Who Combo’d Better? Jordy Smith vs. Kolohe Andino

Words by Morgan Williamson | Interview by Damien Fahrenfort 

Kolohe Andino sequence by Ryan Miller

Every now and again we come across a clip that redefines the laws of physics. Kelly Slater spun a 540 into the wind in Portugal, then Matt Meola stomped a spindle flip 540, and comprehension is still absent. Last December, Mr Kolohe Andino gave us magic in the form of his tunnel to oop combo. It was the best wave of the year. There’s an ethereal phenomena that occurs with the combination of foam, fibreglass, swell and wind. Feats that we never thought possible come to fruition and our eyes get weird from staring at replays on the devices that rule our lives. And, most recently presented for our viewing pleasure was Jordy Smith’s rendition of the deep tube to alley oop.

Seeing the obvious similarities, Stab took the liberty of siding up the two waves. Each of which have been combo of their respective year; Kolohe 2014, Jordy 2015 (though, the night’s still young). And the more you dive into each wave, the harder they become to decipher. Whose was deeper, bigger, better? “When I first saw Jordy’s combo,” Dane Reynolds tells Stab, “I immediately made a relation to Kolohe’s because of the barrel to alley oop combo. I didn’t think Jordy’s was nearly as gnarly as Kolohe’s, but on playback it was actually so HUGE.”

“What I really liked about Jordy’s,” Dane continues, “is he comes out of the barrel so fast and goes straight into the lip with so much speed. Whereas Kolohe’s was crazy because he comes out the barrel, loses speed, and then all of a sudden he projects out into the atmosphere.”

Dane pulls out his iPhone and revisits the Jordy clip. “Holy shit, that was sick,” he begins. “I dunno man, Jordy’s was gnarly. The amount of distance he carries and the landing is so bizarre. Full on best case scenario, but so random. Jordy’s barrel is sick. The amount of speed he had with the combination of lack of hesitation or movement exiting the barrel, I love. From a technical standpoint, I don’t know if it’s worth saying which wave’s better at this point.”

So, we wonder; is it even fair to compare the two waves so closely? After all, if Jords’ wave didn’t section off the way it did, his leap would’ve just been a fly away. But it sectioned, the bottom of his sled wavered in the wind, he maintained balance and rode it out like silk. “When you watch Jordy it doesn’t look as high because of the wave behind, but then when you go and look at the distance he travels it’s crazy,” says Dane. Jordy’s been plagued by injuries as of late, and aerials like this may have just a little bit to do with the pesky kinks in his knees.

By now, the compare and contrast has reached no definite answer. Whose is better is still open to interpretation. So, we asked dear Mr Reynolds which wave he would’ve rather ridden? “Shit dude, I don’t know,” he laughs. “Jordy’s is just so steezy. But if you screenshot Kolohe’s it’s crazy how high he is, his tail is way up there. I’d be stoked on either of them.”

Fair enough. But, have we reached a new standard for progression? “I don’t think this will ever become the standard,’ Dane responds. “I imagine John John Florence will have something this gnarly in his film, so maybe after his film it will (become the standard). Even though he didn’t do either of these, John John’s the only one I could see doing this on a regular basis.”

And this is the part where we turn our quandary in your direction. Which combo reigns supreme?