Nathan Florence is on a mean bender at the moment. And having now drunk heavily from the Irish keg, he’s going to be feeling this one for a while. The middle Florence brother just nabbed an otherworldly barrel at the country’s most famed big wave. This after pit stops in Portugal (Cave), and at a nasty Scottish slab. But this beast is a whole other ballgame: it featured one of the most incredible foam-ball navigations I’ve ever seen (agree?)
With his fins nearly slipping into oblivion, Nathan nabbed an XXL keeper in a place most of us knew could produce a wave like this. There’s no way of quantifying just where this bulbous barrel stands in the annals of tube-riding history, but Nate’s commentary on the beast tells us plenty.
“What a wild time; finally made it to Ireland, riding a wave like this so far from what I’m used too, the pay off is just that much sweeter,” he wrote.
And then the most poignant commentary given the regular footer grew up going left at second reef Pipe: “Probably the best backside big-wave barrel on a gun I’ve ever had. Foam ball had me drifting and sliding like deep powder. Thought I was done. The best feeling! Slab tour continues! Thanks to all the local boys for having me and a great session, although very scary and not close to how scary it gets!”
Jeez Louise! The comments section – a who’s who of the surfing world – was a show in itself.”Foam-ball Ride of the Decade,” said Brett Barley while Seth Moniz asked if it was the, “best barrel ever?” Brother John kept it real: “But could you have been deeper?” (read ’em here.)
The man got behind the foam-ball curtain, and behind the actual wave’s curtain. So probably not, hence the sarcasm from big bro. I included another view of the possible award-winning ride posted to Nate’s social channels, below.
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