Photo: John John Florence // YouTube
There’s raw surf footage, and then there’s raw surf footage. Most YouTube content is a far cry from the high-energy slap to the face of a well-produced, tightly edited, honest to goodness surf edit, but there’s still a little bit of showmanship that sneaks in around the edges. However, a recent post from John John Florence eschews that entirely, in favor of a free-roaming, lackadaisical slice of the North Shore surf icon’s life.
The release came in the midst of a somewhat self-contradictory point in time in his career. On January 21, he announced he would be stepping away from the 2025 Championship Tour. “I’ve decided to focus on surfing in a different way this year,” he wrote on Instagram. “I want to create the time to explore, find new waves, and draw different lines.” Less than a week later, it was revealed he would be surfing in the just-wrapped Lexus Pipe Pro as a wildcard.
None of that tension makes its way into the edit, though. Instead, we follow John John as he tackles heavy North Shore surf with his characteristic elan – interspersed with scenes of him harassing his brothers into going out surfing, getting accosted by groms in the parking lot, and generally just shooting the shit. It all gives the feeling of just hanging out with JJF and the boys, and it’s not a bad way to spend a day.
