Stab High Sydney 2025, Presented by Monster Energy, is a surf contest focused on flight. Instead of connecting standard directional turns, the emphasis is on single, explosive aerial maneuvers.

Past winners include Noa Deane, Chippa Wilson, Sierra Kerr, Ian Crane, Caity Simmers, Erin Brooks, Matt Meola, Eithan Osborne, Kiara Gold, Lucas Cassity, Loci Cullen, and Hughie Vaughn.

All four divisions are back: Pro Mens, Pro Womens, Ladybirds (15-and-under girls), and Bottle Rockets (15-and-under boys). Additionally, the Monster Air will be won by the surfer who performs the most impactful air of the event, regardless of division.

Competitors will have multiple chances to land their best airs on URBN Surf’s newly minted air section. Expect a variety of grabs, rotations, and altitudes, all dissected by a pedantic, clipboard-wielding panel fluent in aerial surfing. 

The Qualifying Rounds will be held on Friday, October 10 from 8AM – 5PM ( local time) and the Main Event will be held on Saturday, October 11 from 8AM – 2PM (local time). Both days will be broadcast worldwide via stabmag.com with a start time of 12PM in Honolulu, 3pm in Los Angeles, 6PM in New York, 12AM in Paris. (note the date shift for the Americas — Thursday & Friday instead of Friday & Saturday)

If you’re in Sydney, show up. If not, grab your friends and watch the live webcast on Stab Premium.

Stab High Sydney 2025, Presented by Monster Energy, is supported by Sun Bum, Quiksilver, FCS, I-Sea, Skullcandy, and Tudor.

There will be 36 surfers in the Pro Men’s division, 8 Ladybirds, 8 Bottle Rockets, and 4 Pro Women’s contestants.

Pro Men

Pro Women, presented by Sun Bum

• Sierra Kerr
• Milla Coco Brown
• Bella Kenworthy
• Sky Brown
• Molly Picklum

Ladybirds (Girls, 15-and-under)

• Leihani Zoric
• Mali Adam
• Zoey Kaina
• Skai Suitt
• Isla Hardy
• Zoee Bradshaw
• Peeta Kenworthy

Bottle Rockets (Boys, 15-and-under)

• Loci Cullen
• Zacky Taylor
• Cruz Uros
• Jaggaer Phillips
• Luke Lopez
• Marco Menendez
• Brody Mulik

How do we decide who’s best in the air? We’ve grappled with this question since 2018, and have come up with a variety of answers over the years (head to the History tab for some backstory).

The World’s Best Aerialists Are Split Into Three Divisions:

– Pro Men 
– Pro Women 
– Ladybirds (Girls, 15-and-under)
– Bottle Rockets (Boys, 15-and-under)

Qualifying Round: Pro Men’s

– Two Rights, Two Lefts 
– Best Single Air, Top 10 Advance To Semifinals, The Rest Go To Sudden Death
– Leaderboard Format: Surfers Against Entire Field

Sudden Death: Pro Men’s

– One Wave In Direction Of Choice
– Best Single Air, Top 2 Advance To Semifinals 
– Leaderboard Format: Surfers Against The Entire Field

Semifinals: Pro Men’s, Bottle Rockets, Ladybirds

– Three Rights, Three Lefts 
– Best Single Air, Top 4 Advance To Final 
– Leaderboard Format: Surfers Against Entire Field

Finals: Pro Men’s, Pro Women’s, Bottle Rockets, Ladybirds
– Three Rights, Three Lefts 
– Best Right + Best Left Count Towards Score
– Highest Combined Score Wins

In Person 

Come rub elbows and clink Monsters with us in Sydney. Pro tip: Bring a board. You can book a session in the pool before/after the comp.

Online 

Can’t make it to URBNSURF Sydney? We get it. 

If you’re a Stab Premium member, you can watch Stab High online for free. If not, subscribe to Stab Premium to gain access to the event webcast, along with thousands of hours of backlogged films and original editorial, with plenty more to come. We’re offering a 10% discount to anyone who signs up for the annual membership — just use code STABHIGHANNUAL at checkout.

Times

The Qualifying Rounds will be held on Friday, October 10 from 8AM – 5PM ( local time) and the Main Event will be held on Saturday, October 11 from 8AM – 2PM (local time). Both days will be broadcast worldwide via stabmag.com with a start time of 12PM in Honolulu, 3pm in Los Angeles, 6PM in New York, 12AM in Paris. (note the date shift for the Americas — Thursday & Friday instead of Friday & Saturday)

History

Past winners
Waco, 2018: Noa Deane
Waco, 2019: Chippa Wilson (Pro) and Sierra Kerr (Ladybirds)
Mentawais, 2020: Ian Crane (Pro) and Caity Simmers (Ladybirds)
Central America, 2021: Matt Meola (Pro) and Erin Brooks (Ladybirds)
Lakey Peak, 2022: Robbie McCormick (Pro) and Sierra Kerr (Ladybirds)
Japan, 2024: Eithan Osborne (Pro), Lucas Cassity (Bottle Rockets), Kiara Goold (Ladybirds)
Japan, 2025: Hughie Vaughn (Pro), Sierra Kerr (Pro Women’s), Eden Walla (Ladybirds), Loci Cullen (Bottlerockets)

Stab High was born as a response to conventional surfing events. We wanted to focus on a different side of surf culture — something freer, less structured, and more unpredictable. With the wavepool boom in its nascent era, we decided on an air competition at Waco Surf (then BSR Surf Resort) in Texas.

The first edition of Stab High took place in 2018. There were 16 competitors, and they tried everything from finger flips to straight airs to acid drops off the back wall (to be fair, we did have an Acid Drop challenge). That year, Noa Deane became the first Stab High champ. 

In 2019, we took our learnings from the first edition and headed back to Waco for another event  — with one notable addition. That year, we introduced the Ladybirds division. It was the first all-girls air comp, featuring four competitors under 15. In the end Sierra Kerr held the trophy, but aerial surfing was the real winner. The Ladybirds earned the most boisterous cheers of anyone in attendance and became the event’s main talking point for years to come. 

Then a pandemic showed up and live events disappeared. Wanting to keep Stab High alive, we took the socially distant approach and sent a stripped-back crew to the Mentawai Islands. We adapted the format, shot everything on location, and rolled it out as an episodic series. That was good fun, so we did it again in Central America in 2021, before returning to Indo in 2022 at Lakey Peak. That year, Sierra Kerr landed what is widely considered the best air ever landed by a female in the Ladybirds final. 

In the exploratory spirit of Stab High, we felt it was time to return to the live event format last year. Enter: the chlorine coliseum of PerfectSwell Shizunami. In the end, it was Eithan Osborne, Lucas Cassity, and Kiara Goold who took the win in 2024. Fast forward to earlier this year, and we were back at Shizunami, testing out their McyFly air section, where Highie Vaughn, Sierra Kerr, Eden Walla, and Loci Cullen claimed their wins.

Stab High Sydney 2025 will run on Friday, October 10th and Saturday, October 11th. All four divisions are back: Pro Men’s, Pro Women’s, Ladybirds (15-and-under girls), and Bottle Rockets (15-and-under boys).

This event has always been about progression, and there’s no better example than the youth.