Of all the ingredients to Nathan Florence’s success (see: his guts, tenacity and uncanny barrel-riding skills), there is one that gets overlooked. That’s his ability to win over a lineup with smiles, a firm handshake and a respect for the local hierarchy.
“I always try to say hello to everyone when I enter a lineup if it isn’t super crowded,” Nathan writes mid-video, covering his session from a pumping day at The Box. “Sometimes it’s old friends, others I don’t know but always go for a handshake.
“Then I start my position at the bottom of the pack, read the lineup, and pick waves off others don’t want,” he continued. “Slowly I’ll enter the rotation in crowd if it’s that type of place. If it’s dominated by locals at peak, I’ll wait at end for the more mutant ones they don’t want, as well as the sneaky double-ups that go below a crowd often.” [sic]
Elite surfing meets common-sense decision-making.
However, having good etiquette doesn’t guarantee waves at The Box, Western Australia’s most publicized slab. Just because it’s well-known doesn’t mean it’s approachable. Remember how even some of the best pros on the Championship Tour had trouble with it for a few hours this year? Nathan and Ivan Florence have the brains and brawn to deal with the shifting, lurching peak, and even they get slammed sometimes.
Come for the waves, stay for the brotherly banter and near bathroom disaster.
Related: Nathan Florence Is the World’s Most Barreled Surfer (Video)