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

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

SAM MCINTOSH | STAB MAG FOUNDER

🔥 LAGO LISTENER EXCLUSIVE — 25% OFF CHILDE EYEWEARWe’ve teamed up with CHILDE Eyewear to bring LAGO listeners 25% OFF storewide for a very limited time only.👉 <a href="https://childe.co/LAGO" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://childe.co/LAGO</a>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

🔥 LAGO LISTENER EXCLUSIVE — 25% OFF CHILDE EYEWEAR We’ve teamed up with CHILDE Eyewear to bring LAGO listeners 25% OFF storewide for a very limited time only. 👉 https://childe.co/LAGO 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-Peat29:20 – Miggy Pupo Just Keeps Getting Better40:00 – Breaking Down the Trestles Results45:50 – LAGO Fantasy League: Who Came Out on Top?01:03:30 – Listener Questions01:10:50 – Loci Cullen & Leihani Zoric: Future World Champs01:32:00 – ISA World Junior Champs & What’s Next

🔥 LAGO LISTENER EXCLUSIVE — 25% OFF CHILDE EYEWEARWe’ve teamed up with CHILDE Eyewear to bring LAGO listeners 25% OFF storewide for a very limited time only.👉 <a href="https://childe.co/LAGO" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://childe.co/LAGO</a>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 &amp; 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 &amp; Leihani Zoric: Future World Champs 01:32:00 – ISA World Junior Champs &amp; What’s Next

TRESTLES PRO RECAP | AUSTRALIA'S NEWEST WORLD CHAMPS!

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

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

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.&nbsp;As always - Thank you for tuning in! Means the world &lt;3&nbsp;

DID THE CHALLENGER SERIES JUST GET HARDER?

Once again we've been left without a heat draw for Trestles, luckily there was a lot to talk about from the last week of surfing. Sit back and let us update you on the latest news from the International QS events, the world junior titles currently ongoing in El Salvador and what the CT men need to do to avoid the dreaded mini-cut. Link to our latest Costa Rica Vid here! - https://youtu.be/BxJ72lTuZHY 00:00 Kelly Slater Finally Follows LAGO10:05 World Junior Titles & Finley's Wild Stories18:00 LAGO's 100th Episode Mystery Guest23:45 International QS Results33:41 Levi Slawson's Priority Controversy38:31 Dane Henry Joins Red Bull42:59 Challenger Series Rankings46:00 Trestles Preview & Fantasy Picks52:20 CT Mid-Season Cut Scenarios59:32 LAGO Listener Questions #surfing #surf #wsl #surfer

Once again we've been left without a heat draw for Trestles, luckily there was a lot to talk about from the last week of surfing. Sit back and let us update you on the latest news from the International QS events, the world junior titles currently ongoing in El Salvador and what the CT men need to do to avoid the dreaded mini-cut. Link to our latest Costa Rica Vid here! - https://youtu.be/BxJ72lTuZHY 00:00 Kelly Slater Finally Follows LAGO10:05 World Junior Titles & Finley's Wild Stories18:00 LAGO's 100th Episode Mystery Guest23:45 International QS Results33:41 Levi Slawson's Priority Controversy38:31 Dane Henry Joins Red Bull42:59 Challenger Series Rankings46:00 Trestles Preview & Fantasy Picks52:20 CT Mid-Season Cut Scenarios59:32 LAGO Listener Questions #surfing #surf #wsl #surfer

Once again we've been left without a heat draw for Trestles, luckily there was a lot to talk about from the last week of surfing. Sit back and let us update you on the latest news from the International QS events, the world junior titles currently ongoing in El Salvador and what the CT men need to do to avoid the dreaded mini-cut. Link to our latest Costa Rica Vid here! - https://youtu.be/BxJ72lTuZHY 00:00 Kelly Slater Finally Follows LAGO10:05 World Junior Titles &amp; Finley's Wild Stories18:00 LAGO's 100th Episode Mystery Guest23:45 International QS Results33:41 Levi Slawson's Priority Controversy38:31 Dane Henry Joins Red Bull42:59 Challenger Series Rankings46:00 Trestles Preview &amp; Fantasy Picks52:20 CT Mid-Season Cut Scenarios59:32 LAGO Listener Questions #surfing #surf #wsl #surfer

WHO'S QUALIFYING FOR THE 'MINI-CUT'?

