Surfing
After debuting in France last October, aerial wizard Josh Kerr is bringing the Red Bull Airborne Series back in a play that will see the world's best sail the skies of Australia, Indonesia and France.
While you might best know him from his long and distinguished WSL Championship Tour career, Josh Kerr grew up surfing the airshows that ruled surfing's rebellious periphery at the turn of the millennium.
After finally signing off from a decade on the Dream Tour, the ever-innovative Australian-turned-Californian ex-pat decided the time was right to wind back the clock and revive his beloved sky shows, and the Red Bull Airborne Series was created.
History shows that Brazilian phenom Yago Dora took out the first event last year in between surfing heats at the Quiksilver Pro France, while all six finalists earned themselves full time positions on this year's competition roster. For established CT surfers Dora, Jack Freestone and Griffin Colapinto the 2019 Red Bull Airborne Series will be a chance to highlight another side of their act, while for freesurf talents Kalani David, Matt Meola and Eithan Osborne it gives them an opportunity to showcase their freakish skills above the lip to a whole new global audience.
This year's edition of the Red Bull Airborne Series kicks off at the Quiksilver Pro on the Gold Coast of Australia, the town Kerr grew up in, where Snapper Rocks will come alive when the wind swings onshore and one of the world's most famous tubes becomes an enormous ramp. Julian Wilson won the Quiksilver Pro last year in pumping barrels, will he try and claim an aerial victory over the Superbank in 2019?
After Australia the squad set their sights on one of the world's funnest waves, Keramas in Bali. After the show stopping aerial antics of the Top 34 in regular competition at the Corona Bali Pro last year – take a bow Italo Ferreira, Jordy Smith and co. – who knows what our list of invited aerial acrobats might get up to once the wind starts gusting into the high performance river mouth rights?
The year will come full circle as the Red Bull Airborne Series signs off its debut season back in the much loved beach breaks of southern France. Where the dream began at Hossegor in 2018, we will be crowning our first ever series champion in October 2019, and you won't want to miss a moment of it. Stay tuned, and enjoy the show!