Well, it’s official: the 2023 WSL season has started. It still feels a little odd to begin at Pipe, doesn’t it? The last few years have been weird, to say the least — not only in surfing, obviously — but things appear to be normalizing. John is healthy. Gabs is too. Kelly is still around and still hinting at retirement. It all feels very… early 2019. Before COVID. Before John blasted his ACL. Before Gabriel took a break. Nice, right? Like an old sweater.
Speaking of John John Florence and Gabriel Medina, watching them surf a heat together, despite the lackluster waves, was pretty eye-opening. Wouldn’t it be nice for the viewer if that much-touted “rivalry” actually came to fruition? I miss a good ol’ Andy vs. Kelly heat. Two surfers so intensely passionate and so wildly talented, battling it out with a begrudging sort of mutual respect for each other while internally seething with competitive rage.
Leonardo Fioravanti was there, too, but he struggled a bit. According to his post-heat interview, his Apple Watch and the new app created for surfers didn’t work for him, which likely put him at a disadvantage. But honestly, anyone stuck in a heat with John John Florence and Gabriel Medina is already at a disadvantage.
Keep an eye on the Billabong Pipeline Pro on Worldsurfleague.com.
