The LAGO Podcast

The Challenger Series is HERE! 🌏🏄🇦🇺An electric class of Australian QS graduates is set to take centre stage as the Challenger Series kicks off in Ballito, South Africa. For these surfers, it's the final step on the road to the Championship Tour. In this episode of The LAGO Podcast, we break down every Australian competing this season - how they qualified, their strengths and the story behind...

SOLI BAILEY - Former World Surf League Championship Tour surfer, big wave charger, and modern-day surf explorer living every surfer's dream. Soli joins us for one of our favourite conversations yet. In this episode, Soli tells it all. From the hidden pressures of life on the Championship Tour, he shares the highs, the setbacks, and a firey paddle battle with a world champ that got a little heated....

This week we're also stoked to announce our new partnership with CHILDE Eyewear. A brand that we are beyond stoked to work with! Use our exclusive link below for 15% off:https://childe.co/LAGORio is done and dusted... and to say it was a lacklustre event would be an understatement. From there, we unpack everything that happened in Rio. We break down the standout performances, debate whether Rio st...

This week on the LAGO Podcast, we sit down with Vaughn Blakey - podcaster, surf commentator, frontman of Goons of Doom, former surf magazine editor, and one of surfing’s most unique voices. From his early years growing up with an obsession for surfing, to carving out a career in surf media, Vaughn takes us through the experiences that shaped his path. We dive into the golden era of surf magazines,...

In this episode, we wrap up the finals day action from El Salvador (including our thoughts on that claim from Tyler Wright). We then go into our predictions and fantasy picks for the upcoming event at Rio. #surfing #surf #wsl #wave #surfer (0:00) Introduction(4:05) Fin's Travel Concerns(10:00) OzTag GF Victory(13:30) Win Yullis Beer(16:41) El Salvador Wrap Up(51:30) The Tyler Claim(1:00:50) Men's...

In the midst of one of the darkest weeks we've seen for event favourites and fantasy teams alike, we jump into the studio to break it all down. We also go over Jack Robinson's infamous drop-in and the priority mix-ups that don't seem to stop. Thankyou to everyone who has grabbed some merch, or just continues to tune into the show. If you wanted to get some there's still a few peice...

On this episode, former professional surfer, podcaster, author, and mental health advocate Cooper Chapman joins us to share the highs and lows of life on the professional surfing tour, and the mental challenges that came with chasing his dream. Cooper reflects on his years travelling the world, competing alongside the likes of Matt Banting, Connor O'Leary, and many others, offering an honest i...

Episode 79 is dedicated to south coast legend - Nathan Bartlett. Our thoughts go out to his family, friends and the surf community of the south coast and beyond. Rest Easy Nathan ❤️. This episode we kick off by sharing a little more about our up coming trip to Central America and some concerns with sitting next to each other for 15 plus hours. We also dive into the upcoming Surf City El Salvador P...

This week on The LAGO Podcast, we catch up with Matty Scorringe once again to break down everything from the Corona New Zealand Pro. Matty shares who looked the best on the ground, gives insight into what really happened during the seal attack incident, and explains how the event stacked up against the other stops on tour this season. We also review our fantasy results to find out who’s facing ano...

On this episode we deep dive into Matt Bemrose and Brad Dougherty’s pivotal roles at Volcom. The boys reminisce on the good ole days of brand, we ask Bemmy about his tour pursuit and if he wish he gave it one more crack, we chat the challenges big brands are facing in 2026 and what surfing looks like in the very near future. Before we wrapped up, we asked if they could spill the beans on why Yago...

In this episode, we break down our picks for the 2026 New Zealand Pro, run through our fantasy team selections, and reveal what we’ve got planned for the event on day 1. To wrap things up, we give New Zealand’s most recognised surf coach, Matt Scorringe, a call. He shares expert local knowledge on the forecast, the surfers most likely to dominate at Raglan, and exactly what it takes to win there....

In this episode, we chat all things Snapper Rocks. We ask ourselves, was this the best event ever to watch live? We share stories of what goes on after dark when the cameras are turned off and what it was like to be deep in the Connor Oleary support squad.

Huge episode this week! We welcome our mate and 2024 Snapper Rocks champion, Mikey McDonagh, into the studio to go over all the action from Margaret River and what's to come at Snapper Rocks. We also caught up with Tim MacDonald, coach of George Pittar to give us the run down on GP's maiden win. #surfing #podcast #surfer #wsl

The Margaret River Pro 2026 has delivered a strange mix - moments of world-class surfing, backed up by some seriously average conditions. We break down a run of messy competition days where a few big names have been caught out in the challenging conditions. We also get into the tension and peace making between Jacob Willcox and Yago Dora - a rare bit of edge that added some intrigue to an otherwis...

In this episode, we break down a chaotic start to the World Surf League season, and yes… Zac’s board is getting a makeover. We ask the question most of us are thinking - should Bells still be on Tour? After a slow, stop-start event and some questionable conditions, we unpack whether tradition is enough to justify its spot in the modern schedule. We also run through the standout heats, the upsets a...

In this episode, we dive into the first WSL Championship Tour Event of the season, The Ripcurl Pro - Bells Beach. Shaky start for the WSL as we unpack early controversy, with people calling that the event should’ve run on the first day of the waiting period. Big names exit early to a few standout rookies and our fantasy teams take an absolute beating! We also catch up with Cam and Rory, the brains...

We sat down with Callum Robson just before he jetted off to Bells Beach to kick off the CT season. What stood out immediately was Cal’s passion - not just for improving himself, but for helping others do the same. By the end of the conversation, both Zac and I were seriously tempted to jump on the QS and chase a pro surfing career ourselves. Whether you’re a surfer, a parent, or just someone looki...

We're back again, this time to give our predictions for the upcoming RipCurl Pro Bells Beach. We run through the conditions, the new WSL format and give our fantasy picks. #surfing #surf #surfer #wsl #bells

Strap in - this bad boy goes for three hours. We go through each surfer and assess their chances on this years CT. We select our Rookie of the year, top 5, and who will wear the crown at years end. Side note - We accidentally corrected ourselves about half way through in saying the Rio event has changed locations. The CT is still based there, it is the challenger series that has moved. As always,...

Here's our recap of all the action from the final CS event at Merewether. We do a deep dive into the controversial calls surrounding Kade Matson and Mateus Herdy and answer your questions from the event. #surf #surfing #surfer #wsl

We go through all the action from last weekend's Australian Boardriders Battle (ABB) Final. Plenty of controversies and even more good surfing. We also go through the updated qualification scenarios currently unfolding at the last CS event in Merewether. #surfing #surf

In this weeks episode, we cover a huge week in surfing. - The new Aussie QS graduates who will take on the Changa this year. - Stab in the Dark X. - A brand new changa schedule (kinda). We finish with a deep dive into the qualification scenarios that will unfold in the upcoming Merewether CS event (and of course your questions).

In this episode, we discuss the recent developments in olympic qualification. We then recap both the Usher Cup and the Burleigh Pro which wrapped up over the last two weekends. We finish up answering a bunch of listener questions including 'Who is the worst surfer to win a CT event'?

We sat down with Connor O'leary with no agenda. Just a chat among mates that naturally ventured into some interesting topics within the surf world. We really enjoyed this one.

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the recent Pipe Challenger Series event. We highlight in particular Australia’s dominance and why Callum's win was so well put together. We also discuss some sponsorship movements and have a quick look at the rankings heading into the final event at Merewether.