The LAGO Podcast

This week on The LAGO Podcast, we’re breaking down the Philippines Pro and giving our picks for who we think will take the win. We also bring in our very own LAGO Intern, Scrap (Harry O’Brien), to share some firsthand experience surfing Cloud 9.

On paper, Cloud 9 looks like the perfect wave, but having surfed it ourselves, we know there are some hidden challenges that make it a lot harder than it looks. We share a few stories from our QS campaigns out there and discuss why the wildcards could cause some serious havoc for the regular tour surfers.

We also give a mate a call to chat all things STAB HIGH before finishing up, as always, by answering your questions.

👇 Drop a comment below:

Who do you think will win the Philippines Pro?

DOES THE WSL HAVE A JUDGING ISSUE? | RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL RECAP 󰐨

Have the judges got it wrong, or are we surf fans just a little too passionate? 👀

This week on The LAGO Podcast, we kicked things off by diving into some of the WSL scores that had everyone talking. We unpack the controversial calls, debate whether there's a judging issue, and get into the rivalries between nations that make professional surfing so entertaining. Sometimes we might get a little too carried away… but that's half the fun, right?

Then we break down everything that went down at the Rip Curl Pro Portugal in Peniche - the standout performances, the big talking points, and everything else that caught our attention.

As always, we get brutally honest about what we got right, what we got wrong, and what we learned from the latest event.

And to finish, we dive into the LAGO Fantasy League to see who came out on top and who's got some serious work to do before the next event. 🏆

Drop your thoughts in the comments…do the WSL have a judging issue, or are we all just a bit biased?

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🎙 The LAGO Podcast — Honest Surf Talk.

00:00 Beagle TV Update — Blow Ups in Indo
09:00 Does the WSL Have a Judging Problem?
29:30 Breaking Down the Rip Curl Pro Portugal
35:00 Why Griffin Colapinto Dominates Portugal
40:00 Women’s Event Recap & Standout Performances
47:45 Fantasy Surfing — Who Won?
52:00 LAGO Fantasy League Winner & Prizes
59:00 Listener Questions

This week, we sat down with Oscar Berry to unpack the highs, lows and realities of surfing on the world tour. Oscar opens up about managing expectations, dealing with tough losses and navigating life on the road when things don’t always go your way.

We get into how he stays positive when everything feels stacked against him, the mental challenges that come with competing at the highest level, and the lessons he’s taken away from his first year on tour.

To wrap things up, Oscar shares what he’s learned, what he’d do differently, and what it’s going to take to earn his way back onto tour next year.

It was truly special to sit down and chat with such a humble and honest bloke. We hope you enjoy this yarn as much as we did!

Who’s Winning in Portugal? | Peniche Preview

We’re breaking down everything that went down at the recent Challenger Series event in Ericeira, Portugal.  

A few underground lads rose to the top, but once again, the CT surfers showed why they’re on tour, causing absolute havoc for the new recruits coming through.

We chat about who’s already punched their ticket to the 2027 CT, who’s looking good to make the jump, and who might be starting to sweat as the qualifying race heats up.

From there, we turn our attention to the upcoming Rip Curl MEO Pro in Peniche. We dive into the forecast, make our predictions and put our reputations on the line with who we think is going to get the job done.

We compare fantasy teams, debate who’s beating who, and finish things off by answering your listener questions.

As always, thanks heaps for tuning in and supporting what we’re building with LAGO. We appreciate every listen, comment, share and bit of support from the LAGO community. It doesn’t go unnoticed.

Is the Surf Industry Actually Dying?

In this episode, we sit down with industry experts Sam Griffiths and Lincoln Eather to take a deep dive into what’s really happening behind the scenes of the surf industry.

From the current state of legacy brands, the impact of private equity and licensing, and whether brands like Quiksilver, Billabong and Rip Curl are still relevant, to the changing relationship between surfers, brands and consumers.

We get into the stuff that usually stays behind closed doors.

We talk about what it actually means to be a “Core Surfer”, whether social media has helped or hurt surfing, the rise of surf influencers, the importance of product vs marketing, the return

of Y2K and heritage collections, and why Rip Curl’s Archive Collection has been such a success.

We also unpack how ABG and Boardriders operate, why Brazil is such a difficult market for surf brands, where the money has gone for professional surfers, and whether the industry needs to grow at all.

This is a rare and honest look at where surfing and the surf industry sits right now and what’s working, what’s changing, and where it could go next.

