Waco Surf in Texas will host the third installment of Swatch Nines Surf & Skate from the 8th to the 10th of October.
The event signals a broader industry shift in surfing spectatorship, joining forward-thinking events like Stab High. Organizers believe that by merging surf, skate, and BMX, they can push boundaries beyond traditional ocean-based tour structures.
“Back at Waco Surf for the third-year running, Nines Surf & Skate will continue to bring new creative energy to the world’s original action sport,” the company said in a press release. “An accompanying skateboard setup broadens the spectrum, while for the first time, the public will be invited to come and watch the action during a Public Day on Saturday, October 10th.”
Last year, Australian surfer Hughie Vaughan landed a fully rotated stalefish backflip, which organizers called a world first. He later performed a clean lean grab backflip on the same setup.
Zoe McDougall described Vaughan’s move as a defining moment for aerial surfing.
“We saw Hughie land one of the craziest airs I’ve ever seen, if not the craziest I’ve ever seen. So I think that was a special moment for, like, everyone here to see him complete that and celebrate with him. And I think that definitely took, like, aerial surfing to a new level this morning.”
Mason Ho, a standout in all alt-surf events, said he was excited to see where the event took surfing.
“Some of the highest quality surfing I’ve ever seen in my life… it almost looked like snowboarding, it looked fake, but he wasn’t strapped in, and he was just surfing. I was like, ‘Whoa, I think this is what this is all about,’” he said.
Cross-Sport Integration Highlighted
The Texas wave pool event featured integrated sessions with athletes from multiple disciplines. BMX rider Kevin Peraza noted the rare opportunity.
“Swatch Nines brings us all together—surfing, BMX, skateboarding, and even mountain biking together in one place to create and collaborate on ideas and to showcase action sports and the purity of it—is so special,” Peraza said. “Just the fact that I could be on a hanging ramp above a wave pool doing my tricks and showcasing BMX to the world with a surfer grinding a wall ride feature that’s never been done…it’s a one in a million opportunity.”
