John John Florence burst onto the surf scene over a decade ago as a tiny, grom-sized bundle of mayhem in his native Hawaii, carving up waves with the ferocity of veterans twice his age. (And size!) With salt-kissed platinum-blonde hair and pale blue eyes, he looked like a dope treasure troll who could walk on water.
Now an adult, John John has blossomed into one of the best surfers on the planet, a perennial threat near the top of the World Surf League's leaderboard and, according to Surfer, one of the “dominant Pipe surfers of his era.” Recently he released his second full-length surf film, View from a Blue Moon, and, well...it's gorgeous, FOMO-inducing stuff.
Surfing paradisiacal locales like South Africa is a blessing, for sure, but the pressure to perform when all eyes are on you can feel weird, especially when the crew is “camping with hundreds of thousands of dollars of camera gear,” Florence says. In warm-weather locales, filming can mean rise and shine at 7 A.M. before monster sessions consisting of eight hours plus in the water—“four in the morning, four in the evening,” he says—which is about as taxing as it sounds.
The secret to keeping your energy levels up when you're trying not to get crushed by a few thousand gallons of ocean lip? Naps. (Around 11 A.M. or noon.) And lots and lots of carbs.
“I eat a lot of pasta," Florence says. “We eat relatively healthy. I don't eat fast food, mostly home-cooked stuff. Chicken. Salads. Stuff like that. Oatmeal for breakfast. A big dinner.“ Even though he's only 23 and “not a very good cook,” like most pro athletes he's attuned enough to his body to know what makes him perform well (fresh-caught fish) and what makes him feel shitty (croissants). “I like to eat really early, 4 or 5 o'clock,” he says. “That helps out a lot, to digest before you sleep.”
At the end of most shoot days, he's so wiped he's in bed by 8 P.M.
Extending his surf career as long as possible is something John John, who has a history of back and ankle injuries, thinks about often. Especially with freaks of nature like Kelly Slater stretching their competition years into their forties with careful diet monitoring and yoga. (“I need to stretch more,” Florence admits.)
Still. He's only 23 and traveling the world, so we asked: When you're somewhere like, say, Cape Town, do you and your buddies get after it at all? Go out and have a good time?
“We had a couple fun times,” John John says, a smile creeping up his face. “But when you're filming, you can't be wasting days.”
BreakfastEarly morning: OatsPost surf: Eggs and avocado
LunchFish and vegetables
DinnerPasta
View from a Blue Moon is now available on iTunes. The limited-edition bundle is available here.
