Is it just a coincidence, or is there a deeper connection between Jordy Smith launching his youtube channel and experiencing his most successful competitive season to date? Nick Christy, Smith’s longtime friend and filmer, isn’t sure, but he’s definitely enjoying the opportunity to travel and film with “Jords,” his fellow South African.

“Jords is surfing so good right now,” said Nick, who grew up in Cape St. Francis and competed with Jordy when they were younger. “It’s the most amped to surf I’ve seen him probably ever.He wants to surf all the time.We’ll land in a place after 40 hours of traveling and the first thing he wants to do is unpack a board,wax it up and head straight to the beach before we unpack a single other thing. We’re on a 12-hour time difference, but we’re still straight to the beach.”

in a year where notable surfers like John John Florence and Gabriel Medina are absent from the CT,Jordy,the tour’s veteran,is thriving. He’s having his best season in 18 years, securing wins at El Salvador and Margaret River. It remains to be seen if he can surpass his previous runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2016.

The secret to his success? according to those close to him: “Dad strength.” The birth of his son, Sunny, in March has seemingly given him a new perspective, fueling his performances.

“This year is so different on so manny levels,” Nick said. “Traveling with him before this, there’s always this tension around the comps, like you have to get the results and have to be at yoru best. Coming into this year, he just had his second kid. And before every heat, he’s like, ‘I’m just going to go out there and surf. Just catch two good ones.’ It’s not like the pressure’s off,but he’s way more free.”

After years of planning, Jordy finaly launched his YouTube channel this year.The videos showcase his freesurfing sessions at various event locations. nick collaborates with Jordy on these edits.

Behind the Scenes of Jordy’s YouTube Channel

“jords is surfing so good right now… It’s the most amped to surf I’ve seen him probably ever.”

Nick recently returned to South Africa after spending two months on the road with Jordy, filming in El Salvador and Australia. They created a surf clip featuring Jordy in 4K, with shots from Chris Bryan, highlighting his skills at Main Break.

“With the YouTube videos, Jordy is super involved in the filming and editing side,” Nick said. “Even the style, like song choice or slow motion shots. We decide between us. He’s been doing videos for so long that he knows the whole process and likes to get involved.”

Nick addressed rumors about Jordy’s reactions to missed clips,acknowledging that Jordy expects professionalism but is generally easy to work with.

“I haven’t missed clips that are too good yet, so that’s maybe part of it, but I don’t think he’s hard to work with at all,” Nick said. “In fact, it’s the opposite.He knows what looks good. Provided that you don’t miss clips, it’s pretty straightforward.”

Their collaboration extends back to 2021 with O’Neill’s “silver Linings” series, documenting Jordy’s 2022 CT season. This new channel, however, is independent, driven by their shared vision.

“Jordy had expressed that he wanted to do something with YouTube just so he could work on videos and have a place for people to see them,” Nick said. “And we spoke about it for two years! But it never materialized.But at the beginning of this year, we were like, what are we waiting for? We have so much footage and edits that are ready to go somewhere, let’s just do it.”

“And there’s no pressure. No chasing the algorithm. We just want to make edits we think are cool. Whether it’s trips we’re doing now and the freesurfs, then maybe once a year, do a bigger project. Like once the tour is done, we go to Reunion Island or Indo, or we get a crazy swell in Durban.”

Challenges and Future plans

Nick recalled a last-minute trip to El Salvador where he and Jordy’s manager, Damien fahrenfort, contracted a stomach bug before the competition.

“Dooma left as he had meetings in the states, and Jordy and I were just so sick,” Nick said. “He could barely walk to his first heat he was so sick.But then he had a crazy heat. In El Salvador and West Aus as well,there was this momentum as he went through the rounds. Neither of us will say anything but it’s like, ‘Geez, bruh, if he keeps surfing like this, he could take this one out as well.'”

If Jordy continues his strong performance, more content from Fiji is expected this summer. Stay tuned for future updates.