Watch: Mosquitos, Empty Reefs and Brotherhood

Originally posted on SURFER | By Jake Howard | Last updated Apr 17, 2026 4:19 PM ET

"Days, sometimes weeks will go by where I don't surf," admits John John Florence. "It makes it that much better when we do come up on some waves."

It's filling the time between scores that can be the challenge aboard Florence's 48-foot catamaran Vela. Traversing the seas with his young son Darwin and wife Lauryn, when the stars align, the trio are occasionally joined by Florence's brothers, Nathan and Ivan.

"It can be hard to get the schedules to align and find the time to get everyone on the boat at the same time," adds Florence.

And while one might think that pulling Nate and Ivan off the Slab Tour would require a special South Pacific discovery, sometimes it's the little things in life that bring brothers together. Like really little things. Like a cabin full of mosquitoes. But hey, nobody ever said surf exploration would be easy.

Of course, then there are other moments that couldn't be any more sublime, like watching wee Darwin hanging with a crew of groms from a no-name village on a no-name island deep in Fijian waters. They're the kind of experiences that he'll never remember, but will stay with him forever. Next month, Darwin will turn two years old. His namesake, Charles Darwin, only spent about 18 months at sea during his famous five-year voyage on the HMS Beagle in the 1830s--the kid will have him beat before he starts preschool!

Florence's latest episode, "Mosquito Bay | Vela | Presented by Yeti," is an important reminder that so often in life it's about the journey not the destination. In the words of Charles Darwin, "Nothing can be more improving to a young naturalist, than a journey in distant countries.”

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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