What's John Florence Gonna Ride At The WSL Finals? - Stab Mag

Episode 3 of EAST with Harry Bryant is LIVE, presented by Kona Big Wave and Vans.

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What’s John Florence Gonna Ride At The WSL Finals?

Two minutes of the current World #1 testing freshies at Trestles.

cinema // Aug 13, 2024
Words by Holden Trnka
Reading Time: < 1 minute

“Lowers is definitely a difficult wave to make a board for,” said Jordy Smith in How Surfers Get Paid S2E2. “It starts four foot and ends one foot. You need a board to carry you through that whole wave, you can’t be ripping the first part and then go real slow at the end, it’s anticlimatic.”

John John Florence has surfed seven CT contests at Lower Trestles and, judging by his cushion of 10,000 points at World #1, he’ll be heading into his eighth San Clemente showing in September.

The best he’s ever done at the cobbled a-frame? Second, in 2014.

So, to ensure that he’ll better this result in his next showing, he spent this summer’s recent (and only) South Pacific swell surfing at Trestles.

What boards was he riding?

“He’s been on the 2 boards we’ve worked on with Trestles in mind,” Jon Pyzel told me. “The main one if it’s smaller is the Red Tiger and the other is a better wave version of that called the Power Tiger. Both squash tails, both 6’0. He won El Salvador on the Power Tiger, but the Red Tiger would be the go if it’s small or just a weaker swell.”

Watch above and let us know if you think he’s got the juice to beat Ewing or Griff come September.

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