Growing up with Pipeline as his backyard, John John Florence got to know every facet of the deadly reef. He's internalized every trench, pothole, and flat slab through his endless hours out there, and how waves from every direction behave over them. But as dangerous as the reef is, Florence knows there are several other factors, including backwash, bad decisions, and hungry crowds. Mix it all together with heaving chunks of the North Pacific and you've got something pretty scary.
