John John Florence + Margaret River = a thing of beauty.
Having traveled to Western Australia a lot as a young kid, and winning the Margaret River Pro twice (back in 2017 and 2019), the Hawaiian surfer pairs perfectly with the open-ocean power of Main Break and The Box. But JJF’s got another thing going for him in West Oz (and elsewhere) – hint: it’s under his feet.
Breaking down JJF’s ‘Ghost’ model from Pyzel, former Championship Tour surfer, Richie Lovett says:
“There’s so much mystery around this board. It’s so clearly different, when you actually dig into the design, compared to what anyone else is riding. This is the famous ‘Ghost’ model by Pyzel. It’s the board that John John has done all this brilliant surfing on – not only out here, but in Hawaii, and pretty much everywhere the waves actually kick up.
“What’re the differences? The outline first is the thing for me that’s marginally different. The wide point has been pushed forward. There’s so much more thickness under the chest here, compared to other boards you’ll see on Tour. And then there’s the narrowness of the tail. When John drives off that front foot, and then he goes into that big monster carve, he’s using this part of the board to gouge into the face of the wave.
“It’s super unique. It’s got this unusual flat spot here in the rocker. Slight single to double concave. So, there’s some big differences compared to what everyone else is riding. It just goes to show you, that John has worked on this design with John Pyzel, and it’s a match made in heaven.”
Nobody does turns like John John at Main Break – the gouging, go-for-broke mid-face hacks. And the slightly tweaked, relatively unconventional ‘Ghost’ model allows him to really lay into those turns, and maintain speed while completely burying the rail.
Think JJF can take home another victory in West Oz this year?
Stay tuned to the Margaret River Pro to find out, where John John Florence will take on Ethan Ewing in the quarterfinals when competition resumes.
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