“It’s pretty incredible to see how big wave surfing has evolved over the last decade,” writes John John Florence in the caption of his latest YouTube post. “From the performance side, to safety, boards and gear — it’s all improving so quickly. I can’t wait to see where it goes in the next ten years.”
JJF has plenty of experience when it comes to surfing large waves, which he brings to bear in the video above, outlining the leaps and bounds surfers and safety gear manufacturers have made.
“Big wave surfing over the last decade, to me, it’s just gone to another level,” he continues in the video. “It’s way more in the performance side of things, rather than people just trying to get a wave and go straight. They’re surfing it like it’s a six-foot barreling wave. They’re taking off on a 30-footer and drawing these incredible lines on a 10-foot board and getting deep in the barrel and getting blown out the end.”
Though he may be biased (John John’s company, Florence Marine, sells an impact suit), there’s little doubt that a big part of that advancement is due to protective gear, such as impact suits, flotation devices and helmets. While a lot of this gear has been around for some time, the technology behind it and the number of options to choose from has grown by leaps and bounds.
However, he’s quick to remind viewers that safety gear is not a magic bullet. “These suits definitely don’t make anyone invincible in large surf,” he added. “I think that’s a really key thing to please listen to me on. Only go out if you’re comfortable. This suit is not going to make you invincible. You’re still gonna hit the bottom. You’re still gonna get held down. I think that’s important for people to know. Even with the inflation suits, it still does not make you invincible. It’s just a helping hand at times, but you should never trust in it completely.”
One line of John’s sums it up best: “It’s very exciting to see where it’s going. It’s also very scary”
