Surfing
Surfing
Check out our best surfing videos from 2021
In crazy times you can take solace in the fact that we'll keep traversing the planet to create the world's best surfing videos. Here are the ones we loved most in 2021!
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After a funny few years, the planet took its first steps towards getting back on-axis in 2021, and as the globe rights itself, it will continue to spin. When that happens, cold fronts and low-pressure systems will continue to form, tides will come and go, winds will blow, and most importantly for surfers, waves will stand up and hit coastlines across six continents and seven seas.
From all of these waves will spring an overwhelming litany of movies and documentaries and edits, and we're here to do the hard yards on your behalf and handpick the best of the bunch. This is a sampler of the best of our best surfing videos from 2021, and we sure hope it fires you up to grab your board and hit the water. See you out there!
1. Sessions – Mavericks
9 min
Mavericks host the world's best big wave surfers
After years of quiet, California's Mavericks unleashes huge waves for the world's best big wave surfers.
In January of 2021, California's premier big wave, Mavericks, turned things up in Half Moon Bay. Kai Lenny, Justine Dupont, Ian Walsh, Lucas Chumbo and a core crew of locals and international chargers took centre stage on a swell for the ages.
2. Sessions – Teahupo'o
5 min
Flawless pumping in Teahupo'o
August 13, 2021, in Teahupo'o, Tahiti, will go down in the big wave surfing annals as a landmark day.
Friday, August 2021, saw one of the craziest swells in recent memory light up Tahiti’s infamous, Teahupo'o. Usually synonymous with bad luck, this Friday the 13th brought quite the opposite. With a heavy crew of chargers like Lucas 'Chumbo' Chianca, Nate Florence and Matahi Drollet on hand Teahupo'o became the epicentre of the surfing world on a day that was packed with clear skies and massive tubes.
When Nate told us it was the ‘hardest he’d ever scored on a surf trip’, we knew it was bound to be nothing short of incredible, so sit back, relax and enjoy from the comfort (and safety) of your chair this next-level Teahupo'o Sessions edit by Ryan Moss.
3. Sessions – Shipstern Bluff
7 min
Shipstern Bluff
See Shipstern Bluff roar in our edit by filmmaker Tim Bonython, featuring Joel Parkinson and Summa Longbottom.
Just as the Red Bull Cape Fear competition window opened in April, Tasmania woke for the winter. Although conditions weren't sufficient for the contest to be called on they were definitely close enough for a chunk of the field to fly to the Apple Isle and join the local team in their first hit out for the year.
With Australian domestic borders open and a crew of newly recruited interstate competitors chomping at the bit to sharpen their Shipstern chops, everyone from 2012 world champ Joel Parkinson to future first-time female Red Bull Cape Fear competitor Summa Longbottom jetted into Hobart with slabs and steps on their minds.
4. Following
8 min
Following – Jamie O'Brien
Following takes you backstage with Jamie O'Brien and looks back on his attack on the last Hawaiian season.
If you've ever wondered what life's like as a Hawaiian fly on the wall, well wonder no more, Following is here to take you behind the scenes in the lives of your favourite surfers. From charging Pipeline on a soft-top JOB-style, like the video above, to hanging in Maui with Eli Hanneman, making poke bowls with Kanoa Igarashi, cruising between contest with Caroline Marks or bolting to the mainland and Mavericks with Ian Walsh there's something for everyone in this new series brought to us by the wicked minds at Inherent Bummer.
5. No Contest – West Oz
32 min
No Contest goes big in Western Australia
Hot on the heels of a crazy run through the beach breaks of Australia's East Coast, our team heads to Western Australia to test the power of the Indian Ocean at Margaret River and Rottnest Island.
In 2021 the Margaret River Pro was hit with the biggest swell seen for a WSL Championship Tour event outside of Hawaii in a decade. Outside of the competition, the Stab and our crews continued on their merry way with surfing's favourite backstage series, No Contest. West Australian native Chris Binns shows us the local lay of the land and heads to dinner with Caroline Marks, fresh off a win at the Narrabeen Classic, and her sage advisor Luke Egan. Then it’s on to some good old-fashioned ripping in the best surf of the Tour season so far.
6. No Contest – Mexico
21 min
No Contest – Mexico 2021
Barra de la Cruz proves to be much more than just the setting of the last event before the WSL title showdown.
No Contest goes south as the WSL hits Mexico for the first time since 2006. The iconic Barra de la Cruz proves to be so much more than just another point break, and the Stab team and Ashton Goggans were on hand to sample all that Oaxaca had to offer, alongside wildcard stars Mateus Herdy and Rio Waida.
7. People Watching – Rip Curl WSL Finals
19 min
WSL Finals week at Lowers
Go behind the scenes as the world’s best surfers prepare for the 2021 Rip Curl WSL Finals at Lower Trestles.
