It's hard our there.
Fans of professional surfing at its very highest level have suffered a difficult year. After the world’s greatest surfer, Kelly Slater, opened with an inspiring win at the Pro Pipeline, it has been a string of semi-bad fortune. Lousy waves, overall, a mid-tour cut that robbed us of Owen Wright, sitting champion Gabriel Medina opting to take a mental health break, universally adored John John Florence becoming injured, Gabriel Medina returning from me-time and becoming injured himself.
On and on though we were treated to a brief moment of hope, of joy, when nearly two weeks ago, Florence posted a message to social media informing his 1.5 million fans that he was “headed south” on his sailboat that was filled with provisions and surfboards.
But Tahiti is south of Hawaii and the Tahiti Pro is the next event on the schedule.
Could he be?
Might he be?
Florence’s name remaining on the heat draw further buoyed the faithful but alas. It was revealed late last night that Michel Bouringez has replaced Blonde Ambition and that Tahiti was never the destination anyhow.
An eagle-eyed oceanographic cartographer, Will Dahlgreen, has sorted that our hero has always been on his way to Fiji.

Surf fans slumping at work desks, carving “FML” into the pressboard, not able to partake in office lunch talk.
Jilted and woebegone.
Oh well no JJF and Medina at Chopes this year.
But let’s try see the positive out of this.
We may get a hasbeen superheat between Hedgey and Bourez.
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
The FBI raided El Slammo! Totally nuking, for the Dream!!!
I wonder if dogs can sail?
That be more interesting
make me a sandwich and get ne a shot and a beer/
Forever our Sandy.
And SUPs are for horseshoing. https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
versus SUP golf frisbee…throw me the frisbee CB so I can go chase it!
“I wanna be your dog”
– Mr. I Pop
John emailed me just now and shared the route of his planned voyage. https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
looks like Chas’ neck tattoo, diff angle
That’s the funniest thing if read that you’ve ever done.
Bravo.
Also the guy who’s on board to tune the rig said on Instagram they’re headed to Fiji before they left Honolulu.
But good surf journalism nonetheless.
He probably was heading there. Getting east of Hawaii was always going to be tough though, especially in a catamaran. That’s why Hanksy waited so long for the wind to swing in Cast Away. The Director just made out like it was to get him past Shishkebabs.
beachgrit comments on the wrong article again…..
Angry malibu local ha ha isnt that in Merica? sued and cancelled time for angry rich man, hes going to be exiled with carcass from lennox for this one
https://youtu.be/e5MAg_yWsq8
https://youtu.be/2zkjQVh5KmQ
https://youtu.be/FOt3oQ_k008
https://youtu.be/I4IiGBwSBUE
https://youtu.be/4bFWz-5zNh8
Edit: I dare not actually listen to this one, lest I sully my ears.
But he’s a guitar master!!!
He’s a ‘master’ something or other!
Aikido master and greatest martial artist of all time, guitar slinger, lovemaker, award-winning actor, philosopher, energy drink maven and reincarnation of the Dalai Lama as well!
Hella foxy in this one
https://youtu.be/J3_uO5Fa8Oo
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Hes not hopelessly devoted to Teahupoo.
Hey! That’s pretty good! (RIP Olivia).
Little bit of a ruckus at Mara Lago, lol.
Dem Xanadu beckons.
She was gorgeous. Gavin Newsom 2024
Yikes!!
The Trump Death Star just got a nuke fired down its pie hole. See ya Trumpy!
Enjoy the bodycount
absolutely.
The FBI just endorsed his 2024 run. Nice of them.
fuck yeah
he’s doing an admirable job of separating the men from the boys, boys from the girls, and stripping all gender away in the name of equality. “Masks on, masks-off…”
half way thru the 2nd episode of Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99…if a politician on either side of the aisle wants to start a riot, make a giant arena super-divisive speech, (no hydroflasks allowed) then follow it up with a heavy metal line-up (in this order):
1- taped version of national anthem on rock guitar by jimi
2- Korn
3- Bush (mellows out the former)
4- Limp Bizcut
5- pay per view on MTV
Surfline has clamped down on us non members. It doesn’t let me see past two days of forecast . What does it say for chopes now. 13th onward ?
let’s go back…they missed the bump-up of the 7th thru today…and pushed the coming swell forward to the 17th, and upped the size to 12-15′ thru the 18th, diminishing swell to 5-6′ on the 19th…15-25 knot winds…direction of 263 thru 60 degrees for that 3-day period…strong offshore moving to strong sideshore?
Siiick! That would be awsome if it was that big. Thanks.
since we last posted, they’ve extended the 10′ to all day on the ninth…Surfline is so fucking fluid, just like the govn’r!. stay thirsty my friend!
That’s why I asked for an update from yesterday. Haha
ever surf stockton ave.?..the Surfer Mag poster i bought for $2.50 and you and barrelled saw is 50 years old! i framed it then and it still hangs on my bathroom wall.
Yea a couple times . I usually surfed more out of the way places like 26th ave that’s around the corner from pleasure point when I was living there. I’d also drive to manresa or Waddell creek. I’m a goofy foot so I like finding lefts to surf. Going backiside at pleasure point or steamers gets old after a while
ninth19thsince a day ago, chope’s forecast holding steady…
Awsome thanks!!
Did Greg Knoll ever take me-time? 😀
Nice wrap-up of the story that never was. It can now be put to bed.
You don’t think I can milk three more?
Three is nothing to a journalist of your capability.
Three hundred might be a stretch, tho …
Do it and I’ll read, bc John John. He’s vanilla boring and fascinating at the same time.
A triple threat!
I think the real news here is that Hot Rod Hot Dog started following you.
Story coming.
Dude is so done with the WSL
Sometime over the last 2-3 years he’s simply outgrown them. Doesn’t need them and prolly despises all the corpo fuckery.
so he and nearly every other started their own brands…also…
Elroy Jetson loves his Astro and wants to do a tandem surf…