In a special post Rip Curl Eddie Aikau Invitation pod, we are joined by the chillest psychopath in surfing, Reef McIntosh.

After a career of packing oversized meat lockers all around the world, Reef had the best seat in the house for the Rip Curl Eddie Aikau Invitational in his role as Surfer Liaison to the Judges.

As a 2011 Wave of the Winter winner, 2016 Eddie Contestant and big wave surfer for the past 3 decades, Reef was asked by comp director Liam McNamara to join Davey Shipley's 7-strong scoring panel in the booth for the entire day.

Reef's perspective in this space is highly valued and we are grateful to have him on the show, we hope you enjoy!

We're closing out 2024 with a star-studded, action-packed episode of The Drop.

This week Mikey and Buck break down the recently concluded Vans Pipe Masters and reveal their winnings from the event.

We also hear from two our first Stab Surfer of the Year voters, Matt Biolos and Mason Ho.

Then we're joined by competition director for the Eddie Aikau invitational, Liam McNamara, who assures us all systems are go for Sunday.

Finally, we reveal the best surfboard model of 2024, as chosen by the Stab Premium audience.

Last ep of 2024, enjoy the new year!

Stab co-founder Sam McIntosh explains why the Vans Pipe Masters has no "official" webcast, live from the North Shore of Oahu — along with competition updates and a potential finals day call.

Sam and Mikey also dissect recent surf industry news, with ABG pulling its North American Volcom/Bong/RVCA/Quik licenses from Liberated Brands, potentially sinking Liberated in the process. How will this affect pro surfers, lineups, and the culture at large?

Finally, we reveal the top 10 surfboard brands and 10 of the most magic boards on the market today, according to the Stab audience. Is yours on the list?

LAST CHANCE CYBER MONDAY DISCOUNT: Use code 'dropwallets' at checkout for 30$ off a year of Stab Premium: stabmag.com/get-stab-premium/ — available this week only.

This week, Mikey, Buck and Dave Wassell make their Vans Pipe Masters predictions.

Later we hear from Raimana Van Bastolaer, the man who invented screaming at people from a jetski.

We also talk about the birds and the beeswax, in terms of new (green(ish)) surfboard contructions.

Then we visit Honolulu with JOB and finally discuss the Best Wetsuits of 2025.

HUGE BLACK FRIDAY DISCOUNT: Use code 'dropwallets' at checkout for 30$ off a year of Stab Premium: https://stabmag.com/get-stab-premium/ — available this week only.

This week we hear from the proud-to-be-oldest surfer in the Vans Pipe Masters draw, Jamie O'Brien, after his incredible double-tube with bodyboard god Mike Stewart this week.

Buck and Mikey also dissect the latest sponsor news, our hypocrisy toward surf cams, the tragic comedy of Nazaré, and so much more.

Yes, the IG comments are true — John Florence's new edit 'Here' is playing exclusively on Stab Premium until November 25. Apologies to anyone this has affected emotionally, financially or otherwise.

Meanwhile, Mikey and Buck shed new light on the Vans Pipe Masters news that ignited IG this week, along with event format, dates, and other details.

Finally we hear from a former Drop host and the man largely responsible for Rasta's 'Electric Acid Surfboard Test', Danny Johnson, who provides some BTS morsels from the series that was.

This past Wednesday at The Northern in Byron Bay, Australia, we premiered the fourth and final episode of Dave Rastovich's Electric Acid Surfboard Test.

Among those in attendance were Rasta himself, defending EAST champ Simon Jones, and several of this year's finalists. After chatting boards on stage with host Stace Galbraith, Rasta selects the winning board and invites our new EAST champ on stage for a chat.

Before making an argument for total gender parity on tour, Mikey and Buck dissect the final episode of EAST (without spoiling the winner), break down wave height discrepancies per region, and discuss the new wavepool coming out of Arizona.

Also, go Mike Tyson.

This week on The Drop, we hear from Mitch Crews — former CTer and current Senior Director of Surf Abu Dhabi. Mitch breaks down what life is really like in the Middle East and gives his take on the WSL controversy around LGBTQ+ athletes traveling there for an event.

Mikey C and Buck also discuss the current state of the surf industry (with the help of Evan Slater), dissect our greatest learnings from EAST (with the help of Rasta), learn how Mason Ho got into filmmaking (with the help of Dane) and so much more.

This week on the Drop, we learn about Dave Rastovich's paint job theory that is so seemingly obvious, yet nobody had bothered to state it before. Also, Mikey Feb proves that fish(es) can go backside. And an Aussie surf traveler becomes a (well-paid) Chinese Olympic surf coach.

Yes, it's another fantastic week in surfing. Let's drop in.