Photo: Swatch Nines
Twenty-five surfers have been named in the first wave of athletes to attend the 2026 Swatch Nines in Waco, Texas. Event organizers said the initial group will be joined at Waco Surf by a male and female surfer earning their spot through the “Become a Nine” wildcard program.
The surfers confirmed for this year’s event (so far) are Mason Ho, Balaram Stack, Eithan Osborne, Noah Beschen, Matt Meola, Jacob Szekely, Blair Conklin, Chippa Wilson, Dylan Graves, Hughie Vaughan, Cam Richards, Lungi Slabb, Mikey Wright, Parker Coffin, Leon Glatzer, Lucas Fink, Lucas Chumbo Chianca, Zoë McDougall, Coco Ho, Milla Coco Brown, Skai Suitt, Laura Enever, Macy-Jane Callaghan, Eden Edwards, and Honolua Blomfield.
In the same spirit of its snowboard and ski counterpart held over the past 18 years, the newer surf and skate event brings together an eclectic group of athletes with one mission in mind: progression. The wave pool was equipped with a platform placed over the end of an air section and a rail as the standout features in 2025. But the highlight of the entire event was undoubtedly Hughie Vaughan’s massive backflip, which thrust the teenager into global surf stardom overnight.
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The features designed for this year’s event haven’t been revealed yet, but athletes are already eyeing opportunities for aerial progression.
“It’s cool to see how far this event has come, and I’m hyped to see everyone,” said Noah Beschen. “There will be some wild features this year, but I’m most psyched to see what kind of airs people come up with.”
Nine skaters were also announced: Andy Anderson, Greyson Fletcher, Heimana Reynolds, Clay Kreiner, Yurin Fujii, Gustavo Ribeiro, Brandon Valjalo, Curren Caples and Mason Silva. And interestingly, organizers say several athletes from BMX, snowboarding, and freeskiing will also be in attendance in Waco. They include: BMX riders Kevin Peraza and Matthias Dandois, freeskiers Jesper Tjäder,, and Max Moffatt, snowboarders Mia Brookes, Kaishu Hirano, Tyler Turner and Brooke D’Hondt, and mountain bikers Casey Brown and Sam Pilgrim.
