John “John John” Alexander Florence, 31, is a competitive surfer from North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii. He weighs 74 kilograms and stands 6 feet 2 inches tall. He has been called “One of the most dominant pipe surfers of his era”. He is now a competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
John John Florence Qualified for Paris Olympics 2024
John John Florence and Carissa Moore have secured their spots on the United States Olympics team. Following his latest win, Florence went on to explain how he was excited about the upcoming year, which holds the start of a new Championship Tour season, the Olympic Games, and the upcoming birth of his first child.
“More than anything, I’m excited,” “It’s all good. There’s so much good stuff going on.”
Florence said after his win.
John John Florence puts an outstanding 17.34 total heat score, the highest of the competition so far, the two-time world champion with the legendary Pipeline reef break. He opened his Round of 32 heat with a 9-point ride at Pipeline itself, then closed it out with an 8-point wave at the Backdoor section.
John John Florence’s Early Years in Hawaii
John “John John” Florence was born John Alexander Florence on October 18, 1992, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Now 31 years old, he is the eldest brother among his siblings, Ivan, and Nathan Florence. The family grew up in the surfing town of Haleiwa, living in an oceanfront house at the world-famous Banzai Pipeline break.
Florence was introduced to surfing from a young age by his mother Alexandra, herself an expert former surfer. With her guidance, he first rode a surfboard at a young 6 months old and was surfing on his own by the tender age of 5. In addition to surfing, Florence enjoyed skateboarding, snowboarding, and drawing as a youth.
Florence’s unique nickname has an origin, he was named after John F. Kennedy, Jr., who was dubbed “John John” by the media during his father‘s presidency.
Sushi and pasta top the list of Florence’s favorite foods. His hobbies and passions beyond surfing include skateboarding, sailing, snowboarding, photography, fishing, and even beekeeping. Among female surfers, Florence’s favorites are Australian greats Stephanie Gilmore and his Olympic teammate Carissa Moore.
Meet Florence Siblings
Nathan Florence
A professional surfer, Nathan Florence is also known for his skills in the unique art of knife throwing, as well as Cat Lover. Nathan Florence joined the elite ranks of the Big Wave World Tour in 2018.
Outside of the surf world, Nathan Florence has settled into family life with his wife Mahina.
Ivan Florence
Ivan Florence is the youngest of the two Florence surfing brothers, from the iconic North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Growing up with his older siblings, his backyard and local surf spots are Pipeline and Eukai.
Ivan represents the lone “goofy footer,” or surfer who rides with his right foot forward, in the Florence family. He has developed a smooth yet radical approach to surfing.
John John Florence is happily married to his wife Lauryn Cribb
John John Florence, the American professional surfer, and two-time World Surf League champion, has found wedded to his wife Lauryn Cribb. Lauryn Cribb flew to Hawaii many times and John John traveled back to Australia until they started dating. Despite heavy rains on the day, the couple married in a ceremony at the Waimea Valley on the North Shore of Oahu, Florence’s beloved home island.
“I didn’t plan how I was going to purpose. I woke up one day and I was like, okay today’s the day, but I didn’t have a ring,”. He went to his mom and she gave him a diamond ring she found on a beach. He said he proposed with that ring as a “placeholder” that would work at the moment.
he told the maagzine
On the day he decided to propose, he was able to convince Cribb at the beach, despite she had other plans that day. Florence battled nerves, sweat, and sunburn as the couple spent time avoiding getting into the water.
Finally, Florence asked Cribb to marry him right there on the beach. To Florence’s relief and joy, she happily said yes to his proposal.
On December 23rd, 2023, Lauryn posted a photograph featuring her pregnant belly, indicating that she is expecting a baby boy. The public has taken to referring to the unborn child using the playful nickname “John John John.”
John John Florence’s Swimming Career So Far
Early Career
At just 13 years old, standing 4’11”, and weighing only 85 pounds, John John Florence became the youngest surfer ever to compete in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. This elite series consists of three separate big-wave surfing contests.
Though still a young amateur, Florence had already racked up 5 contest wins before the Triple Crown – the 2003 NSSA Nationals Open Mini Grom, the 2005 NSSA Nationals Open Boys, the 2005 NSSA Open Boys, and the Explorer Menehune titles.
