John John Florence Surfs Raglan Amid WSL’s Move to New Zealand (Video)
Two days after the World Surf League announced they’d swapped Jeffreys Bay, South Africa for Raglan, New Zealand on the 2026 Championship Tour, John John Florence has his own announcement: the 3x world champion would not be returning in 2026.
His decision to walk back his previous commitment to resume full-time competition was unlikely due to the loss of J-Bay and addition of Raglan, as far as we can tell. However, it makes one wonder – how would JJF do at the famed New Zealand lefthander?
Well, in a throwback clip from 2023, here’s an idea:
The Florence family, amidst their nomadic sailing life, have spent some time in New Zealand. And the footage above shows JJF scoring pumping Raglan. It’s not tubing – something that the Hawaiian world champ excels in on his backside at waves like Pipe, Cloudbreak, Teahupo’o, etc. – but he sure is ripping the guts out of the long walls.
But…too bad. Maybe next year.
In JJF’s announcement about his retreat from the 2026 season, he wrote:
“This past year exploring with my family reminded me why I fell in love with surfing in the first place. New places, new waves, early mornings, and figuring it all out together. We woke up most days excited to see what was next.
“We’ve decided to keep following that path in 2026. Crossing oceans, pushing my own surfing, becoming a better husband and father, and trying to make a full lap of the world as we take on all the challenges that come with that.
“This means I won’t be competing full time on the Tour this year. I’m grateful to the WSL for their support. This isn’t retirement, just continuing down a different path for now.”
Still makes you wonder…what if?