Jack Johnson Surfs Hefty, Pumping Waves at Uluwatu (Video)

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Jul 12, 2025 5:08 PM ET

The Momentum Generation, a crew of teenagers all converging on Hawaii, who would go on to change the face of modern surfing, included a who’s who of the world’s best surfers: Kelly Slater, Shane Dorian, Rob Machado, Taylor Knox…and Jack Johnson.

While Jack took his career in a different path – becoming one of the world’s most beloved acoustic musicians, his mellow tunes permeating through coffee shops across the globe – he was still part of that hard-charging 1990s surfing movement. In fact, he was at the center of that crusade, himself being one of the ones who lived on Oahu’s North Shore.

And all these years later, Jack still charges. Like on a recent trip to Bali, where he was joined by fellow Momentum Gen alum, Rob Machado, for a surf session at pumping Uluwatu, reminiscing on good times with good friends, and a concert on the iconic cliffs.

The clip is captioned: “We got Jack Johnson and Rob Machado in the house this week bringing us a very special live performance at the Uluwatu Surf Villas overlooking the iconic Uluwatu. Both being artists and surfers, it wouldn't be a concert at Uluwatu without some surfing first. The waves were absolutely pumping too. Walk down the legendary staircase to Uluwatu with Jack and Rizal as they scope the waves. Jack scores some sick barrels and shreds while Rizal rips it to pieces and provides some immersive surfing POV with his GoPro. One of the biggest parts of surfing is waiting for waves in the lineup, during which good conversations often occur but are seldom documented.”

As mentioned, there’s the walk down memory lane, too, along with a look inside Jack’s free-wheeling songwriting process; the caption continues: “While Jack and Rizal wait for a set, Jack tells us about his songwriting process, touching on how ‘Rodeo Clowns’ and ‘F-Stop Blues’ came to be, also reminiscing about his first trip to Bali back in '92. Shortly after Rob joins them and gives us a masterclass in style and flow.”

Then, after scoring standup tubes at Ulus, it’s showtime: “Emmett Malloy breaks down the night's plan for us, telling us about the classic surf film, The September Sessions, that's to be shown after the concert. Jack and Rob jam ‘F-Stop Blues’ unplugged on the cliffside for us before they perform a sound check jam, and then the best concert ever. Special thanks to Jack, Rob and Uluwatu Surf Villas for an unforgettable night.”

Jack still rips.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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