Stab Surfer Of The Year: Dion Agius, Jack Robinson, Crosby Colapinto, Jake Paterson, Mitch Crews

Jack Robinson

Age: 21 

Bio: Uber-talented West Aussie, voice switches from grom to grown man mid-sentence, most exciting Tour rookie in ages

Men 

1. Kelly Slater (5 points): The fact that he’s still going at 48 is pretty crazy. And I really want to surf against him next year.

2. Seth Moniz (4 points): You never know what Seth is gonna do on a wave, and that’s the most exciting type of surfing to watch. Plus he was mental at Chopes this year.

3. Filipe Toledo (3 points): He was on fire in Saquarema and at a few of the other Tour stops this year. 

4. Barron Mamiya (2 points): He’s been flaring all year and is one of the few guys pushing limits in heavy waves to another level.

5. Noa Deane (1 point): Noa just goes huge and can do pretty much anything on a wave. He’s really exciting to watch. 

Women 

1. Caroline Marks (3 points): She blew up more than any of the women on Tour this year. My favorite to watch, for sure. 

2. Carissa Moore (2 points): Is it weird to put Carissa second since she won the World Title? I really love her surfing too. 

3. Moana Jones (1 point): I saw this girl charging Pipe early this year and it was really impressive.

Best edit

Noa Deane in RU.BU (1 point): I don’t watch all the videos that come out these days, but I’ve seen Noa’s clip a bunch of times. It’s that good.

Best Junior

Jackson Dorian (1 point): He’s what, like, 12? He’s so crazy to watch [laughs], like a remote control surfer.

Jake Paterson 

Age: 46

Bio: Former Pipe Master and self-proclaimed overachiever in competitive surfing, current coach to Steph Gilmore, Griffin Colapinto, Kanoa Igarashi and more. 

Men 

1. John John Florence (5 points): He would’ve won the title this year hands down. 

2. Billy Kemper (4 points): For winning the Jaws event for the fourth time, what a freak! 

3. Ethan Ewing (3 points): For qualifying again, and his performance in the Triple Crown — two finals in Hawaii is a pretty big feat. 

4. Kanoa Igarashi (2 points): For winning his first CT in Bali this year. He had a shit first round, he came dead last in his opening heat then came back to win the event. All of his performances this year were incredible. He’ll be a title contender next year. 

5. Gabriel Medina (1 point): He’s just a freak all around from Pipe to Dbah and even J-Bay backhand. It’s impressive. 

Women 

1. Stephanie Gilmore (3 points): Steph for her style, power flow and winning the last event. She won Bali as well that was pretty sick. 

2. Carissa Moore (2 points): She won the World Title 

3. Caroline Marks (1 point): She’s pushing the progression in women’s surfing and it’s really fun to watch. 

Best Junior 

Crosby Colapinto (1 point): From his performance in contests, his clips and his performance in Hawaii this year. He’s been charging huge Pipe, which is impressive. 

Best Clip 

Snaketales (1 point): I don’t watch them really. Fuck I’ll just pick my own, SnakeTales.

Crosby Colapinto 
Age: 18
Bio: (bigger) lil bro of Griffin, surfs like a man, 2021 CT hopeful

1. Italo Ferreira (5 points): He’s so fired up and so gnarly in the water. Every time he paddles out you know he’s going to do something crazy. 

2. Kolohe Andino (4 points): He’s been super consistent all year. Every comp he’s doing good, putting up high scores and getting a good result. He’s been insane to watch this year, and he’s from San Clemente. 

3. Griffin Colapinto (3 points): He got injured at the beginning of the year so it was a slow start but he got over it and he’s been ripping. 

4. Jack Robinson (2 points): He’s so gnarly. He was ripping at sunset. He’s like Andy or Bruce out there. 

5. Mason Ho (1 point): His surfing at Pipe is pretty tapped! That one footed barrel he got the other day was mental. He’s always out ripping. I got to put him in here. 

Women 

1. Caroline Marks (3 point): Her backhand's like Occy or something. She’s so gnarly, she’s like my age and winning CTs and in the title race. She surfs Lowers all the time and she just rips out there. 

2. Carissa Moore (2 points): She won the World Title. She surfs like a guy. I think if you’re a chick and you surf like a guy that’s a good thing. 

