

JOB Loses YT Throne, And Not To Ben Gravy

Meet the new king of Surf YouTube…who happens to be blind.

news // Jul 13, 2022
Words by Holden Trnka
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Anything is possible. 

Jamie O’Brien (805k), the psyched-out marketing genius, has officially been eclipsed on Surf Youtube — at least in terms of subscriber count. And no, not by Koa Rothman (135k), Nate Florence (179k), Koa Smith (129k), or even Ben Gravy (163k). Rather, he has been surpassed by Pete Gustin (983k).

Who?

Pete Gustin.

You may know Pete better as “Blind Surfer”, which is his straight-to-the-point YouTube moniker. Pete was diagnosed with macular degeneration at the age of eight, and his eyesight has been significantly deteriorating since he was born. Today he can see shadows and movement within a few feet, but not much else, making him legally blind. 

Despite this, Pete has managed to traverse the notoriously complex — and typically visual — learning curve of surfing (as an adult, no less). He’s also a famous voice actor, who you’ve probably heard in trailers for The Walking Dead, Spongebob, and SuperBowl ads. He’s also a published author.

Pete started his YouTube channel as a passion project in January of 2020, and he’s already amassed nearly a million subscribers. As Pete states, his intent with his videos is to document his adventures and mishaps as a blind surfer, while inspiring other people to overcome their own challenges. 

Interestingly, much of Pete’s YouTube success has come through Youtube Shorts. Shorts are essentially YouTube’s marketing solution for the perpetually shrinking attention span of, well, everyone. AKA a desktop version of TikTok.

You can watch one of our favorites here.

So what is Pete doing with all of his monetization money? Well, he’s putting all of it toward his newly launched Blind Surfer Foundation, which he created to help train and pair service dogs with people who need them.

The guy is a fucking legend. Seriously.

He’s inspiring, articulate, determined, generous, and his voice is in competition with Morgan Freeman’s for the father figure of America.

How does he surf?

Considering he takes off late, goes down the line on overhead waves, and doesn’t flap his arms too much…he surfs better than many of us.

After watching Pete surf, we can’t help but wonder what it might feel like to surf without sight. To predict and understand what the ocean has to offer with only sensual cues. An argument could be made that this is one of the purest forms of wave riding, second only to e-foiling.

Also, can someone get Occy one of those “BLIND SURFER” shirts ASAP?

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

Watch: João Chianca Had A Remarkable Hawaii Season Before His Injury

Plus an update on his condition.

Mar 28, 2024

Pittar’d And Feathered

Do the WSL judges deserve the internet's wrath? We asked the man of the hour.

Mar 28, 2024

Robbo, Pickles, And Tyler Wright Become The Underdogs Breakfast At Uninspiring Winkipop

The foreboding blade sharpens and inconsistent judging prevails on Day Two in Torquay.

Mar 27, 2024

“I Don’t Always Win Heats, But When I Do, I Try To Beat John John”

Slater shines and the axe begins its descent on Day 01 at Bells.

Mar 26, 2024

Back Against The Wall: The Ramzi Boukhiam Redemption

Morocco's first CT surfer on speaking six languages, having no coach, and snatching Fil Toledo's…

Mar 25, 2024

Will Kirra, Babies or JJF Stop a GOAT Winning at Bells?

Bluesky BOAG advice from a Superman specialist and former Trials winner.

Mar 25, 2024

Bells Preview: The WSL’s Victorian Sword Dancing Equinox Ritual

Will a Brazilian crack the Top 10 at Bells?

Mar 25, 2024

69 Shin Bones Later + the Anticlimactic State of Big Wave Record-Breaking

Lucas Chumbo might have surfed the biggest wave ever this year. But how will we…

Mar 23, 2024

Watch: ‘Fresh and Fried’ Ft the Quik Kids

How taxing is it to tackle the Gold Coast’s Triple Crown in a single day,…

Mar 23, 2024

The Popular Vote: The People’s Stab In The Dark With Kolohe Andino Champion

Which board looked best — to you —under Kolohe's talons?

Mar 22, 2024

Six Key Learnings From Portugal

Three CT events in, what do we know? 

Mar 21, 2024

‘Zipper’ Is Going On Tour, Here’s Where You Can Watch It  

Dates, times + locations for the Venice, Encinitas, Sydney + Byron premieres.  

Mar 20, 2024

Dane Reynolds On His Future, His Past, And Chapter 11’s Raison D’être

Our 9-minute plunge into the collective psyche of Ventura's pillar(s).

Mar 20, 2024

From ‘Blue Ribbon Cross Country Runner’ to Vogue – How Steph Again Is Back With A Rip Curl Remix

Everything we know about the she-GOATs sponsorship boomerang.

Mar 18, 2024

Stab Interview: Darren Handley Explains Why You Can’t Buy The Winning Stab In The Dark Model

And his decades-long standoff with Slater.

Mar 17, 2024

Griff Embraces Portugal’s Eternal Time Loop To Vanquish Medina + Ewing, Defay Delays The Inevitable

A redeeming closing act at Supertubos.

Mar 16, 2024

The Secret Behind Lungi Slabb’s Inconceivable Greenmount Funnel

Six broken boards, one leaking forehead, and five days of Superbank mysticism.

Mar 16, 2024

Cheat Codes: A Million Miles Worth Of Travel Advice From Coco Ho

Hard-earned wisdom from more than 2,000 hours in the troposphere.

Mar 15, 2024
Advertisement