13 Waves, 13 Barrels, One Year With Nathan Florence
If it’s a view from the inside that you seek, Nathan Florence is your man. Dedicating himself to chasing tubes and documenting his scores, the surfer from Hawaii recently shared a montage of the views from inside 13 different waves around the world. From his backyard at Backdoor and the sandbar in front of his house, to more far-flung locations like Shark Island and The Box in Australia, to Teahupo’o in Tahiti, to even more ominous sounding breaks like Skeleton Bay, The Cave and Mordor.
Besides the actual wave quality, which is stunning, three thing stand out about Florence’s edit. First, he got more tubes in 2023 than you’ve probably gotten in your whole life, the author included. There are some serious barrel hunters out there, but it’s safe to say Florence was one of the most tubed surfers over the last 365 days.
The second point, Florence has become a master of POV footage. If practice makes perfect, years of honing his craft has paid off as he consistently captures remarkably dynamic angles that bring you right along for the ride with him.
And the third point, if you want perfect waves and wide-open barrels, you’re going to have to go get them. Very little of the footage in the edit is from Florence’s home in Hawaii. He’s a full road warrior who’s purported to spend an upwards of $250,000 a year on airfare alone. You want it, you gotta go find it.
Thanks to Florence for taking us along for the ride with him this year, here’s to another successful lap around the sun, and of course, more barrels.
