Watch: Was Matt Meola’s Air Actually Better Than Hughie’s?

To understand what the Swatch Nines is, it’s helpful to understand what the Swatch Nines is not. 

Foremost, it is not a contest. 

It is also not an exhibition. 

And — this one might be the hardest to get your head around — but it is not “for Instagram.” 

We’ve been in some of the convos since the early days and never did we hear terms like reach or engagement. The event is an earnest attempt to give surfers a loose, fun environment to try some wild shit — and it’s got a history to back it up. 

The Nines started as a ski event 17 years ago when its founder, Nico Zacek, felt that the pressure cooker vibe around normal events was stifling progression. He wanted to create a platform for skiers to do whatever they want without a panel of judges waiting to slap a number on it. 

And, frankly, this outsider background seems to be the special sauce of the Swatch Nines. You can’t help but wonder if surfers would hesitate to try new (and, let’s face it, sometimes weird) things due to the fear of being perceived as uncool. 

So, what happened in edition two? 

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The event had 42 hours of pool time split between 24 surfers. Translation: They could surf until it began to feel impossible. Noah did a boardslide to fakey. Cam did a wallride to fakie. Hughie landed the best air ever, then Matt Meola landed the new best air ever the next day. 

Big claim, yeah? 

Here’s how we can back it up: At the awards night, Matt won an award (free trampoline!) for superseding Hughie in the “best air” vote. The only eligible voters were the people who participated in the event. As in, the surfers, bikers, and skaters — not just anyone who rolled in (there was a rollerblader on site). If they think Matt’s was better, who are we to say otherwise*?

*Listen to The Drop (below) for someone who says otherwise.

Matt, on stage, said he’d like to share the honor with Hughie. Firstly, because Hughie pushed him to go bigger. And secondly, because he’d been coming painfully close to landing it, the crew decided to devote a bit of time on the final day just for Matt to stomp one cleanly. 

Still, it’s interesting that Matt’s air got the nod. It makes a bit of sense on paper: same grab, still (semi-)upside down, a little more rotation. But there’s something about the cleanliness of a stalefish backflip that we can’t help but adore. 

Watch the full highlights above, then tell us whose air you back.