John Florence, backside swirl at D-bah, Gold Coast

“It’s dark, windy and rainy outside,” says photog Ryan Miller. “But it felt nice to get out and knock the dust off my camera after all those flat days.” Getting back in the game’s a pleasure. Especially when you’ve got someone like John Florence, pictured here, to work with. A quick, sucking left has been pushing through the north end of D-bah and John, as y’can see here, doesn’t mind it. But not everything’s great. The weather, for one, is far from peachy. “It’s pretty funky up here,” continues Ryan. “The Waves are marginal at best and I could hear the trials running out front at Snapper today, but had no idea what was going on (Garrett Parkes won the mens and a match-up with KS and Kolohe Andino, while Philippa Anderson scooped herself a spot in the Roxy Pro). John-John was excited to get in the water and have a go, even in the rain, just before gearing up for his heat which will most likely run tomorrow.” You heard the man. Don’t miss the first WT event of 2012 – the lineup’s stacked and, while the sand’s not been pumped enough, conditions still look killer. Tie your boots up, kid.