John John Florence

John John Flo­rence grew up in Haleiwa, right on the beach in front of Pipeline with his broth­ers and surf­ing Mom, Alexan­dra. John John was surf­ing Pipeline reg­u­larly before the age of 10. In 2005 at only 13 years old, Flo­rence became the youngest Pipeline and Vans Triple Crown com­peti­tor ever. We spoke to 19-year old John John to learn more.

What was your life like grow­ing up in Hawaii?
It was great. I feel really lucky to have grown up on the North Shore. We have some of the best waves in the world.

When did you get your first surf­board?
I can’t remem­ber – I was really young

What was the feel­ing you had when you first stood on a surf­board?
Excited, and even more amped to go get another one

Who do you look up to and admire?
First it would be my mom. She has helped me so much and has always been there for me. Then there’s Andy and Bruce Irons, and Nathan Fletcher

Of all the places you have trav­eled to, what place in par­tic­u­lar stands out and why?
Indo. There are so many dif­fer­ent types of good waves there.

Who/what inspires you?
My broth­ers, Jamie, Bruce, Dane, and Nathan all inspire me

What is it like to be the youngest com­peti­tor at The Vans Triple Crown?
I was excited and ner­vous at the same time. I was so young and the waves were big.

What is the great­est thing you have learned in your life?
Respect.

Do you have any regrets or wish you had done some­thing dif­fer­ently?
No.

What are you most proud of?
My win­ning run this past win­ter in Pipe and Back­door. It felt good to do well at home in front of have my fam­ily and friends.

What mean­ing does surf­ing hold for you?
It’s fun. I love to surf. There is noth­ing like it.

What brings you the most hap­pi­ness in the world?
Get­ting barreled.

Who are some of the peo­ple you feel are shap­ing the path for surf­ing today?
Prob­a­bly Dane (Reynolds) at the moment is shap­ing the path most right now

What is your favorite board? Your favorite surfspot?
My favorite surf­board is my Pyzel 5’11” short­board. Favorite spot? Pipeline.

What’s your favorite meal?
Sushi.

What are you cur­rently lis­ten­ing to on your iPod?
Ozzy.

What causes/organizations do you sup­port?
Keep the Coun­try Country.

What are you most grate­ful for?
Hav­ing the fam­ily that I have. We travel together and surf together. It’s really fun to be able to all do the same thing. And we all skate together too.

What’s next for John John Flo­rence?
Catch more good waves, surf con­tests and hope­fully qual­ify for the World Tour by next year.

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