If you are surfing fan, then the name John John Florence might sound familiar. Born in 1992, this American professional surfer is considered one of the most dominant pipe surfers of his time. He rose to fame after winning back-to-back world titles on the 2016 and 2017 World Surf Leagues Men’s Championship Tour.
Florence has made history as the first Hawaii-born surfer to win 2 consecutive world titles after the late Andy Irons and among the five to achieve the feat.
It is no doubt that he has become a successful surfer given the fact that he was introduced into the sport by her surfer mother. Do you want to delve deeper into Florence’s life? Stick around.
Early Life
John John Florence was born in Honolulu, Hawaii as the oldest of his two brothers. He was introduced to surfing by Alexandra, his mother who is also a surfer. It is said Florence first rode on a surfboard at six months old by the help of his mother.
He started surfing on his own at 5 years old. Florence was named after John F. Kennedy Jr, who was called ‘John John’ by the media when his father was president.
Career
John John Florence became the youngest surfer at the age of 13 weighing 85 pounds and standing at 4’11”. He became the youngest surfer to compete in the Triple Crown of Surfing that consists of three big-wave surfing contests in Hawaii.
Before this, Florence had won five amateur awards, the Explorer Menehune, the 2003 1st NSSA Nationals Open Mini Grom, the 2005 NSSA Open Boys and the 2005 1st NSSA National’s Open Boys championships.
In the Vans Triple Crown Surfing, he didn’t pass the first round but performed better than Shane Dorian, a professional surfer and twenty years older than Florence. After the competitions, Florence said that he was pretty scared but happy with how he performed.
It is said that pro surfer Kelly later indicated that Florence is going to know the North Shore waves like no one he had ever seen before.
Other Accomplishments
After joining the World Surf League (WSL) and having the opportunity to compete against the top surfers in the world, Florence has risen through the ranks. For example, in 2011, he was ranked 34th, 4th in 2012, 10th in 2013, 3rd in 2014 and 14th in 2015.
He was the World Surf League champion in 2016. Florence also won the prominent Surfer Poll Award in the 2014-2015 year. Among other Florence’s accomplishments is the Volcom Pipe Pro award that he won 4 times and has been named the all-time ruler of this contest.
He also won the Vans Surfing World Cup two times, in 2011 and 2013 and is the youngest participant to have won this honor. Florence also won the Quiksilver Pro France in October 2014 and in February 2015 won the Volcom Pipe Pro which was his fourth win at this event in five years.
On February 2016, Florence scooped the ‘The Eddie’ Quiksilver Big wave Invitational. This was in memory of Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay. This was the first time for the event to run in seven years. He joined a group of nine surfers to have won the event since its inception.
Sponsorships
Florence changed sponsorship in 2013 by joining Hurley International from O’Neill where he had been from the age of six.
In January 2020, Florence announced said he would be leaving Hurley International after its owner, Bluestar Alliance walked back his contract and instead offered him a $2,000,000 buyout deal. Currently, he is sponsored by Futures, Stance, Dakine, Electric and Cliff Bar among other companies.
Conclusion
John John Florence is a big name in the surfing world. Having first surfed at the age of six months with the help of his mother, the young surfer has risen through the ranks to become one of the top names.
He has won a number of accolades like the prestigious Surfer Poll award, The Volcom Pipe Pro (4 times) and The Vans World Cup of Surfing among many others.
