Truth be told nobody knew what to expect of John John Florence heading into this season. After his incredible run in 2016 (winning the Eddie, The Triple Crown, and the World Title) he certainly deserved to exhale.
John John Florence's historic run at Margaret River won't soon be forgotten.
It would have been perfectly understandable if the new World Champ took his foot off the gas this season -- in fact many expected it from the low-key Hawaiian.
Newsflash: it's not happening.
John John Florence opens Heat 2 of the Quarterfinals with a 9.27, putting the pressure on Michel Bourez early on.
Florence is off to a stellar start in 2017. He's already well ahead of his 2016 pace, and he's surfing better too.
As good as John's title run was last year, he was never as dominant as he was this week at Margaret River, where his heat totals at Main Break are now the stuff of legend. Round Three: 19.27, Round Four: 19.16, Quarterfinals: 18.04, Semifinals: 19:27, and in the Final, a 19.03.
Nobody on Tour is more comfortable in open-ocean lineups than Florence. His mastery of the lumpy and bumpy, the rips and rivers, the deep stuff, it's untouchable. Main Break's moodiness was giving most surfers a headache. Not Florence. It was a giant playground for him, with an uncanny resemblance to Pupukea rights, the wave in his backyard.
The reigning World Champion delivered a jaw-dropping exhibition on Saturday.
But there's more going on here. His move to hire Ross Williams was the first signal that John John Florence has no intention of letting his foot off the gas.
John was the first to acknowledge that he had plenty to improve on. And Williams is the perfect man to milk it out of him. The former Tour star and former WSL commentator is one of John's tribal elders at home, so the respect level is high. Williams' can deliver lessons about equipment, heat strategy and mind space with both wit and wisdom. And it's clear they're working.
His surfing at Main Break was pure artistry. The twisting and torquing, the snapping and carving, it was simply beyond anything else we've seen, not just from Florence, but from anyone, ever.
With his win, Florence has already reclaimed the yellow Jeep Leader jersey, and just in case you didn't get the message this week, he's got no intention of letting off the gas.
You'd be smiling too after a week like this. - WSL / Matt Dunbar
"Wilko won the first two events in a row last year, so we all know what can happen," Florence said from the podium. "I'm just going to keep focusing on myself."
If that's the case that spells trouble for the rest, because a focused Florence is going to be very hard to stop.
John John Florence Has Gone Next Level...And Yet There's More
WSL
Truth be told nobody knew what to expect of John John Florence heading into this season. After his incredible run in 2016 (winning the Eddie, The Triple Crown, and the World Title) he certainly deserved to exhale.
It would have been perfectly understandable if the new World Champ took his foot off the gas this season -- in fact many expected it from the low-key Hawaiian.
Newsflash: it's not happening.
Florence is off to a stellar start in 2017. He's already well ahead of his 2016 pace, and he's surfing better too.
As good as John's title run was last year, he was never as dominant as he was this week at Margaret River, where his heat totals at Main Break are now the stuff of legend. Round Three: 19.27, Round Four: 19.16, Quarterfinals: 18.04, Semifinals: 19:27, and in the Final, a 19.03.
Nobody on Tour is more comfortable in open-ocean lineups than Florence. His mastery of the lumpy and bumpy, the rips and rivers, the deep stuff, it's untouchable. Main Break's moodiness was giving most surfers a headache. Not Florence. It was a giant playground for him, with an uncanny resemblance to Pupukea rights, the wave in his backyard.
But there's more going on here. His move to hire Ross Williams was the first signal that John John Florence has no intention of letting his foot off the gas.
John was the first to acknowledge that he had plenty to improve on. And Williams is the perfect man to milk it out of him. The former Tour star and former WSL commentator is one of John's tribal elders at home, so the respect level is high. Williams' can deliver lessons about equipment, heat strategy and mind space with both wit and wisdom. And it's clear they're working.
His surfing at Main Break was pure artistry. The twisting and torquing, the snapping and carving, it was simply beyond anything else we've seen, not just from Florence, but from anyone, ever.
With his win, Florence has already reclaimed the yellow Jeep Leader jersey, and just in case you didn't get the message this week, he's got no intention of letting off the gas.
"Wilko won the first two events in a row last year, so we all know what can happen," Florence said from the podium. "I'm just going to keep focusing on myself."
If that's the case that spells trouble for the rest, because a focused Florence is going to be very hard to stop.
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro
Here are five must-see heats from an epic year at the wild and rugged Margaret River, in Western Australia.
The WSL filmmakers go behind the scenes to capture all of the action from the 2017 Drug Aware Margaret River Pro.
The Californian is absorbing another round of life lessons during his roller-coaster ride in 2017.
If the charismatic Australian is to save his year he'll need to get busy at the Hurley Pro.
The rookie from Portugal talks about his huge upset win over Mick Fanning and John John Florence in Round Four.
News
Jett Schilling's event-winning 9.73, plus a 9.50 in the Semifinals, another 9 from Taro Watanabe and explosive surfing from local hero
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Soleil Errico teamed up with Traveller Surf Club (@traveller_surf_club) to host an invitational pro coaching workshop for the young rising
Taro Watanabe bagged himself two separate 9-point rides before Jett Schilling posted a 9.93 in the final heat of the Round of 16 to add