The Inside Scoop on John John Florence’s Harrowing Pacific Ocean Sailing Trip

How does John John Florence spend his time off the Championship Tour? In an extremely wholesome manner. He sailed and surfed around New Zealand with his son, Darwin, and his life, Lauryn. But a warm and fuzzy family trip isn’t what we’re here to share. 

After two Florences left John’s catamaran Vela, in came another one, Nathan Florence. Their harrowing trip through tempestuous seas and the thousands of miles they traversed, along with the waves they encountered, are the subject of a live show in Newport Beach’s Lido Theater this week (Grab your tickets here!)

The event, which is presented by SURFER Magazine, will feature a slideshow from John, Q&A moderated by SURFER Editor in Chief Jake Howard, and a bunch of giveaways. Attendees can win a new Pyzel surfboard signed by John, a WSL yellow jersey signed by John and $500 of Florence gear. 

After the chat comes a screening of HERE, a film featuring John, Nathan and Ivan Florence going ballistic on the North Shore during the 2023-24 winter. It’s electric on an iPhone, so you can imagine how good it will look and sound in a theater. To cap off the night, the Laguna Beach band The Alive will hit the stage with a live set.

There’s a romanticism about “the great adventure” of open-ocean sailing that glosses over the physical and mental demands it requires. Stuff is always breaking, the conditions can turn downright dangerous, and sailors usually go without sleep for days. All of that happened on the Florence family exploration into the South Pacific.

The video below is Nathan’s take on their trip, where they had to go 1,500 miles just to get their first session. Of course, while John is using the head, Nathan sends it “down a monster” and gets the boat up to 21.5 knots (24.4 mph). It's a break from the Slab Tour, but there's still plenty of swell for this crew. Queue the sea shanties.