John John Florence, Mason Ho Enjoy a Summertime Score on the North Shore
Two of surfing's universal truths, there's no surf on the North Shore in the summer and Rocky Point is a high-performance racetrack, were just dispelled by Mason Ho, John John Florence and friends. Here we are in the middle of August, a couple months away from what most folks would consider the start of the surf season on the North Shore, and we find Mase and John having a field day at Rockies.
It's a rare bird to get a day of head-high to overhead surf on the North Shore this time of year, and as you can see in the latest video drop by Ho and Pringle Productions, it wasn't exactly perfect, but it was enough to have a hell of a lot of fun. The swell started off small in the morning, but by Mase's second session of the day in the afternoon there was some proper size to it.
Fresh off his Olympic performance in Tahiti last week, and right before jumping on a plane to celebrate his brother Nathan being named Waterman of the Year at the SIMA's Waterman's Ball in Huntington Beach, John joined in on the good times. Other accomplices include Gavin Beschen, Makana Pang, Flynn Novak and Landon Macnamara.
The catch here is how hard it looks to put a proper line down on the lefts and rights at Rockies during this unexpected swell event. There are cutaway shots in the video that show more civilian surfers struggling to put a decent ride together. The waves are warbly and hard to read. The wind is whipping. And knowing Rocky Point, the current is likely unrelenting. The somewhat challenge conditions illustrate just how good guys like Mase and John are. They make it look easy. They're pulling into barrels. They're laying down carves. They're ripping. Then there's the averages Joes who are struggling to make a section or race down the line.
Anyone can surf well in picture-perfect surf, it takes a whole lot more talent to make a day like this look magic. Which is exactly why we're watching.
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