John John Florence

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, as the oldest of his brothers, Ivan and Nathan Florence, Florence grew up in Hale'iwa in an ocean-side house at Banzai Pipeline. He was introduced to surfing by his mother, Alexandra, who is a surfer herself.[1][5] With his mother's help, Florence first rode on a surfboard when he was six-months old, and he was surfing on his own by the age of five.[1] His brother, Nathan, now competes on the Big Wave World Tour after qualifying in 2018.[6] Florence is engaged to longtime girlfriend Lauryn Cribb.[7]

He was named after John F. Kennedy, Jr., who was dubbed "John John" by the media while his father was president.[8]

At the age of 13, standing at 4'11" and weighing 85 pounds, Florence became the youngest surfer ever to compete in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, which consists of three big-wave surfing contests in Hawaii.[2][9] He had previously won five amateur awards, the 2003 1st NSSA Nationals Open Mini Grom, the 2005 1st NSSA Nationals Open Boy's, the 2005 NSSA Open Boys and the Explorer Menehune Champion.[1] He did not pass the first round, but he did score higher than Shane Dorian, a professional surfer twenty years Florence's senior.[2] Afterwards, Florence said he was "pretty scared," but that he was "happy with how [he] did".[10] When Florence was still a youngster, pro surfer Kelly Slater said, "John John's going to know the waves on North Shore like no one we've ever seen before."[1]

Since joining the World Surf League (WSL) and competing against the best surfers in the world, Florence has ranked 34th in 2011, 4th in 2012, 10th in 2013, 3rd in 2014, and 14th in 2015. Florence was the 2016 WSL Champion.[11]

Florence won the prestigious SURFER POLL award in the 2014-2015 year.[12] He has won the Volcom Pipe Pro an astonishing 4 times and has been declared the all-time ruler of this contest.[13]

In 2011, Florence suffered a broken back while riding a wave at Pipeline.[14] He has also had a broken wrist, broken leg, broken arm and ankle ligament tear.[15]

According to surfer Mitch Crews, who witnessed Florence's performance at the 2014 Billabong Pro Teahupoo, "He makes it look stupidly easily no matter how big or small the wave is. He is the man out there, rules the line up and makes everyone look silly. He is the man, and most of us are not."[16]

Florence won the Vans World Cup of Surfing in 2011 and 2013. He is the youngest contestant to have won this honor.[17]

In October 2014, he won the Quiksilver Pro France.[18] In February 2015, Florence won the 2015 Volcom Pipe Pro, which was his fourth win at this event in five years.[19][20]

In 2013, Florence changed sponsors, joining Hurley International, after surfing for O'Neill since he was six years old.[21] He also enjoys skateboarding, snowboarding and drawing.[1] On January 27, 2020, John John announced he would be leaving Hurley after Hurley's owner, Bluestar Alliance, walked back John John's contract and offered him a $2,000,000 buyout deal.[22]

He is now sponsored by: Stance, Futures, Nixon, Dakine, Clif Bar, Electric, Yeti and Pyzel surfboards.

On February 25, 2016, Florence won "The Eddie" Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational in memory of Eddie Aikau, at Waimea Bay, the first time the event ran in seven years.[23] He is one of the only nine surfers who have won the event.[24] On October 25, 2016, Florence won the Meo Rip Curl Pro, in Portugal securing the WSL World Championship title. Florence was the first Hawaiian surfer in over a decade to win the title since Andy Irons last won it in 2004.[25]

After a dominating 2016 season, Florence continued to show a strong performance in the 2017 WSL season, alongside his new coach Ross Williams.[26] John John's strong performances all year long made him a clear favorite to take home top honors again. In December 2017, Florence clinched his second straight world title at Pipeline, coming in second in the event to Jeremy Flores.[27]

In December 2019, Florence qualified for the 2020 Olympics despite missing much of the 2019 World Surf League Men's Champion Tour due to an ACL injury.[28] Florence finished the 2019 WSL Tour ranking 7th after competing in 6 of the 11 events.[4]

Done

With videography by director Blake Vincent Kueny and premiering at the House of Vans, in Brooklyn, on February 23, 2013, Done, Florence's first surfing film, received Surfer Poll 2013 Movie of the Year Award.[29][30][31][32][33] JJF received Surfer Poll 2013 Best Performance Award for his role in Done.[31][32][33]

Departure Delayed, Free to Roam, Begin Again, Again, And Again

Released in 2013, Departure Delayed, Free to Roam, Begin Again, Again, And Again are five shorts from Florence.[34][35][36][37][38][39] Begin Again received Surfer Poll 2013 Short of the Year Award.[30][31][32][33]

View from a Blue Moon

Released on December 1, 2015, with videography by Blake Vincent Kueny, narration by John C. Reilly, and the track Seasick Dream by Jack Johnson, View from a Blue Moon is a bio pic featuring JJ and friends at surfing spots around the world.[40][41] On November 11, 2015, in association with Brain Farm, John's View from a Blue Moon, the first surf film shot in 4k, premiered with seven screenings worldwide:[42][43]

The film was shot using aerial photography provided entirely by helicopters.[43]

Let's Be Frank

In 2016, Florence narrated the film Let's Be Frank, a rockumentary film based on big wave surfer, Frank Solomon.[44][45]

Twelve

On July 8, 2016, Florence released the first episode of his series Twelve.[46] The series consists of 7 episodes, which were released approximately every month, about Florence's quest for the first world title of his career.[46]