Hosted by STAB · EN

How do you measure success? Money? Conquests? Desires fulfilled? You know you’ve really made it when your name ends up in the dictionary describing a certain type of behaviour. An eponym is what we’d call it, if we were trying to sound intelligent. Which we are. So that’s what we’ll call it. Machiavellian, from Niccolò Machiavelli — describing someone willing to do nasty things in pursuit of an outcome. The end justifies the means. Real serpent behaviour and definitely nothing like the current moment we live in. Orwellian, from George Orwell — used to describe authoritarian control, surveillance, dystopian systems, and definitely nothing like the current moment we live in. Eithaning, from Eithan Osborne — coined by Dane Reynolds. A more contemporary addition to the discourse. Not yet recognised by major dictionaries, though give it time. Used to describe a specific type of erratic lineup behaviour that creates mass irritation, destroys all peace, and makes surfers question their instincts, positioning, and basic understanding of waves. We’ve long said Dane is at his best in these podcasts when he’s comfortable and sharing history with the guest, and this episode might be the clearest example yet. Fellow Ventura local, Chapter 11 affiliate, Stab High, Monster Air winner + Surf100 champ Eithan Osborne joins Dane and Dooma at the desk this week. The gents discuss Dane joining the local YMCA and being spotted curling his biceps, Former offering Eithan a deal before being outbid by Billabong, Eithan opening a wellness centre to repair his broken body, and plenty more. Whole lotta laffs in this one. Ep 16, enjoy.
What is happening on the CT right now? We're a third of the way through the season, and there are four Brazilian goofies atop the men's rankings. On the women's side, no one seems to have found the world champ pace. At least we got to see the CTers go left for once. Stace G and Mikey C break down everything from the recent event at Raglan, before Buck comes on to bash seals, drag boy band members, and reveal a few state secrets from the Stab camp. PS, come watch Ethan Ewing's Stab in the Dark finale with us: When: Thursday, May 28th at 7 pm PST (finale starts at 8 pm). Where: Salud Studios at Tremont Collective, Oceanside, CA (602 S Tremont St Suite 104, Oceanside, CA 92054). Or online, only on Stab Premium.

“It’s hard to judge when these guys are progressing the sport that much, in such a short amount of time.” Among the vape stores selling synthetic cannabinoids, packeted magic mushrooms, and aggressively branded T-shirts bearing prophetic slogans like “It’s Not Gonna Lick Itself” and “Slippery When Wet,” alongside racks of hyper-compressed shorts stamped with male first names that claimed ownership of the wearer’s ass, stood CJ Hobgood. I know CJ works in real estate now, but after a week of bumping into him around the pool, I’d let that man house-sit my dog. Speak to any of the staff and the same name kept surfacing: CJ, everyone’s favourite person they met, the most personable, remembered names, stayed warm and curious through the whole thing, just a genuinely nice guy. He was also excellent in the commentary booth. Sharp, articulate, energetic, strangely attentive. At one point he appeared to be analysing the aerodynamic implications of a competitor’s hair bun placement. With an eye for detail like that, we thought it important to get CJ in for a full debrief of a week spent inside the beautiful, naturally exquisite civic labyrinth of Virginia Beach. The boys compare Hughie Vaughan’s stale backflip with Eithan Osborne’s backside-stale-body-varial-late-revert, straight airs versus rotations, Lee Wilson’s influence on modern aerial surfing, whether hyper-technical progression actually means better surfing, the changing of the aerial guard, and the important hypothetical of Nate Fletcher versus Kelly Slater in a 50+ air comp. Oh, and Dane Reynolds brought fellow Ch11 gang member / warehouse employee Jake Kelley to the desk with him.

