Nathan Florence, face-on-face, Teahupoo

You want some advice about the backhand tube? “Most of it’s focussing on staying on the board,” says Nathan Florence, 17, and a gobbler of tubes, as well as books, about which you’ll read about shortly after this photo spread. “My first backside barrel was at the sandbars in front of my house. It was basically a dumping closeout but every now and then there would be a makable one. That was one of the first barrels I ever got. It was the best training for backside drops, especially when it was jacking up and slabbing. That’s where me and all my friends surfed every day and before we started moving out to bigger waves.” And, the inevitable question, who’s the better fixer of backside tubes, he or his elderly brother John? “John has the best backside tuberiding right now, but we are beginning to push each other. So… I might be catching up.” Says the photographer, Russo: “Nathan keeps getting better every time he surfs, and that’s rare these days. His style and comfort at Chopes didn’t happen overnight. He’s really put his time in at that wave: constant wipeouts and being rolled into the lagoon has sure helped tone his approach.”