Swatch Nines is heading back to Texas this fall, bringing its anything-goes approach to surfing and skateboarding back to Waco Surf from October 8-10. Now in its second year at the Texas wave pool, the 2026 Swatch Nines Surf & Skate event will once again blur the lines between action sports, art and creative experimentation.
But this year, there’s a new wrinkle: For the first time, the public will get a chance to see it all unfold in person. The event will open Waco Surf to spectators on Saturday, October 10, for the inaugural Swatch Nines Surf & Skate Public Day. Details on tickets and access are expected in September.
A Different Kind of Action-Sports Event
The Nines operates less like a traditional contest and more like an action-sports laboratory. Rather than building a course and asking athletes to figure it out, surfers, skateboarders, BMX riders, designers and builders collaborate months ahead of the event to dream up features specifically designed to encourage new approaches. This year’s concepts began during the annual Swatch Nines Creative Cabin workshop in Encinitas, California, before moving from sketches to blueprints and, eventually, actual structures at Waco.
“One of the most special things about Swatch Nines is the workshop,” surfer Zoë McDougall said. “Swatch and the Nines bring all the athletes together with our big, wild ideas and then we see what’s possible.”
New Features, New Lines
Among the more ambitious additions this year are new elements built around the Krane and Flying O, including what organizers are calling the longest rail ever constructed for a Swatch Nines event. A skatepark suspended above the water will create new lines and approaches, while a large-scale mirror installation and a collection of Rampmobiles are intended to further scramble the conventional relationship between rider and course. The goal, as always, is progression without the pressure of a podium.
Become A Nine Returns
That philosophy also extends to the return of Become A Nine, the event’s wildcard program. Four emerging riders, two surfers and two skateboarders, with one man and one woman in each discipline, will earn the opportunity to join the established Nines roster. Selection is based on creativity, style and progression rather than conventional competitive results.
Previous winners have included surfers Hughie Vaughan and Zoey Kaina and skateboarder Skai Suitt, with Vaughan famously landing the first-ever stalefish backflip at the Nines. Applications for the 2026 Become A Nine program are expected to open this weekend through the Nines’ social channels.
Who’s Riding in 2026?
The first wave of confirmed athletes for 2026 includes surfers Noah Beschen, Coco Ho and Zoë McDougall, along with skateboarders Andy Anderson and Kevin Peraza. More athletes from both surfing and skateboarding are expected to be announced in September.
With surfing, skating, art and BMX once again sharing the same playground, the 2026 Swatch Nines looks less interested in defining what action sports are than figuring out what they could become. And for the first time, the public will get to watch that experiment unfold from the sidelines at Waco Surf.
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