John John Florence Hates Interviews (But He Gave Us One Anyway)

I interviewed Robert De Niro, years ago, at a red-carpet event in New York.

And when I say “interviewed,” I mean stood behind a gold and velvet stanchion, alongside an army of other reporters, squeaked out a couple questions when it was my turn, and cowered beneath De Niro’s patented “you talkin’ to me?” scowl as he gave single-word answers.

It was a very uncomfortable two-and-a-half minutes.

John John Florence is not like De Niro; however, he also does not love interviews. He’s private, maybe even a bit shy. So, when we had the chance to call him, under the assumption that we would discuss his brand (Florence, no longer Florence Marine X) and the upcoming Olympics (in which he’ll represent Team USA), per the requests of his PR handlers, we jumped on it.

But we asked him about more than his brand and the Olympics – a lot more. See below.

So, your brother recently posted a video of you getting interviewed, calling it your “worst nightmare.” How do you feel right now talking on the phone with me?

[Laughs.] No, I don’t mind them that much. He made it look really bad.

Where are you?

I’m at home in Hawaii. It’s summertime here, so it’s hot and flat.

When and where was your last surf session?

My heat in Tahiti.

How’s Florence going?

It’s been going super good. It’s been incredibly fun, more fun than I could’ve ever imagined it. It just keeps getting more and more exciting for me. The team is getting more and more aligned, and with that comes better products. Everything is more streamlined, and running smoother. Learning how to run a business has been interesting, but the teamwork has been crucial. And the newer products we're coming out with – and I’m not trying to sell it [laughs] – but I’m super excited about it. It’s cool to make gear that I actually like.

Why’d you drop the “Marine X”?

Originally, I think it had something to do with getting “Florence” totally copyrighted. Once we got there, we just wanted to simplify it and clean it up. Less of a mouthful.

Does it feel awkward seeing your name on clothing?

It for sure was in the beginning. But now, it’s getting to the point where I don’t even think of it as my name, which is weird, but also probably a good thing.

Why are the hooded rashguards so popular?

Hooded rashguards are cool, and I think it took a second for people to figure that out. Me and my brothers got super into them during the COVID summer. We were surfing a lot here in Hawaii and we realized that they’re actually super functional. They’ve been around forever. They feel good. I was using Patagonia ones, I had a couple Dakine ones. And when we started the brand, I just wanted to make a really nice, cool, functional version of it.

You qualified for the Olympics. How are you feeling about it?

I’m feeling super good about it. I’m super excited that it’s in Tahiti. I’m excited that I get another chance at it. Also, it’s nice that I’ve gone through it once before, so I kind of know what to expect. I feel like I’m better positioned this time than I was before.

What means more to you these days – a World Title or an Olympic Gold Medal?

An Olympic medal…right now. The World Title also means a lot. But I’ve won that, so the Gold Medal would be a dream to win. In sports, I think, that’s everyone’s dream.

How many World Titles do you have again?

Two.

How many Gold Medals?

Zero.

Where do you keep your trophies?

In closets, drawers, some are on shelves…wherever I have space.

What’s up with the new sponsors? The shoes and the shades?

The shoes are Vivobarefoot. It’s an incredible brand, with an incredible team. Over the past few years, I’ve been trying to partner with brands that do stuff that I’m kind of doing anyway. When these things happen, it just makes it more natural to be a part of the brand. So, Vivo is a cool one, because everything they do aligns with my life. It’s a shoe that I would buy anyway. They’re great for all the hobbies I get into.

Then there’s M-Experiment. It’s just another team, another group of awesome humans, and getting to work with the Jannards in the past few years with RED [cameras], then having them start M-Experiment is insane. I love that they make such quality products. So far, these glasses have been great. And more than anything, it’s just a great group of people.

Do you think the WSL is going downhill?

I think the WSL is…different from what it was in the past. Whether that’s good or bad. I think everyone’s going to have a different opinion on that. Ultimately, I think the WSL is going to evolve over time, and I think it should. It’s going to have hard times in that evolution; it’s going to have ups and downs. That’s natural with anything changing – to get to something better, you have to have low points and high points to learn what works and what doesn’t.

Part of it, I applaud when they try new things. All the comments and judgement they get from the outside is a lot. Then, as an athlete, sometimes you’re on the good end of it, sometimes you’re on the bad end. When you’re on the bad end, it really sucks and you don’t wanna be a part of it. When you’re on the good end, everything feels right.