As always - Thank you for tuning in! Drop a comment below about your thoughts on the industry?

On this Ep, we kick things off with something we definitely didn’t see coming… Ethan Ewing

riding asymmetrical boards shaped by Ryan Burch. What is going on there?! Is this the

combo we didn't know we needed? We also spill the beans that we too have some asym’s coming and whether we will convert…

Then we dive headfirst into all things Challenger Series Brazil. Who stepped up when it mattered, who surprised us, and which surfers shockingly fell short? With CT-level talent filling the draw, the battle for those all-important Challenger points is heating up - and if you didn’t know who Ryan Kainalo was before this event, you definitely do now.

We break down the standout performances, the biggest disappointments and everything else that caught our attention from Brazil.

We give you a little teaser for a massive episode dropping Wednesday, where we ask the big question: IS THE SURF INDUSTRY DEAD? Ft Sam Griffiths & Lincon Eather. You won’t want to miss this one.

Honest surf talk, as always.

🎙 Subscribe to LAGO for weekly surf talk, industry debates and everything happening in the world of surfing.

#surfing #surf #wsl

In this EP, we allow our intern Harry O’Brien, who you might recognise from our Central America vlogs, to the studio for a deep dive into everything happening in the world of competitive surfing.

With the Challenger Series kicking off in Brazil, we break down who we think has what it takes to win, we question the Aussie-on-Aussie friendly fire in the heat draw, and the big question: should CT surfers be competing in Challenger Series events and taking crucial points away from the guys and girls fighting to qualify?

We then dissect the controversial Natural Selection event. Was it a groundbreaking success or did they completely miss the mark? We get into the format, the location, the hype and whether the event actually delivered.

And finally, we talk about Quikfest - A stacked field of surf legends and current stars going head-to-head. Who came out on top and who consumed the most beers. 

As always - Thank you for tuning in! Means the world <3 

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Now, onto the Trestles Pro...

This week on LAGO, we break down one of the biggest talking points of the event: WHO GETS THE CUT? We look at who’s safe, who’s on the chopping block, and which surfers won’t be making the next two events.

We dive into Erin Brooks’ incredible three-peat, chat about how Miggy Pupo just keeps getting better with age, and unpack some of the biggest performances and storylines to come out of Trestles.

Then it’s time for the LAGO Fantasy League. We check the scores, see who came out on top, and find out who’s making moves as the season heads towards the business end.

To finish things off, we chat with two of the future champions of the sport Loci Cullen and Leihani Zoric, fresh off their wins at the recent ISA World Junior Championships.

Two names you’re going to be hearing a LOT more about.

As always, thanks for listening and supporting LAGO.

00:00 – Thank You for 100 Eps!
06:20 – The Trestles Pro & Who Gets the Cut?
12:30 – Who Won’t Be at the Next Two Events?
25:00 – Erin Brooks’ Three-Peat
29:20 – Miggy Pupo Just Keeps Getting Better
40:00 – Breaking Down the Trestles Results
45:50 – LAGO Fantasy League: Who Came Out on Top?
01:03:30 – Listener Questions
01:10:50 – Loci Cullen & Leihani Zoric: Future World Champs
01:32:00 – ISA World Junior Champs & What’s Next

For our 100th episode, we sit down with one of the most influential people in modern surf media... Sam McIntosh, the man behind STAB Magazine.From growing up surfing in Casino and Yamba, to working at Waves, writing a book with Taj Burrow and eventually building STAB into one of the biggest names in surfing media, Sam's story is truly inspiring.In this episode, Sam takes us behind the scenes of STAB, how it started, the early financial risks, the relationship with Taj Burrow, the iconic Taj helicopter shoot, and the lessons he learned building a global surf media business from the ground up.We also get into STAB's approach to storytelling, working with professional surfers, dealing with criticism, why Sam believes media companies ultimately work for their audience, and how STAB continues to evolve in the age of Instagram, TikTok and digital media.Sam also opens up about his lack of personal social media, the impact of comparison on surfers, imposter syndrome, his love of big-wave surfing, and some of the biggest projects STAB has produced, including STAB in the Dark and working with Kelly Slater and Ethan Ewing.Thanks for watching and supporting The LAGO Podcast! And thank you for helping us reach 100 episodes.

#surfing #surf

Not even a faulty SD card could stop us from getting this one out. We first discuss Dakoda Walters' famous win at Stab 100 making him $100,000 US dollars richer. We then break down the heat draw for Trestles and reveal our fantasy teams.

#surfing #surf #surfer