Watch: John John’s Triumphant Return To Pipeline

A mid-sized northwest hit the North Shore recently (prior to yesterday’s mega-swell), gifting Hawaiian locals and transplants their first glimpse of “real” Pipeline in over a month.

Koa Smith and Nate Florence held it down for the Hawaiian contingent, while Jordy Smith continued to hone his heavy-water skills prior to the 2019 season. But it was 2x World Champion John Florence whose presence was felt most intensely at the Banzai.

After sustaining a brutal knee injury last June, John has been slowly reintroducing himself to surfing, but he’s been noticeably absent from Pipeline for the majority of the winter. Now just two weeks from the start of Snapper, John’s finally getting reacquainted with the 11th Tour stop. 

We’d rate his performance: a little rusty, but still quite good. Highly promising, all things considered.