Staff
You may know where this is. But don’t tell. Just let the rest of the world that reads here enjoy the mutant nature of this nondescript slab ridden by Nate and Ivan Florence. We think we know where it is, too. But we don’t need to tell. It’s worthy on its own, watching Nate take off and seeing the thing mutate into a bulbous barrel. Or watching Ivan pigdog his way into success. It’s a thing of beauty, all on its own.
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It is no revelation that John John Florence releases quality films. He and his team have a sense for the stunning, the beautiful. But it continues to take one back that Mr. Florence can release new film, after new film, new edit, after new edit, and each is on par or a step better than the last.
The most recent,
Maps of Home, is a well-thought out piece of surf film featuring surfers that are ultimately fun to watch on film: Koa Rothman, Nathan Florence, Jack Robinson, Ivan Florence, Eli Olson, Jamie O’Brien and of course, John John himself. John again partners with longtime friend, Erik Knutson, who worked on both the cinematography and editing. From the boards, to the shot selection, it is another masterpiece. Enjoy.
Pyzel Teaches Koa Smith How to Make a Magic Surfboard Wednesday April 21, 2021 Staff
Pyzel makes a good surfboard. You know this because some of the world’s best surfers rely on his sticks to slide around on waves and do things that most surfers can’t fathom. He’s been making John John Florence’s surfboards forever. Also included in the list of people who have the little star logo on their boards are Jack Freestone, Tyler Wright, Koa Rothman, Nathan and Ivan Florence, Mark Healey, and a whole lot more.
With all that in mind, Koa Smith took a drive over to the Pyzel surfboards factory to figure out exactly what kind of magic Pyzel puts into his foam. The plan, at least initially, was for Koa to shape a board with Pyzel, but as you’ll see, Pyzel has hard time letting go of the reins when it comes to making a perfect surfboard. Which makes sense, because his are arguably the best on Earth.
Staff
You know those days that have obscenely-good waves and for some reason, no one is out? Oh, those are good days. You and a few friends, sharing waves, hooting each other in, laughing at wipeouts, and maybe, just maybe, employing a few playful drop-ins. Those days likely happen to Koa Rothman more often than not, because he lives in the middle of the 7-Mile Miracle, and the best waves on Earth sit at his doorstep. His friends live nearby, and they also happen to be among some of the best surfers in the world, so when he pulls up to picture perfect Rocky Point on a day that should have way more people out, he doesn’t even seem all that excited. Of course, the people who ARE out include John John Florence, Nathan Florence, and Ivan Florence, which is a decent lineup, to say the least.
Gallery: The Best Images From Pipeline Valentine
Photographic highlights from four days on the North Shore
Flynn Novak. Photo: Jeremiah Klein
Marcus Sanders
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As mentioned more than a few times already, we’ve seen some amazing images and videos from the Pipeline Valentine swell along the North Shore. We reported on it in realtime right here. We have three days of cam highlights from Pipeline right here. We nominated a Photo of the Swell right here. This was not a giant, Waimea/Outer Reef swell (though there were a couple moments on Saturday), but Pipeline and Backdoor took center stage and had moments of sheer brilliance, as showcased in the photo gallery below. (Stay tuned for some outstanding O’Neill Wave of the Winter as well. Oh, and fair warning: basically everyone in the below photos is going straight. There are no turns.)