A Rare Glimpse Of Caity Simmers And Jordy Smith In The Same Freesurf Edit

Trade winds, as you probably know, are east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth’s equatorial region. These winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere, strengthening during the winter and when the Arctic oscillation is in its warm phase.

Through history, trade winds have allowed for intrepid overseas travel, colonization, and (you guessed it) trade. The name originally derives from the early 14th-century sense of trade, meaning “path” or “track.”

At the particular East Indonesian fishing village where O’Neill decided to film the above clip, the oft-howling southeasterly trades torch the perfection of just about every single spot on the map. The breeze however, blows in a delectable direction for those seeking something other than razor-sharp liplines.

“There’s such good air wind for the rights at Lakeys,” said previous Vans Stab High Winner Rasta Robb. “It’s a really good air wave, definitely rampy as fuck. Some of the sections I hit there were the biggest air sections I’ve ever had in my life. You just knew when you dropped in that there was gonna be a section.”

Perhaps because the trades had laid down since Stab High, Rasta Robb didn’t make it back to Lakey for this O’Neill Strike Mission, so instead they wrangled a healthy blend of aerially apt CT surfers and Stab High alumni to partake in Sumbawa’s various ‘rampy’ offerings.

The most notable of these invitees — Caity Simmers and Jordy Smith — are both fresh off successful Hawaiian hotlaps, currently siting at #2 and #4 respectively on the CT.

Despite being exactly double Caity’s age, Jordy hardly seems to be slowing down in the face of the new generation.

“I’ve been trying to include lots of types of training, I feel like that’s the biggest percentage I can add to my surfing, is just me getting stronger and fitter,” said Jordy recently. “It’s the hidden details that go a long way, I think there’s so much I can still improve.”

Though their approaches stand in stark juxtaposition (Caity is still allergic to the idea of ‘training’), their styles (and matching RedBull stickers) are strangely complementary.

One might even draw comparisons between the impact of Jordy’s Modern Collective progression and Caity’s spearheading of the Gen-Z female onslaught…

Click above to make your own assessment below.