Hard to talk aerial surfing, these days, without coughing up the name Hughie Vaughan. Harder still to believe he’s only 19 years old. He’s really taken flight, if you will, over the past few years. The original seed for the Bottle Rockets division. Entered Stab High Lakey Peak as a tiny 15-year-old and levitated around the comp-site like a garden bird. Proved he could hang with fully grown men despite weighing the same as a damp towel. Couple years later, Japan 2025, Hughie comes of age and wins the men’s title, a spear tackle from Mikey Wright to seal it. Then: the Hughie Flip at The Nines, reshared and baptised by Tony Hawk. Mainstream television appearances in Australia followed; Hughie now a nationally recognised flying object. A day out from the opening horn of Stab High Virginia Beach presented by Monster Energy, and we get the former champ and in many circles, the overwhelming favourite, Hughie Vaughan. He discusses all there is to discuss about aerial surfing, including his current top air guys on earth, what he sees as the limitations of competitive surfing, and a genuinely moving section on family and the lessons left behind by his late mother.
Hughie Vaughan scores a perfect 50 to win Stab High x Monster Energy Virginia Beach, extending the Vaughan Dynasty from Japan and Sydney to the eastern US. Mikey and Buck discuss everything that went down this weekend with sore heads (and throats), the morning after finals day. Stab High is presented by Monster Energy with support from Vans, YETI, Quiksilver, Kona Big Wave, and Sun Bum.
Stace, Mikey and Buck collide under jet-filled skies for our Stab High preview pod. Comp runs May 15-16 EST. Join us in VB or watch on Stab Premium.
While Medina looks the favorite on paper (and perhaps even the warmups), he has a gauntlet to surf through if he wants to make the Raglan final. Griffin, Filipe, and then likely Yago or Italo in the final. One thing's for sure: it'll be a show. Buy Stab High tickets here (May 15/16 in Virginia Beach): https://booking.atlanticparksurf.com/store_19?_kx=Gp3GUxykDoH2PTHVsUs2lg.VBFqD4

Thanks bru. Thanks bru. Thank you, bru. By episode twelve, Jordy Smith had become StabMic’s absent father figure. Big Bru was mentioned constantly, looming every conversation. Dooma, especially unable to stop himself, damp-eyed, remembering him. Sooner or later, the spectre had to sit in the chair. So here he is. Jordy Smith joins Dane and Dooma on episode 13 of StabMic to discuss everything from rectal and scrotal trauma, the latter attributed to a swift kick from Andy Irons, the limitations of wavepools, and the mainstream-media–manufactured rivalry that defined their early careers. Among other highly specialised matters of public interest. Enjoy the episode.
It's a Queensland sweep at Snapper Rocks, with Eth and Steph on the podium and DHD back in his rightful throne. Stace G and Mikey C break down everything that happened on the Superbank... and at the dueling afterparties. Get Stab High Virginia Beach tickets here: https://booking.atlanticparksurf.com/store_19?_kx=Gp3GUxykDoH2PTHVsUs2lg.VBFqD4

“I wanted to get some CI’s, but Kelly wouldn’t let me.” No one man should wield such power. But for a while, Kelly Slater did. Or, allegedly did, at least. Back in his early tour years, Taj Burrow had lined up a batch of boards from Channel Islands Surfboards. Order placed, path clear. Then, abruptly, not happening. After some digging, word came back. Kelly Slater had intervened. No rival rides the king’s horse. Why arm the threat? We seem to get the best out of our quasi-regular host, Dane Reynolds, when he’s got some shared history with the guest. Something to look back on. Taj Burrow fits that perfectly. Both studs of the mid-to-late 2000s, same stretch of tour years, Dane essentially passing through Taj’s established timeline. The two met ten times in heats, Taj taking seven. Dane three, including a Puerto Rico exchange that featured a near-perfect Dane turn but mysteriously avoided every camera lens. Fresh off his stint as the voice box of Ethan Ewing in Stab in the Dark, and a recent run on the WSL broadcast, Taj Burrow is this week’s StabMic guest, calling in from his home in the West. The panel discuss being ageing surfers and dealing with the body refuting the mind’s will, sharing private jets with Paris Hilton in Vegas, and the feeling of needing to protect Ethan Ewing from the Stab in the Dark production machine. We’re at episode 12 already. Enjoy.