Jordy Smith is still as comfortable above the lip as ever. Photo: Jordy Smith//O’Neill//screenshot
Back in 2009, Jordy Smith had solidified himself as one of the premier young talents in surfing. He had just qualified for the Championship Tour and displayed an exciting, innovative combination of air and rail surfing in the 2009 film Modern Collective. One of those locations, where Smith’s board consistently disconnected from water, was a right-hander on the south coast of Reunion Island called La Jettée.
Well, shortly after Smith filmed that part, things changed a lot on Reunion. From 2011 to 2019, the island entered what locals call the “shark crisis,” as residents watched 30 people get attacked in that time. The government prohibited surfing for periods, and many just left the sport altogether due to the danger.
Now, things are getting back to normal on Reunion. There hasn’t been an attack for seven years. That means that the air-sections of La Jettée — what Smith calls some of the “best ramps in the world” — are back open for business.
Smith paid a visit to the performance wave, bringing fellow South African Eli Beukes along. Smith may be the oldest surfer on the Championship Tour at 38, but his surfing has aged well. He can still displace water with the best of them.