At the Vans Triple Crown, Florence failed to advance past the opening round. However, in a remarkable feat, he outscored seasoned pro surfer Shane Dorian, who was 20 years his senior. Competing against surfers often twice his age and far more experienced, Florence was satisfied with his standout performance despite the early exit.
In 2011, the surf phenom suffered a broken back while riding a wave at the same Banzai Pipeline break he grew up surfing near his Haleiwa home. This would be just one of many serious injuries, as Florence has also gone through a broken wrist, broken leg, broken arm, and ankle ligament tear over his extraordinary career.
In February 2016, at age 23, Florence achieved a crowning accomplishment – winning the Eddie Aikau Invitational at Waimea Bay. The “Eddie” was founded in 1984 to honor legendary Hawaiian lifeguard and big wave rider Eddie Aikau.
When conditions allow, between 28-40 top surfers are chosen by their peers to compete during a window spanning December 1st through the end of February each year. Florence became just the 9th surfer ever to win the Eddie, appearing victorious in the first edition held in 7 years.
Professional Career
After a dominant 2016 season on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour, John John Florence continued his performance into 2017.
In December 2017, the Hawaiian phenom secured his second consecutive WSL world championship at his home break of Pipeline. Florence secured the title by finishing runner-up to Jeremy Flores. at that event.
Despite being an ACL injury that caused him to miss much of the 2019 WSL Championship Tour season, Florence still managed to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He finished the 2019 tour ranked a respectable 7th overall after competing in just 6 of the 11 events that year.
At the Tokyo Games, Florence’s Olympic debut ended in the third round where he was eliminated by fellow Team USA surfer Kolohe Andino.
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In December 2020, Florence captured one of surfing’s most iconic titles – the Billabong Pipeline Masters. In the final, he defeated Brazilian surf star Gabriel Medina to claim the trophy at his home break of Pipeline.
The following year in December 2021, Florence won the Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold Haleiwa Challenger, posting an excellent heat score in the final at the Oahu event.
After an injury at the Boost Mobile Margaret River Pro in 2021 forced him to miss the majority of that WSL season, Florence finished a disappointing 11th in the year-end rankings.
But the Hawaiian came back in January 2022, winning the Triple Crown of Surfing for the second straight year, alongside fellow Oahu native Carissa Moore.
Most recently in December 2023, Florence got the victory at the Vans Pipe Masters, sharing the winner’s podium with fellow Hawaiian Moana Jones Wong.
John John Florence Career Threatening Injuries
In 2016, Florence’s career nearly ended when he suffered a fractured vertebra in his lower spine while surfing the powerful waves of Oahu’s North Shore near his Haleiwa home. According to photographer Daniel Russo, who saw the incident, Florence took off on what appeared to be a relatively mellow wave. However, the growing swell was generating waves with the force of much larger sets – the 8-foot faces own the energy of 15-footers according to Russo, who described the conditions that day as “not normal.”
Florence was deep inside a barrel when it suddenly crashed into a sandbar. Rather than throwing over in a barrel, the wave tripled in size and went “straight down like a waterfall” in Russo’s words. Florence was crouched low and “glued to his board,” the full force of the massive wave crashed directly onto Florence’s back, fracturing his spine.
As Florence came up, he knew immediately that “something didn’t feel right.” He was so weak he could not even grab his board, dipping back under the water before managing to “flop” back onto his surfboard. Unable to paddle, he was rescued by two fellow surfers who saw his struggle.
After recovering from the spinal fracture, Florence’s comeback was put on hold when he suffered a knee injury during a free surf session at the 2018 Corona Bali Protected event in Bali between May 27 and June 9.
Florence was out of action for much of the 2019 WSL Championship Tour season with the injury, though he still managed to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics despite the long layoff. The Games were then postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In early May 2021, just months before the rescheduled Olympics, Florence revealed he had hurt his knee at the Margaret River Pro event. Returning home for treatment, it seemed doubtful he would recover in time to compete in Tokyo.
Florence announced on social media at the end of May that he was recovering well after surgery to reattach the torn ACL to his femur(thighbone). Florence made it to the Tokyo Games which began on July 23, 2021. Though he was eliminated in the third round by teammate Kolohe Andino, Florence’s very presence on surfing’s Olympic debut stage was inspirational in itself.
