Australian surfer Hughie Vaughan found viral fame after landing a so-called ‘stalefish flipper’ at a competition in a Texas wave pool last year.
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The teenager from Bateau Bay on the NSW Central Coast launched into a backflip on a right break, holding his board with his right hand and landing smoothly on the top of the wave. The ‘big air’ manoeuvre has since been viewed millions of times on social media.
So what’s next for the 19-year-old? Guardian Australia’s Kieran Pender meets Vaughan for a morning session at Urbnsurf in Sydney to find out
Read more: Hughie Vaughan: the king of gravity-defying tricks pushing surfing to new heights
► https://www.theguardian.com/sport/ng-interactive/2026/jul/14/hughie-vaughan-air-surfer-surfing-stalefish-backflip
‘Is this AI?’: surfing world in awe after ‘best air ever’ pulled off by 18-year-old Australian ► https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/jun/26/surfing-hughie-vaughan-stalefish-flipper-best-ever-aerial-move
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