Article #77113

The young Australian finds success in the wave pool with once-unimaginable aerial moves – but his future lies in the ocean

It was the surfing trick that broke the internet. A year ago, Australian teenage surf prodigy Hughie Vaughan landed a never-before attempted air at a wave pool in Texas. The praise came quickly. “Insane,” said former world champion Italo Ferreira. “Is this AI?” asked American DJ Diplo. Within hours, the performance was being hailed as the best air ever landed in a pool.

Vaughan’s aerial manoeuvres happen so fast they can be difficult to fully comprehend, even for the likes of surf legend Mick Fanning. “Had to watch it 50 times just to figure out what happened,” he commented at the time.