Hope springs eternal.
I am still in Tucumcari, New Mexico, currently buoyed by “You should have known better…” comments. John John Florence is in Hawaii, or somewhere there abouts, with multiple surfboards loaded onto his boat, at the start of his own epic quest. The two-time world champion took to Instagram, days ago, cryptically writing, “South we go, excited and a bit nervous. I have never done a trip like this. Our first leg will be a little more than 3000 miles over two weeks. It’s been so fun looking over charts this month imagining the setups and waves we can sail to. It feels like a dream to have this chance to search for waves on our own. We will try to share as much as we can here. I’m grateful for the opportunity, and looking forward to the challenge!!”
Beleaguered surf fans of competitive professional surfing immediately broke out nautical charts, protractors and quickly realized that French Polynesia, home to Teahupoo, is directly south from Hawaii and started buzzing.
Could it be?
Might it be?
Florence sailing south in order to anchor off that place of broken skulls and participate in the upcoming Outerknown Tahiti Pro which kicks off August 11?
There is no current professional surfer as universally adored as the prodigy done good. He has proven himself in big waves, small waves, competitively and artistically. An artist in his prime. If his knee is good enough to sail and surf explore, is there a possibility it is also good enough to defeat current world number one Filipe Toledo at a thumping slab?
What do you think about that?
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They resented our opinion, the magazines had become Sales Brochures.
Blogs interrupted their business.
If he does sail from hawaii to tahiti to participate in upcoming comp, the moral high ground and greenwashing will be infinitely unbearable.
He’s headed to Fiji.
He’s got his wife, his filmer, an incredible boat and the most top of the line catamaran tuner around with him. What a dream.
Quick! Someone sneak onboard and glue a C90 into the ship tape deck, with nothing on it except a constant loop of ‘The Sloop John B’.
He’ll be in beast mode by the time he gets to the contest
Fuckwitery is such a good word
surfEXPLORE® is a registered trademark – just saying
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I broke out a sextant, and some lemons to ward off scurvy
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Arriving Saturday
If he ends up making a movie or series of his adventures it is a shame that Dude Cruise was already taken.
That’s a pretty rad effort though, the Dude Cruise video. Bruce and Dane and lots of substances in mainland Mex? That checks a lot of boxes
There was a movie about Andy and Bruce, someone help an old man that can’t remember please. It was aboard Marc Price’s boat, sailing the Oaxacan coastline. How can I forget all the important stuff and remember the things that don’t matter? Like how many titles Kelly has or if he has a girlfriend and what nationality?
John is so toast to the WSL…. in full Dane mode.
Mortifying that the WSL can’t attract or keep the best talent focused on the “sport”. What other sport has iconic athletes that choose to go play tennis at the park instead of Wimbledon?
Yeah, Barry Sanders comes to mind with Calvin Johnson, but fuck we’re talking escaping Detroit.
Imagine Michael Jordan deciding that the high school outdoor courts were more interesting than the United Center?
The only surfer that doesn’t want out is Kelly. He can see no future beyond his past.
I mean MJ did have that stint where he decided he wanted to play baseball, though I think it was to escape gambling
rumor is, he got secret suspended because of his complications with gambling and the death of his father over gambling.
No way MJ walks away after 3 straight titles unless it was mandatory.
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Aw Tim what would BG be without you? That photo reminds me of one of my black labs who would wait on the sand until I was in the lineup then swim out in the channel and start barking at everyone. Then she would move into position and bodysurf a set wave to shore where she would hump Rory Russell’s poi dogs in the shorebreak.
she was blocking for you, good girl….
dane’s real dog (a retriever) would then jump into the surf, doggie it out and save that nut from the mama monk seal. retriever…then hump her! golden/
Yeah, sailing the pacific in your own boat in search of perfect waves is just like playing tennis or basketball.
Great analogy
No moron, no other sport loses it’s best talents in their primes to “free surfing”, the greatest failure of the ASP/WSL
Good on JJF for loading up his boat and setting sail for adventure. As much as I’d like to see him compete at Chopes, I hope be avoids the WSL shitshow altogether and finds epic barrels in exotic locales.
As for Pip, the only way he wins at Chopes is if it’s small enough that airs are scored higher than barrels. If the forecast calls for larger waves, he’ll skip the event because “shoulder injury”.
How’d you do at that left last week?
The swell wasn’t getting into the bay enough. In the past, I’ve surfed there on a straight West or WNW. I’ve heard it will break on a big summer swell, but haven’t seen it yet. I did surf my local in town… it was firing.
My buddy lives above a left on the south side of town and chose to surf a harbor instead. Said it was good. He moved once his wife died of Covid, gotta go visit his complex.
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I know a good riddle when it fools me. Solved it with one tough pill to swallow, the wave I think it is doesn’t have a tube. Offshores help the image, but….
Plus, if he encounters anyone out in the middle of the ocean he can also ask them if they’d heard of the WSL!
golf clap
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Lol
The Iron knee of all this though…
en fuego today man!
You’d think he could be a little more pacific about his plans
Needs a stern talking to
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