Ultimately, I hope it gets to a good place. And that it showcases how cool our sport is. I think that should be the goal. Most of the athletes surf for the love of surfing, and I think that needs to be shown.

Who should replace E-Lo?

I have no idea. [Laughs.] I don’t even know who’s up for the gig.

Heard you sold your sailboat. Why? You still sail?

I love sailing, and I will always be sailing. I put the boat up for sale because I’m still focused on the Tour and a lot of my time goes towards the Tour. So, I felt like I might sell it, and take a break from owning a boat for a year or two. Just focus on the Tour. Then look into getting something else once I have more time.

But right now, I think it’s in a good place. Because if it doesn’t sell, I’m just going to go down to New Zealand and go sailing. Spend some time sailing around down there. If it does sell, then I’m going to focus on some other things for now. Ultimately, though, I picture myself sailing around on a boat, just looking for waves.

Your brother, Nate, was on a big workout kick recently. Do you work out?

I work out. I don’t work out as much as Nate. I don’t love doing stuff in the gym, but I don’t hate it. I’ll do it, but I really enjoy endurance stuff a lot more. It’s cool to see how far you can push your body. Over the years, training has been interesting for me. I started training a bit in 2015 and 2016, then each year I felt like I had to train more and more and more. It got to the point where I was like, ‘this is not fun.’ This year, I’ve stepped back from it, and I feel a lot better actually.

What do you think the ideal body type for surfers is? Ripped, skinny, somewhere in the middle?

I think it’s somewhere in the middle. It depends on the person. Some people are just naturally ripped; I don’t get it. It depends on the type of surfing you’re trying to do, too.

Would you ever quit the CT and join the “Slab Tour” with Nate?

I would love that! The guy gets better waves than anyone.

Who got more barreled this year – him or you?

Him! By far! Besides Tahiti, I don’t even really know the last time I got barreled.

Do you think you should’ve won that heat against Connor O’Leary at J-Bay?

After watching it back, I thought some of the scores were high and some were low. I thought it was a pretty close heat overall. I didn’t totally agree with the last wave [of Connor’s] being that high of a score. So, I was a little bummed. I would’ve loved to have won that heat. Like we were talking about, it sucks being on that end of it.

What’s Ivan like? I feel like I’ve never heard him speak a word.

Ivan is like a silent old soul. When you spend time with him, he’s hilarious. He’ll go from complete silence to saying some of the funniest quotes you’ve ever heard.

So, he’s not a mute?

No. [Laughs.]

You’re married, right? How's that going?

Marriage life is going well, smooth so far.

Do you plan on starting a family one day?

Definitely. I would love to start a family. I’m open to it whenever that happens.

What do you think of Kelly? Do you still want to be competing when you’re 51?

Me, personally, no. [Laughs.] But I do think it’s amazing. I couldn’t say enough good things about Kelly. It’s so inspiring what he’s able to do at his age, and for how long he’s been doing it. I know firsthand how hard surfing and competing can be on your body…the injuries, the maintenance to keep yourself moving forward takes a lot of time, energy, effort, everything.

I have a lot of respect for what Kelly is doing. I think a lot of people want him to retire at this point. But it’s incredible that he can go out and compete with the best surfers in the world at his age.

Are you going to watch the WSL Finals?

Honestly, probably not. [Laughs.] I haven’t watched one yet.

Who ya got?

Probably Filipe. At chest-high Lowers, he’s one of the best surfers ever.

Do you ever feel like you’re past your prime?

No, I don’t. I don’t think that’s how you think when you’re a competitor. If I felt like I was past my prime, I don’t think I’d be doing it anymore. What’s the point of chasing around that schedule, and grinding it out?

Did Taylor Swift ever slide into your DMs?

[Laughs.] No. [Laughs.] No, no.

What’re you gonna do for the rest of the year?

I have a lot to do. There are probably three main things that I’m excited for…I’ll have some time to dive into my brand more. That’s exciting for me. It’s hard when you’re on the Tour and all your focus goes to that. I’ll also be surfing really good waves, which I can’t wait to do. And then, I’ll be doing quite a bit of sailing. Those are the three things I’m looking forward to.

This year was one of my hardest years mentally that I’ve had, specifically when it came to finding motivation and confidence. In the last few events, I started to find my rhythm, and I started to enjoy it. It got me excited for next year. I actually felt like I wanted to be doing this.

Thanks for enduring the interview, John. Hope it wasn’t too painful.

No worries. Thanks!