In September 2021 the WSL Championship Tour World Title was on the line at California's Lower Trestles, and surfing’s finest were in town for the main event. The days leading up to the first ever Rip Curl WSL Finals gave us lineups packed with talent and tension, and our cameras were there to capture the magic of the moments that mattered in the background. Follow along as we film the likes of Carissa Moore, Italo Ferreira, Gabriel Medina, Steph Gilmore, Kelly Slater and more heading into the title showdown.
8. Shaping Jordy
48 min
Shaping Jordy
Ride along with Jordy Smith and Mikey February as they cruise the South African coast in search of waves.
For itinerant professional surfers Jordy Smith and Michael February, the proverbial silver lining on the cloud that shrouded 2020 was a spitting barrel in an uncrowded lineup on home soil. Unable to travel internationally, Smith and the man known as 'M-Feb' took full advantage as soon as lockdown restrictions were lifted locally – loading up Smith’s car and going surf tripping. Watch Jordy and Mikey cruise the South African coast in search of waves in the video above – Shaping Jordy.
9. Wild Beauty
9 min
Mathea Olin: Wild Beauty
Watch as Mathea Olin surfs a reef break in British Columbia that she's always dreamt of riding.
Canadian surfer Mathea Olin isn’t just satisfied surfing the friendly waves of her hometown, she’s passionate about chasing the best barrels her beloved homeland has to offer too. Travelling by boat and sleeping under tents, Olin proves that the hard-yards always pay off when searching for perfection. She finds exactly what she's looking for with just the snow-capped mountains and a couple of Canada’s best surfers for company.
Motivated by Pete Devries and Noah Cohen, Olin pushes herself like never before to overcome her fears and take on the great north’s most notorious slab, and the results are shown here, in Wild Beauty. Get to know one of North America’s most underrated future surf stars are she strives to better herself in the frozen and rugged yet stunning land and seascapes of Canada.
10. Searching Peru
45 min
Searching Peru
Gabriel Villarán and crew explore routes on Peru’s coastline, discovering waves that haven’t yet been surfed.
In 2021 Peruvian surfer Gabriel Villarán set himself one task – to travel his homeland in search of new waves. After a life spent globetrotting at the whims of the weather, Gabriel decided that he should see the pandemic-induced interruption to regular programming not as a hurdle but as a chance to truly look around and explore the familiar landscape that had been there for him from the start. With Peru boasting a 2,400km+ long coastline, Gabriel and crew scored slabs, beach breaks and everything in between. Tune in and enjoy Gabriel and company in Searching: Peru.
11. Becoming Bronson
21 min
Becoming Bronson
Will 16-year-old Bronson Meydi become the first Indonesian surfer to qualify for the WSL Championship Tour?
Bronson Meydi was born in the Sumbawan village of Lakey Peak to an Aussie father and an Indonesian mother. While tradition suggests that Lakey Peak is a humble fishing town, it has been one of the surfing world's high-performance hot spots since the turn of the millennium. A short time later, Bronson landed and grew up in and around the world-class waves, watching some of the planet's best surfers ply their craft in front of a rotating flotilla of filmers and photographers. Whether it's launching over Bali's east coast ramps to threading tubes on the Bukit Peninsula or mixing it all up at home in Lakey Peak, Bronson's game is well-rounded and getting better with every session.
So get comfortable, hit play, and savour what will probably be your first encounter with Bronson Meydi. If you've been to Lakey Peak before, then savour the walk down memory lane while meeting the new hometown hero; if you haven't, then good luck resisting the urge to book the first possible flight to Sumbawa once you see how good Bronson makes it look.
12. The Curious Tales Of Italo Ferreira
50 min
Ítalo Ferreira's Tales
Follow Brazilian surfer Ítalo Ferreira from Tokyo to the 2021 WSL Championship Tour.
Italo Ferreira is explosive and daring, but also shy and close to his family. He is an idol for a nation of surfers and non-surfers, and if there were any barriers to believing that his life could be different, he has proven that you can achieve anything by dreaming and never giving up. The Curious Tales Of Italo Ferreira is a candid, beautifully shot portrait of the 2019 world champion and surfing's first-ever Olympic gold medalist, a man at the top of his powers.
13. Reckless Isolation
47 min
Reckless Isolation
Kolohe Andino and crew score perfect, crowd-free waves during a dream trip to Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands.
With the 2020 WSL Championship Tour season on hold, Kolohe Andino enlisted a crew of his best friends from his hometown of San Clemente to sign up for the trip of a lifetime to lock down Indonesia. Watch as perfect swells and deserted line-ups allowed Kolohe, the Colapinto brothers, Ian Crane and Luke Davis to reconnect with the simple pleasure of surfing.
Veteran surfer turned rookie filmmaker Kolohe planned and funded the film, as well as overseeing the filming and editing of the project alongside good friend Jacob Vanderwork. With perseverance and lots of froth, Reckless Isolation is now available in the Red Bull TV played above.
The very best Red Bull Surfing videos from 2020
6 min
Red Bull Surfing – Best of 2020
In 2020, when things got weird, the weird went surfing. Watch the best of the year's surfing highlights right here.
