Is this the biggest alley oop ever done in competition?

Did John John Florence, 20 years old and from Hawaii, just do the biggest alley oop ever done in ASP World Tour competition? Or, any other kind of surfing competition, ever? Yes.

In the last heat of the day, and of round one, at the Oakley Pro, Bali, John posted a 9.87 against Sebastian ‘Sea Bass’ Zietz. Sea Bass clocked a 9.80 and a 9.57 – two scores that’d leave you pretty gawddamn certain you’d won your heat. But, along came dear John, stalling oddly on takeoff in the lip of a smooth set, then… uh. A completely-rotated alley oop, perhaps a little smaller than the one that opens Done, but, oh god, most certainly a gotta-be-seen-to-be-believed kinda deal.

“I was in the air, and then I saw the bottom, everything happened so fast and I just landed perfect,” said John afterwards. “I think I claimed it super hard (he did) but I was super stoked. The ankle brace gives me confidence to do things and it’s actually feeling really good now. I’m so stoked to be back in the water, and surfing out here. The waves are amazing. I was sitting up there earlier watching the air wind, and I was super psyched on trying to do an air. But I had to calm myself down not to go out there and try airs the whole time. Then that one came and had that section on it, and I just went for it…”

And, here’s some more collected thoughts:

Beau Emerton: “It was the craziest air I think I have ever seen it my life. I reckon he was three seconds in the air. Sea Bass actually had him on the ropes so he was under a bit of pressure and he just busted the sickest thing I’ve seen.”

Sea Bass: “I had just had a good one and I was paddling back out and I saw JJ go for the wave. I was sure he was going to pull into the barrel so I paddled over and then Miguel saw it and was totally speechless and I knew that something big had gone down.”

Tom Whitaker, contest director: “That was one of the craziest things I have seen in surfing. It vindicated my decision to run the contest, despite the onshore.”

Expect this to haunt the rest of this event’s webcast, and our memories forever, and enjoy the same breath as Kelly’s New York and Bells spins.