Jordy grew up in a small town in Durban. His father is a shaper, and he’s spent the majority of his life breathing foam dust and learning all he could about surf and board design. Currently sitting in the top 10 of the World Surf League, Jordy continues to push the boundaries of the sport with his athletic approach to surfing. From creative aerials to slashing, powerful turns, Jordy remains one of the best competition and free surfers in the world.

"I DIDN’T GROW UP IN THE WEALTHIEST NEIGHBORHOOD AND IT LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT, IF YOU WANT ANYTHING, YOU HAVE TO FIGHT FOR IT."
- Jordy Smith

My dad always told me that if I wanted to have a career in surfing, I’d have to do it overseas. In South Africa, it doesn’t work to be a big fish in a small pond. All we had was Zig Zag magazine, which was cool, but it wasn’t on the scale of say, Surfer magazine. Before I moved to California, my contract with my sponsor ended. I was basically living paycheck to paycheck on my contest winnings. Luckily, at the time, I’d won a few big QS’s in a row; that’s when I was able to sign with O’Neill – which was a dream come true, they’re the original surf brand and I’ve stuck with them ever since.

Jordy Smith from Morgan Maassen on Vimeo.