We circled the globe many times over again this year, documenting the world's greatest surfers riding the planet's most epic waves and from the challenges to the triumphs, it's all in these 12 videos.
The world of surfing is a constant stream of content: new clips, new opinions, new movies, new campaigns. It doesn't end. And when you don't have the time or willpower to sift through the rubbish, you don't find the gold. Lucky for you, though, it's our job to do just this exact thing.
So, behold below our favourite surf videos of the year. From Iceland to Australia, Tahiti to Portugal – if there was a moment in surf history to document, we were on it. Thanks for riding with us.
1. Chasing the Shot – Iceland
17 min
Iceland's undiscovered waves
The surf scene is nascent in Iceland, but two natives, Heidar Logi and Elli Thor, are working to change that.
Icelanders Elli Thor Magnusson and Heidar Logi invite Natxo González, Conor Maguire, Russ Bierke and Noah Wegrich to join them on the chase for some of Iceland's most remote and perfect waves.
2. Julian Wilson: The Rail Project
8 min
Julian Wilson: The Rail Project
Armed with a floating grind box, Julian Wilson makes history by nailing perfect surf rail rides.
Julian Wilson thinks outside of the box, as he turns Melbourne's URBNSURF wave pool into a floating skatepark and nails rail grinds on a surfboard.
3. Taking Off – Broome
8 min
Taking Off – Broome
Tropical Cyclone Veronica delivers waves to a remote stretch of Australian coastline more famous for crocodiles and camels.
Australian surfers Harry Bryant and Jay Davies roll the dice on a rare cyclone swell in The Kimberley, where they visit crocodiles and find some fun swells in a place that scarcely sees waves.
4. Made In: The Basque Country
10 min
Bizkaia: The making of Mundaka
Natxo González explores the traditional sports that helped build the passion of Basque athletes.
Our hugely successful Made In series returned, this time to the land of surf, cider and jai alai – the Basque Country. Local big wave surfer Natxo González showed us the way through this truly enchanting surf destination.
5. RISS- The Carissa Moore Movie
41 min
RISS
Ride with surfer Carissa Moore around the 2019 World Surf League Championship Tour.
From acclaimed director Peter Hamblin, comes the life story of legendary Hawaiian surfer Carissa Moore as she circles the globe in the 2019 World Surf League Championship Tour season, facing all the ups and downs head-on.
6. No Contest – Gold Coast
20 min
Gold Coast 2020
Australian surfers give an inside look into the way the WSL Championship Tour is facing changes in 2020.
Our friends at Stab bring us all of the insane waves and incredulous reactions from Gold Coast legends like Mick Fanning, as the WSL's 2020 Championship Tour opening event in Australia is cancelled.
7. No Small Feat
17 min
Training is everything
We learn about the training regimes of well-known big wave surfer Emily Erickson and up-and-comer Izzi Gomez.
An intimate two-part series following two very talented big wave surfers – Emily Erickson and Izzi Gomez – on their respective journeys toward the cbdMD Jaws Big Wave Championships on Maui, the heaviest big wave surfing event on Earth.
8. The Other Side of Fear
58 min
The Other Side of Fear
The inspirational tale of big wave surfer and keynote speaker Mark Mathews and his journey back from disaster.
Champion big wave surfer and professional keynote speaker Mark Mathews is no stranger to fear. His incredible journey back from the brink will inspire anyone facing their own battles in life.
9. Sessions: Hurricane Epsilon at Nazaré
6 min
Hurricane Epsilon swell in Nazaré
The Nazaré big wave season kicks off with a bang as Hurricane Epsilon brings a historic swell to the shore.
In the last week of October, a late-season Atlantic hurricane pushed massive swells to the shores of Western Europe, and no place was bigger, or more in the spotlight, than Portugal's Nazaré. Big wave savants Kai Lenny, Lucas Chumbo, Justine Dupont, Andrew Cotton and Pedro Scooby were there for the big show.
10. Life of Kai
14 min
Aloha Mr Lenny
Growing up among the world’s best watermen shaped him, but Kai Lenny is now taking it to the next level.
From foiling the world's biggest waves to redefining what's possible on a surfboard, Life of Kai takes viewers on an immersive journey, riding shotgun as Kai Lenny travels the globe chasing his dreams.
11. Shaping Jordy
48 min
Shaping Jordy
Ride along with Jordy Smith and Mikey February as they cruise the South African coast in search of waves.
For the first time in 10 years, surfer Jordy Smith is home in South Africa for the winter. He hits the road with free-surfing style master Mikey February and this is what they found.
12. OUTDEH
1 h 18 min
OUTDEH
Three young Jamaican men share their stories: a rapper, a surfer and a resident of Tivoli Gardens.
Three young Jamaican men share their stories. Rapper Bakersteez hopes for an international career, Shama aims to be Jamaica's first pro surfer and Romar shows us life in his community.
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