John Florence, swerving through a hatch, D’bah

It was a fruitful two weeks in the West for John Florence, pictured here. But, what was a kid to do after nailing the trip of a lifetime with Albee Layer and Matt Meola, then winning the Telstra Drug Aware Pro the following week? “The swell forecast looked good but all the boxes had been checked,” says photog Ryan Miller, who shot this study of John punching through a lil D’bah hatch. “It was time to move on. With a week before Bells, the call was made to hit the Gold Coast for a few days. And, oh, what a good call it was. The waves here have been pumping the last few days and the vibe is so mellow with the comp gone. How good is a little break to surf in trunks during a month stretch in suits?” Pretty damn good. Almost as good as this behind-the-peak angle.