One Last Ride | Logan Dulien’s Final Frontier
After 22 years, 60 premieres across 30 countries and five genre-defining films, Logan “Chucky” Dulien has dropped the curtain on the Snapt series with its grand finale: Snapt 5. Dulien’s work has stood as a defiant celebration of surfing in its rawest form. More than mere highlights, it is a film of exhilarating experience.
Between the cuts — tellingly, and tangibly — lies Dulien’s own story. The filmmaker has spoken openly about battling addiction, burnout, and enduring the end of his marriage during the years spent crafting the series. The final chapter, Snapt 5, emerged from this crucible—not as a polished triumph, but as a raw distillation of his ride through the furnace. It is a fitting end-point and a time-capsule of his own resilience.
Snapt 5 is an hour-long “rip-fest designed to set you free,” as Dulien puts it. A curated feast of the best in progressive surfing, featuring Mason Ho, Jack Robinson, Clay Marzo, Parker Coffin, among numerous others. Also of interest to long-time Coastwatch fans is the appearance of Noa Deane — son of legend, Wayne Deane, who featured in historic Coastwatch segments and passed away in 2018. Noa’s sequence is a stand out in an ocean of epic footage…
The Deane Legacy — beautifully captured
There has been a great outpouring of affection for the Coastwatch Vault profile on Wayne Deane (see below) — a revered figure in Australian surfing — and Noa’s spectacular turn in Snapt5 tugs at the heart strings. Wayne Deane was all about authenticity and free-spirited expression, and Noa demonstrates that this soulful torch has been passed; with a style that is a distillation of his father’s timeless flow and his own modern edge—melding elegance with explosiveness and innovation.
Wayne’s reputation as one of the Gold Coast’s most respected surfers and shapers stemmed from his fluid, powerful style and classic barrel-riding prowess. A disciple of Kirra’s legendary hollow points, he balanced traditional finesse with a willingness to embrace modern maneuvers. His impact endured through his shaping craftsmanship— to longboard titles through the ’80s and ’90s.
Noa inherits that lineage, yet amplifies it with his own brand of controlled aggression — a modern, high-voltage realm of aerial wizardry and raw power. His section in Snapt 5 is a masterclass—big ramps, deep tubes, and that trademark flair that makes him — like his father — one of surfing’s compelling free spirits . It’s high-risk, high-reward free surfing, beautifully captured— and all executed with a nonchalant Deane chill and flair.
An eye for the mavericks
Logan “Chucky” Dulien’s formula has always been simple yet bold: pick those who push boundaries, not just contest surfers.
That ethos gave rise to careers and kept things honest. Dulien’s films have sought to capture the youthful tonic of surfing, and he has succeeded — with the Snapt series bottling it over two decades. Snapt 5 isn’t just another surf flick, it’s something of a cultural signpost of an era where feature-length surf films could still pull us off our phones and into a theatre.
Watch it. It’s a love letter to everything that makes surfing wild, beautiful, and free.
From the Vault — Local Hero: Wayne Deane
