Swatch Nines has long been a testing ground for creative freedom and cross-disciplinary progression—and this year’s surf edition at Waco Surf, Texas, took things to a whole new level. With the world’s top surf, skate, and snow athletes all sharing wave time, the energy was electric and the innovation undeniable.
Launched by the Motowinch system and channeling the energy of the crossover atmosphere, Hughie’s air was explosive, clean, and jaw-droppingly stylish. It quickly went viral, not just for the sheer technical difficulty, but for the way it encapsulated the spirit of the event: bold, collaborative, and boundary-breaking.
Matt Meola’s “Meola Flip” Redefines Surf Progression As if one groundbreaking moment wasn’t enough, the final afternoon at Waco Surf brought another: Matt Meola (USA) stunned the crowd with a never-before-seen maneuver—a stalefish alley-oop rodeo 540.
“I was so nervous because I didn’t want to let everyone down, and the others were giving up their pool time for me to do this thing,” Meola shared. “It was honestly crazy pressure. I was just like, oh my gosh, everyone’s watching me. If I don’t pull this, it’s going to be pretty sad. But I was able to stomp it, and it was just like a weight was lifted. It was crazy cool.”
Skateboarder Greyson Fletcher, after a lively post-session debate with fellow athletes Clay Kreiner and Lyon Farrell, had this to say: “I don’t know what you call it in surfing, but when I post it on my Instagram, I’m going to call it ‘SICK!’ That was wild.”
The trick, now universally dubbed the “Meola Flip,” was not just a personal victory but a shared celebration of boundary-pushing creativity.
With each edition of Swatch Nines, the bar for aerial surfing is raised, and this year—between Vaughan’s backflip and Meola’s 540—it’s officially been launched into another dimension.
Stay tuned to SBC Surf for more coverage, highlight reels, and exclusive interviews from Swatch Nines 2025.
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