A few years ago Ryan Callinan launched the backhand air heard around the world and put himself on the prog map. Covers. Movie parts. Excitement. The whole thing from one move (see Lost Atlas for proof). Since then he’s charmed us with his manners and continued to psyche us with his corkscrew backhand.
Out of the water he’s been mysterious by default. His polite nature, quiet Newcastle upbringing and humble demeanor coupled with a few ill-timed knee tweaks over the years have kept him from hogging the spotlight that he’s earned himself. His surfing however, continues to freak us out every time we see it. Still never seen someone wind up and deliver such a healthy repertoire of backhand whips, with the staggering consistency that Ryan has. And here today, in his Fairly Normal you’ll get the sense that his forehand aint too shabby either. And that his local spot is freaking holding.

Hit play, devour some of our bandwidth and meet the modest man who’s making Merewether Beach so proud — and start to understand why we’re so certain he’ll be grabbing a lot more of that spotlight he’s earned very soon.