Jordy Smith Biography

Jordy Smith

Birthdate: February 11, 1988
Birthplace: Durban, South Africa

If you are looking for surfing's next superstar look no further than 21 year-old Jordy Smith. We got the down low on this South African star!

Rise to Fame

Growing up in South Africa, Jordy was introduced to the sport by his father, who was a former surfer. Jordy immediately fell in love with the sport and would practice for hours a day. When he wasn't on his board, he was studying tapes of his boyhood idol Kelly Slater - who shares the same birthday as Jordy.

Jordy's hard work paid off as he became one of the world's best up-and-coming surfers. His win at the 2003 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Championships Under-16 in his home turf of Durban put him in the worldwide spotlight. As an 18-year-old, he won the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing's Rookie of the Year award. Last year, Jordy won the 2007 ASP World Qualifying Series by a record margin.

Riding Style

Jordy has a very smooth and powerful style when he rides the waves. He surfs with an unbelievable amount of control, but also has some flair to him. His trademark is his aerial maneuvers he does at the halfway point of all his runs. He even invented a new surfing move called the Swiss Roll - which is where he grabs the board while in the air with both hands and does a 360 degree spin. Off the coast of Indonesia, he pulled what GrindTV is calling "the most high-performance maneuver ever executed on a wave". It's called a "rodeo flip," and it's pretty insane.