John John Florence & The Surfboard Behind World Title No. 3 

To summarize, John and Jon essentially applied the Goldilocks approach with this board early on in 2024. John wanted something that would hold better than a carbon groveler, but with more get-up-and-flow in softer waves than a Power Tiger, their high-performance, crunch time shortboard.

What resulted was the Red Tiger, a step-down model. Jon alludes to the fact that it was built with a world-title showdown at Lowers in mind. To read SURFER’s interview with Jon Pyzel about this board, John’s resurgence at Lowers and more, click here. 

John wasn’t in love with his boards in his warmups, but he liked them enough to stash them in Southern California. But with the finals on the horizon, just one old, worn-out Red Tiger in his quiver. What does he do? Call Jon on speed dial. “In my head, I was screaming at you,” Jon laughed. “He’s got the biggest, most pressured event of his life in a way tomorrow, so I’m not going to say a word. Usually I’d be like, ‘Are you kidding me?!’ I just controlled myself, then was like, ‘Let me see what you have here.’”

What went down last summer reveals some insight into John’s broad psyche. He seems to keep things pretty casual, but at the same time close to the chest. It also shows that Pyzel’s Oceanside team, notably head shaper DJ Kane, can produce top-of-the-line blades in three days. According to the WSL’s poll, 62% of voters believed Italo Ferreira would beat John in the final in soft, crumbling rights. But the Pyzel team nailed the board, and John nailed his turns, including thatlayback.

“It’s pretty awesome to be able to do that,” said a typically understated John. This story is good, the banter is better. These two could start a podcast.