A golden wild card!
John John Florence, surfer beloved by legions, is back. The three-time world champion, with no chinks in his game, is joining Carissa Moore and Stephanie Gilmore, thirteen championships between them, on the 2026 World Surf League Championship Tour after the “global home of surfing” gifted him a year long wildcard.
Surf journalist Jen See the first to declare, “Everyone back on the ski to reset!
The World Surf League took to social media to share, “3X World Champ, Pipe Master, Eddie Winner, and one of the most progressive surfers of all time. The dynamic approach John John Florence brings to wave riding is truly one of a kind. He blows minds and raises the bar for what’s possible on a surfboard every time he paddles out, and now, he’s back in the jersey.
The Legacy of John John Florence in Surfing
What thrill.
Whilst waiting for the official press release, surf fans everywhere are pondering the reasons for this rush back to tour. Did John John Florence, Carissa Moore and Stephanie Gilmore grow sad in their various retirements, needing the thrill of the singlet to make lives make sense? Did the specter of global economic collapse entice the aforementioned to come back for billionaire owner of professional surfing Dirk Ziff’s delightful drippings? Did the erasure of former World Surf League CEO Erik Logan’s silly final’s day format provide the push needed?
Florence is, of course, currently sailing from his Hawaii to Vanuatu on a fine catamaran with his young family and brothers Nathan and Ivan. Nathan, 31, had been pushing for his elder to join him on a Slab Tour and might be feeling sad today about the news.
Well, hopefully he is not feeling sad. Hopefully he is feeling buoyed, enjoying the salty wind buffeting his scraggly beard, nice functional shirt hugging his breast.
Down Rio way, another surf champion, one Filipe Toledo also might be feeling sad, though. The two-time world champion, who recently relocated from Lower Trestles to Brazil, recently had his baubles tarnished by his hero Kalani Robb sharing, “(Felipe’s) world titles will not ever be respected as much as a guy like John John or Kelly Slater that does it on a stage that we want to see. Unless you can make us feel, ‘oh you’re brave’, you’re only a very one-dimensional world champion.”
2022 and 2022 further diminished.
The 2026 World Surf League Championship begins, as it should, in April at Bells Beach and ends in Florence’s front yard of the Banzai Pipeline.
Kelly Slater, with bad hip, likely not competing though also likely very jealous of the golden wild card.
Does the announcement, in any case, make you thrill for the spring or is your mood, as it relates to professional surfing, as dour as ever?
Surf journalist Jen See added, “What a ridiculous sport!”
Fun and funny, I suppose.
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If I had to guess a large signing bonus was offered to the three former champs to get them to return. A financial offer they couldn’t refuse. WSL would be dead in the water without them in 2026. Life changing money probably offered. Enough to buy a lot of HamSammishes.
Agree! 💰
Sorry, can’t let it go.
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still funny, can’t help it
I hope JJF’s surgically repaired 3x right knee can last an entire WSL season –
Is Medina returning? How many wildcards does this tour get to dole out?
sure hope so… is looks fit as fuck and is ripping on insta.
I fucken told ya’s that the bro’s were heavily jorkin’ it in the creaky bunks.
Xox
So do these ex retirees have to go through the QS and CS to get onto the CT ??? How the fuck does this work ?
no, that was for Occy and Curren – these are different time .-)
Although to be fair they stepped away opening up a spot and are now stepping back taking up a spot so they’re not getting more from the WSL than they gave the WSL.
John John Tourence
saw Powelly surfing Angas earlier this year- riding a 90’s style toothpick.
fuck he was shredding.
You are beyond full of shit
riding twin fins and picleforks.
Realises most of those boards go shit, like michael feb
“Did the ……”
It’s the economy, stupid
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His surfing is good, but still like see Yago repeat..
The bowl of leftover stew I’m grinding on is still better than this news. Finally the anticipation of upcoming collard greens season out weighs this as well.
when does Slater enter the picture to try to seal the thunder? Don’t disappoint, Kelly!
Fuck it, let’s bring back Dane and Bobby M and may as well put a mic in front of one time world champ Martin Potter again. We can all put on some Zinka and Flojos. BG can maybe even offer legit contest writeups again!
Yes, especially the latter
give Bobby the Tahiti wildcard
“BG can maybe even offer legit contest writeups again!”
Please elaborate on this, if you would. 😀
Thinly veiled dig at JP.
Seems pretty overt.
Not so overt if he’s scared for me to actually read them!
Yeah, and now he’s blocked me from seeing or responding to his comments. Which is just the weakest thing ever if he’s continuing to make digs but not even letting me see.
Probably butt hurt from you not wanting to be his pen pal.
Hey Negs, how does one trigger a narcissist? See JP upset for being ignored and put in time out for a few hours, begging to engage me. Now I know how Caviera felt…
From the outside looking in, and not really giving a fuck either way. It appears you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.
Yeah the rabbit pictures are cutting edge…
a myxamotosis addled rabbit is a pretty good comeback.
Shhhh…quiet, piggy.
You’re going to deny everything I’m about to say but anyway:
1. You’re boring.
2. For someone you say is embarrassing, who can’t write, and is a prick, and you don’t care what I have to say, you sure seem to care about what I have to say such that I have to suffer through your attempts at a riposte.
3. What is this, middle school, where you rally the troops to carry your water?
4. I’ve already won, JP. You don’t value anything I say or write here or in real life, by your own admittance, but fuck you’re an easy to trigger little bitch. The funny thing is, and again, you’ll deny it, but I know now there will be a voice in your head come next yr and you’re doing your self centering blogs for BG, and you’ll deep down think “Did I crate enough context of me for my analysis, or now is it too much? Well fuck DHMF for making me second guess. So now I’ll go more into me.” And if you don’t , that means you’re actually writing about surfing. It’s going to needle around in you, because you actually care or you’d not be so easily triggered.
Enjoy denying all this. Enjoy some upvotes. Enjoy me not giving a fuck.
love, your prick embarrassing pen pal, DHMF
p.s. congrats to Scotland qualifying! Hope you celebrated.
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1, disagree, kid can write
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Gonna be Sally Fitz and Steff in the final at snapper. Only thing missing is jaddy.
I miss Jaddy.
Sally is a lock for top 3. She’s simply amazing.
Seems like she surfs good when the waves are good. Want to see her surf against Tya Zebrowski etc. Still not sure if Tya is going to be on tour or if she’s doing a Simmers and waiting.
Sally Fitz? Just want to make sure I heard that correctly.
Just re read that and thought he meant steff. Now my reply looks stupid lol
and Julian Wilson, let’s not forget Jules wants back too!
Quite possible the worst take on surf style ever written (although Powelly ripped).
It’s time to start screenshotting Crazy for Dick’s idiotic comments so they can be re-visited and enjoyed by all after his lame ass deletes them.
what was the gist of it?
Nothing special. Comments about how JJF style is boring and Powelly’s was better with a video link to an old video with Powelly. No reason to delete but does make him a cunt for deleting comments though.
You guys are really struggling to get Grok to understand that JJF left Vanuatu a few days ago headed for Australia.
or Nate F’s miraculous fully body beaming between Ireland and the south pacific
That would assume he was actually in Ireland the day he posted photos/vids to his insta.
He was foiling in Ireland at the weekend.
They should yank his red bull sponsor for that.
Accompanied by fellow RB athlete Ian Walsh!
great news, absolutely nothing could fuck up how stellar 2026 is stacking up to be!!
… err, wait, just receiving news that WSL will have same judging panels as before.
Never mind, judges will definitely figure out a way to fuck it up.