Watch: Jordy Smith Slices Through The Vlogosphere (And People) On The Gold Coast

In a recent chat with a pro surfer contemplating a plunge into the vlogosphere, I landed on something mildly controversial: vlogs aren’t that bad.

In fact, they’re a welcome side dish to surfing’s main course. No one’s forcing you to watch them, and sometimes, just sometimes, their saccharine voyeurism tastes just right. They can feel like the next best thing to tagging along with that talented friend who made it and now casts a long, cold shadow over you. “What’s it like to be with me, bru?” Jordy asks his designated driver and traveling companion.

But as with anything, too much can feel a bit too much. There’s bland. There’s cringe. There’s the kind that makes you go for the “Report” button, hoping the algorithm never serves you that flavour again.

Jordy’s new contribution to the digital pile-up is none of the above. Its only real misstep might be the title, which could use a little more bait, a little more spice, to dodge the oblivion of the right-hand-side-of-the-screen YouTube queue. Is it too much to ask for a pro surfer vlog titled “How I Contracted Herpes on Cavill Ave”?

Sans unnecessary chatter and filler, Gold Coast features prime Jordy doing what very few can on right points and playful beachies. His precision and tempo make some of these waves look deceptively easier — and more fun — than they actually are. Not least impressive is his wave count around a zone with one of the highest surfer-to-square-kilometer ratios on Earth. Much of the footage was shot before and after the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro.

Looking as nimble and sharp as ever, the current World #3 seems intent on having a much awaited moment on a floating podium in the South Pacific come September. Margs favors his approach and frame. He’s won once in Rio, twice at both Lowers and J-Bay. And, he handles a left reef just fine.

BDPS has said it many times before, but I’m now starting to believe it: “This could be Jordy’s year!”