Every high-profile surfer and their dog weighed in, from Brazilian Olympic gold medallist and former world champion Italo Ferreira to US Championship tour surfer Jesse Mendes, who described it as the “best air ever done”.
Other fans included legendary skater Tony Hawk, who shared the video to his 9.6 million followers. DJ Diplo asked if the footage was AI.
Milla Brown and Hughie Vaughan at Urbnsurf in Sydney ahead of the Stab High competition in October.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone
Speaking at Urbnsurf ahead of the competition, Vaughan said the attention had been “crazy”.
“I felt thrilled because in the moment, I didn’t really know how good it was … I thought it was a normal air … so it definitely surprised me.”
Also competing at Stab High is 17-year-old Milla Brown, who grew up on Sydney’s northern beaches surfing with her sisters.
But like Vaughan, skating was her first love, which is why Brown enjoys the pool competition’s consistent waves.
“It’s almost like a skate ramp because you get the exact same section every time,” said Brown, who has already featured in highlight reels from Stab, the surf magazine which runs the competition.
Brown performs an aerial trick.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone
“You have the freedom to be able to do tricks that a lot of people do in skating … that are really hard to do in the ocean.”
Vaughan agrees: “There’s just so many different people out there … and they’re not competitive at all, all they want to do is see good surfing and good airs.”
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