On this Ep, we kick things off with something we definitely didn’t see coming… Ethan Ewingriding asymmetrical boards shaped by Ryan Burch. What is going on there?! Is this thecombo 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

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

On this Ep, we kick things off with something we definitely didn’t see coming… Ethan Ewingriding asymmetrical boards shaped by Ryan Burch. What is going on there?! Is this thecombo 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:&nbsp;IS THE SURF INDUSTRY DEAD? Ft Sam Griffiths &amp; Lincon Eather.&nbsp;You won’t want to miss this one.Honest surf talk, as always.🎙&nbsp;Subscribe to LAGO for weekly surf talk, industry debates and everything happening in the world of surfing. #surfing #surf #wsl

ETHAN EWING'S NEW BOARD'S + BRAZIL CHALLENGER SERIES WRAP

In this episode, we dive into why so many surfers are also obsessed with golf, before getting into the key differences between free surfers and competition surfers. What drives these two worlds, and how do they shape the future of the sport? We also take a look at how surfers can actually make a living in 2025 - hint: it’s not just about contest wins. Grab your board (and maybe a golf club) and join us for some surf talk!

In this episode, we dive into why so many surfers are also obsessed with golf, before getting into the key differences between free surfers and competition surfers. What drives these two worlds, and how do they shape the future of the sport? We also take a look at how surfers can actually make a living in 2025 - hint: it’s not just about contest wins. Grab your board (and maybe a golf club) and join us for some surf talk!

#4 - Freesurfing VS Comp Surfing + Where Is The Money???

In this episode, the lads discuss the winners and losers from the WSL awards night. They give their pipe favourites and dark horses and consider the future of big wave and aerial surfing in expanding the sport. The episode concludes with a discussion on the potential impact of Natural Selection - arguably the biggest challenge the WSL has faced to date.

In this episode, the lads discuss the winners and losers from the WSL awards night. They give their pipe favourites and dark horses and consider the future of big wave and aerial surfing in expanding the sport. The episode concludes with a discussion on the potential impact of Natural Selection - arguably the biggest challenge the WSL has faced to date.

#3 - Kelly Slater's Masterplan + The WSL's Biggest Threat???

In this episode, the lads continue their in-depth analysis of the tour qualifiers and offer insights and predictions for their top 5 contenders who will be heading into the WSL Finals. They also select their teams for the iconic Pipe Pro. To wrap up the show, they are joined by Lennix Smith, who shares his experience after securing 3rd place at the World Junior Surfing Titles.

In this episode, the lads continue their in-depth analysis of the tour qualifiers and offer insights and predictions for their top 5 contenders who will be heading into the WSL Finals. They also select their teams for the iconic Pipe Pro. To wrap up the show, they are joined by Lennix Smith, who shares his experience after securing 3rd place at the World Junior Surfing Titles.

In this episode, the lads continue their in-depth analysis of the tour qualifiers and offer insights and predictions for their top 5 contenders who will be heading into the WSL Finals. They also select their teams for the iconic Pipe Pro. To wrap up the show, they are joined by Lennix Smith, who shares his experience after securing 3rd place at the World Junior Surfing Titles.

#2 - Stick That In Your Pipe! Ft. World #3 Lennix Smith

In their first ever episode, the lads analyse the 2025 World Surf League (WSL) season, offering insights into the upcoming tour locations and what they mean for the competitors. They also take a close look at the highly anticipated rookie class of 2025, breaking down the key players poised to make their mark on the world stage.

In their first ever episode, the lads analyse the 2025 World Surf League (WSL) season, offering insights into the upcoming tour locations and what they mean for the competitors. They also take a close look at the highly anticipated rookie class of 2025, breaking down the key players poised to make their mark on the world stage.

#1 - To Hell With Bells???

• The Late Afternoon Glass Off •
"Honest Surf Talk" 
A podcast for surfers, produced by surfers — we talk surfing, test surfboards and equipment, chase waves and document our travels.
@zacwightman_ @finley.j_
New episodes every Wednesday ⬇️

Thanks to our sponsors: 
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- Childe Sunglasses - For 15% off your order CLICK HERE: https://childe.co/LAGO 
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• The Late Afternoon Glass Off • "Honest Surf Talk" A podcast for surfers, produced by surfers — we talk surfing, test surfboards and equipment, chase waves and document our travels. @zacwightman_ @finley.j_ New episodes every Wednesday ⬇️ Thanks to our sponsors: - madebyplasma - Yullis Brews - Childe Sunglasses - For 15% off your order CLICK HERE: https://childe.co/LAGO Support the brands that support LAGO!

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