3. Caity Simmers (1 point): She’s so gnarly. Ship rips, she’s doing airs and surfing so good. 

Best Edit 

Ian Crane’s Beach Head (1 point): Ian’s was sick. I got to go on the trip with him to Indo. His surfing was insane in it. Some of the backside full-rotation stalefish things are so sick. He was just going for it at Lakey Peak. 

Best Junior 

Jett Schilling (1 point): Jett ripped at the Wave pool CT—he got a seven that was sick. He’s really good on rail, which is cool to watch. He’s another coming up San Clemente kid too.

Dion Agius

Age: 34

Bio: Tasmanian dwelling freesurfer, very good air airs, also good at directing films.

Men

1. Craig Anderson (5 points): Surfs and chases waves to his own beat. The most effortlessly stylish surfer I think I’ve ever seen yet can still throw down the craziest airs that anyone is doing. I'm not sure anyone has ever mixed so much style and grace with that amount of hi-fi.

2. Chippa Wilson: (4 points): I can’t even wrap my head around half the shit Chippa is doing on his board these days. So technical and fast. Also an underground big wave HOG.

3. Creed McTaggart (3 points): The 1990s reincarnated. Creed wouldn’t look a drop out of place in any of Justin Ganes old Pulse vids.

4. Noa Deane (2 points): Raw as fuck, doesn’t really give a shit Bruce attitude and I love watching him hack in his last edit as well as his power punts.

5. No Selection

Women

1. Steph Gilmore (3 points): Mixes so much style and power, her and Craig are so similar. I just want to watch them both surf all day to some smooth jazz.

2. Josie Prendergast (2 points): So silky smooth like butter on a longboard. So light on her feet and just gracefully dances across the face ever so lightly.

3. Jaleesa Vincent (1 point): Quirky and fun. Seems like such a legend with a rad attitude. Reminds me a lot of Ozzie and the way he surfs. 

Best Junior

Dakoda Walters (1 point): Been amazing watching him progress the last few years. Reminds me so much of Creed who I first met him and saw him surf and then how fast he progressed as he grew. Dakoda is doing the same right now and has that incredible naturally ability and flow when he surfs.

Best Film

Left Brain Right Brain starring Chippa Wilson (1 point): I still have to watch this clip over and over to try and understand how he does half the shit he’s doing. Theres too much happening too fast in this film to take in. I can’t believe how much better Chippa keeps getting every year. He'll probably be doing big spins into his 60s.

 

Mitch Crews

Age: 29

Bio: Ex-CT surfer, loves ice baths, XXXX, and Snapper. 

Men

1. Gabriel Medina (5 points): Gabe is just so relentless in all conditions if he ever put out a freesurfing clip he would blow everyone else out of the water. Not to take anything away from Italo, he deserved that title, but Gabe to me is the best surfer overall right now.

2. Italo Ferreira (4 points): What he did in Hawaii was amazing. To take down Gabe—who's a Pipe Master—in the final showed he deserved that World Title. 

3. Jack Freestone (3 points): He had some difficulties in the first few months on the tour this year, but his run through Europe and the way he surfed outside of heats, he was doing some fucked up shit. 

4. Jack Robinson (2 points): I've always been a big fan of his in big, good waves, and to see him push through fucked waves on the QS as well as then dominate at places like Sunset shows what an all round surfer he's become. He showed the world he belongs on the CT by winning that Sunset event.

5. Seth Moniz (1 point): Rookie of the year, he's a bit of a wildcard and sends it in all conditions. I didn't expect him to go as well as he did and to be battling for an Olympic spot on his first CT year was awesome. 

Women

1. Steph Gilmore (3 points): You can't go past Steph but she's still the queen. She has everything from a bullshit style to a great competitor.

2. Caroline Marks (2 points): She's just thing young girl with so much mongrel. It was insane to see her battling for a World Title against the likes of Carissa and Lakey. She is going to be so gnarly in the years to come, she could even win the title next year. 

3. Carissa Moore (1 point): Winning her fourth world title amongst all the amazing womens surfers out there now was sick. She's doing amazing things for women's surfing.

Best Junior

Jai Glindeman (1 point): I'm such a fan of the way he surfs for how young he is. He hasn't achieved too much competitively, but he looks like he's going to be Australia's next big thing. He's been catching eyes all year.

Best Film

Left Brain Right Brain starring Chippa Wilson (1 point): It's so hard to pick between Creed, Noa, Russell Bierke and Craig's, but Chippa's part which came out most recently was such fucked up surfing. In addition the edit that Kai did—the music, the shots—all worked so well and it was mind boggling, I've watched it that many times.