John John Florence And The Subtle Art Of Excelling

“I don’t know how we did, but we made it,” smirked a relieved John John Florence.

After 32 miles on the water, John and teammate Kona Johnson slid into the Maunalua Bay Beach Park. The duo ended up in second in the team division of the famed Molokai 2 Oahu paddle race.

“I came in and the guy gave me a medal that said, ‘Finisher.’ I came in and asked, ‘What’d we get?’ And he just kind of laughed at me,” said John.

Nursing his bum knee, lately John’s embraced the prone paddleboard, training on a 12-foot Bark at home on the North Shore of Oahu.

Teaming up with lifelong friend, Kona, the two did the race to help raise awareness for the Kokua Foundation. Trent Johnson captained the support boat to help get them across the turbulent waters.

Starting the race at Kalua Koi on Molokai, John paddled the first leg of the race.

“So fun, it was super cool. I was super psyched on it,” he said of his start. “I felt like I was really north of everyone. Everyone’s veering off in this way, but I was getting fun chops going this way.”

Utilizing their sailing skills and keen understanding of the Hawaiian currents, John and Kona took a different tact across the channel.

“We headed north of the whole crew, then we can head downwind into point, that’s kind of our strategy, so we’ll see how it works,” said John.

It may be awhile until we see John step back onto the WSL stage, but rest assured, he’s as comfortable in the ocean as ever.