How Far Are You Willing To Go To Get The Shot?

Am I getting soft?

After a few weeks of running Click or Miss, Stab founder Sam Mcintosh challenged me to actually tell you guys what’s worth watching with a little ‘click’ or ‘miss’ in the title of each video. While this tends to be split 2/3 or 3/2, this is the first week in roughly two months where I have only told you guys to miss one video. I don’t want to speak too soon, but I may be starting to like these a little more than I should…

On that note, many of these vlogs are still in their infancy (Zeke Lau, Jacob Szekely, Cola bros, Leo Fioravanti, and Von Froth were all started in the past six months). It was inevitable that with time, these productions would get more polished and thus earn more ‘clicks’ than they would ‘misses’.

It’s either that, or I’m getting soft. Feel free to let me know in the comments, along with any other passive/hyper critical thoughts you may have. This is not a safe space for these vloggers, why should it be for me?

Click (or miss) below.

Click- A Uniform Quiver Breakdown With Brodi Sale
Channel Subs: 16.8k
Video Views:  10,897 (2,179 views/day)
Like/Dislike Ratio: 132/3 or 44 likes per 1 dislike

Ah, the good ‘ole quiver breakdown. A time-honored tradition that every vlogger worth their selfie stick has down to a tee. While the surfing done on these boards by Brodi is reason enough to watch, the fact it takes place in GOAT’s house makes it all the more special. And how’s Slater Design’s budding monopoly on Billabong’s roster of young talent? Between Brodi, Fin Mcgill, Bo Raynor and Jackson Dorian, the brand has its tentacles firmly within one of the best youth development programs in surfing (led by long-time Hawaiian master/coach Raino Hayes). If you’ve ever considered buying a Houdini, watch above.

Click- Yes, That Is Snow On The Beach In Los Angeles
Channel Subs: 139
Video Views:  639 (71 views/day)
Like/Dislike Ratio: 68/0

Former WSL employee and standout South Bay, LA surfer Hunter Jones has started a new vlog, with Episode 1 getting off to an incredibly strange start. Snow in Los Angeles is almost unheard of, and the small dustings we do get tend to be in the Malibu/Mulholland area, but snow at El Porto? On the beach? This is something you’ll have to see to believe.

Also, shout out to Hunter’s filmer, who upon Hunter saying the waves suck simply replied, “ya, but it’s surfing.” Any one-liner that can get us motivated to surf small, cold waves is worth commending.

Click- Zeke Lau As Bionic Man
Channel Subs: 8.41k
Video Views:  90,24 (4,512 views/day)
Like/Dislike Ratio: 420/1

I was at the 2012 NSSA Nationals where Zeke Lau dominated the field to win an Open Mens title. With a full sleeve tattoo at 18 years old, he literally looked like “a man amongst boys”. I was reminded of just how menacing Zeke’s stature is by the downright murderous Quiksilver suit he wears above. Blacked out, padded up, and perfect for the maxing Haleiwa that scored him not one, but two post-session interviews. Seeing as neither of them was with us, this clip almost got a miss, but thankfully for you guys I’m not that petty. Stay tuned for the action-packed back half and a look at a different angle of Jack Robinson/Ivan Florence’s near double barrel.

Miss- Koa Rothman + Mason Barnes Surf Outer Reef
Channel Subs: 119k
Video Views:  62,295
Like/Dislike Ratio: 2,202/39 or 56.4 likes per 1 dislike

Koa Rothman has one of the biggest and most successful surf vlogs out there. He doesn’t need me telling him how to run what is (in every sense of the word) his business. On the flip side, I think it would be hilarious if one of these guys actually called this article out at some point and I think Koa is one of the most likely candidates to do so, which makes me want to be hypercritical… something to think about I guess.

The reason this is getting a miss this week is due to the fact that it’s a 15-minute clip without a wave ridden until well past the 10-minute mark. While I want to give Koa props on calling out the No Swimming signs on the beach (especially after this), at the end of the day this is a surfing vlog, and that’s a lot of time for there not to be any surfing.

Click- “That looks like two dicks colliding”- Michael Dunphy
Channel Subs: 11.1k
Video Views:  16,393 (2,732 views/day)
Like/Dislike Ratio: 448/6 or 74.6 likes per 1 dislike

If for some reason you needed any more evidence of just how sensational a winter these two brothers had, consider this: On December 11, 2020, the Cola Bros had 5,910 subscribers on Youtube. Fast-forward to not even three months later, and that number has nearly doubled. Cringe at the vloggy stuff all you want, but remember that these videos are one part of an equation that ultimately enables these guys to make money and bring you the types of clips Griffin was logging at Backdoor. With competition still not having resumed, this rings all the more true…

Despite me generally shying away from such content, I will give this clip a click for the hilarity of Michael Dunphy’s take on Crosby’s paint job. I truly don’t know how they made a 10-minute video around board art and that was all he could come up with, but hey, you can’t be good at everything right?

PS: Vlogs and politics don’t mix. With that, I’m gonna leave Ben Gravy’s clip of a well-known Atlantic City casino imploding right here.