“Since he was a grom, it’s always been there,” filmmaker Mikey Mallalieu said of his 21-year-old subject. “Effortless, powerful but with flare to it too. It’s not just smooth — there’s bite.”
Hopefully, you’ve done yourself a favor by watching Jai Glindeman surf before. If not, you’re in for a welcome surprise. The young Australian from Lennox Head has that rare ability to look good simply when he stands up. Then he engages his rail and truly stands out.
However, Free Flow offers a different side of Jai’s resume. Yes, there are simulating turns, but the meat of it lies deep in heavy, heart-thumping barrels. From Greenbush to The Box to Cloudbreak, Jai hucks himself over the ledge with poise.
Mikey Mallalieu, who edited Noa Deane’s adrenalized Nozvid, captures Jai in his element. It would be misleading to call Jai’s backside carves and frontside hacks “simple” turns. They are not the technical airs of his peers, but they are far from easy. Jai’s ability to hold his rail with speed is foundational, powerful, and remarkably easy on the eyes.
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If Free Flow has a story arc, the climax is Cloudbreak. It’s that pristine 20-foot day that pushed Nathan Florence, Billy Kemper and Soli Bailey last year. Jai was criminally undergunned, riding a 7’4” Pyzel Padillac while most of the lineup went north of 8-foot boards. And yet, in the biggest waves of his life, riding the biggest board he’s ever handled, his instincts took over. Swooping, stalling, flying the fastest he’s ever moved over water. Pulling into the tallest waves he’s ever seen. And yet after all that, I just want to watch more Jai.
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