1 00:00:16,767 --> 00:00:20,187 The north shore of the Hawaiian island of Oahu 2 00:00:20,187 --> 00:00:25,317 is just over 2,400 miles from the west coast of North America. 3 00:00:25,317 --> 00:00:30,147 The ocean floor rises five miles to the shores of what people call, 4 00:00:30,155 --> 00:00:32,025 "The Seven Mile Miracle". 5 00:00:32,032 --> 00:00:36,832 It's home to some of the most amazing water and sand in the world. 6 00:00:36,829 --> 00:00:39,619 What would it be like to be born on this island, 7 00:00:40,624 --> 00:00:42,834 to grow up on these shores, 8 00:00:42,835 --> 00:00:44,875 to witness this water everyday? 9 00:00:46,171 --> 00:00:47,711 You're about to meet someone who did. 10 00:05:41,883 --> 00:05:44,723 Here's John Florence and his birth certificate. 11 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:47,680 He was born in Honolulu, on October 18th 1992. 12 00:05:49,641 --> 00:05:51,641 This is where John grew up, 13 00:05:51,643 --> 00:05:53,693 this is John's office, 14 00:05:53,687 --> 00:05:56,937 and this is a story about John John Florence. 15 00:06:05,824 --> 00:06:08,994 John John Florence or whatever isn't John John anymore. 16 00:06:08,994 --> 00:06:12,544 He's just plain old John. 17 00:06:12,539 --> 00:06:17,339 John has a tight-knit group of friends and family living in the north shore of Oahu, 18 00:06:17,336 --> 00:06:19,206 also known as paradise. 19 00:06:24,217 --> 00:06:27,507 Like John, Kelly is a world-class surfer. 20 00:06:27,512 --> 00:06:31,432 He's also John's neighbor and pretty nosy. 21 00:06:31,433 --> 00:06:35,143 I'm thinking about maybe reporting this illegal tree house 22 00:06:35,145 --> 00:06:38,225 to the authorities so it'll get chopped down. 23 00:06:41,610 --> 00:06:44,860 Another world-class surfer neighbor is Jamie. 24 00:06:44,863 --> 00:06:47,493 He and John were best of friends growing up. 25 00:06:47,491 --> 00:06:49,491 Jamie was an asshole. 26 00:06:49,493 --> 00:06:52,833 He tied my board to the top of a coconut tree in his yard one time, 27 00:06:52,829 --> 00:06:55,829 and I was so bummed but Jamie was still laughing the whole time. 28 00:06:57,501 --> 00:06:59,291 Ouch! Rough neighborhood. 29 00:06:59,294 --> 00:07:00,714 Don't let the palm trees fool you. 30 00:07:10,889 --> 00:07:13,809 John surfs from dawn to dusk often into the night, 31 00:07:13,809 --> 00:07:15,729 everyday, ten hours a day. 32 00:07:15,727 --> 00:07:17,017 Or so he claims. 33 00:07:17,020 --> 00:07:18,850 One wonders when he has time to workout. 34 00:07:18,855 --> 00:07:21,395 I do not workout, I just surf. 35 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:25,280 In 2014, John nabbed the number one spot in the surfer poll 36 00:07:25,278 --> 00:07:27,858 from Kelly Slater after 20 plus years. 37 00:07:27,864 --> 00:07:30,284 How many time has Kelly won now? 22 times? 38 00:07:30,283 --> 00:07:34,503 Like, this is old as I am, yeah. 39 00:07:40,627 --> 00:07:42,997 Here's a wave breaking. 40 00:07:43,004 --> 00:07:46,514 Here's a wave breaking John. 41 00:07:46,508 --> 00:07:50,548 While he was recuperating, he picked up a less dangerous hobby. 42 00:07:50,554 --> 00:07:52,474 So, I originally started flying. 43 00:07:52,472 --> 00:07:55,682 I still had my pilot's license long before I had my driver's license. 44 00:07:55,684 --> 00:07:57,774 So John was a world-class surfer 45 00:07:57,769 --> 00:08:01,149 and could fly before he could drive. 46 00:08:01,148 --> 00:08:03,018 Thank god you don't need a license to sail. 47 00:08:05,318 --> 00:08:08,278 This...is not John's boat. 48 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:09,700 This is. 49 00:08:09,698 --> 00:08:11,738 John also plays the guitar. 50 00:08:13,785 --> 00:08:15,735 Ouch. 51 00:08:15,745 --> 00:08:18,325 This is John's film storage fridge in his dark room. 52 00:08:18,331 --> 00:08:21,171 These are John's favorite cameras. 53 00:08:21,168 --> 00:08:22,998 I'll say I use this one the most. 54 00:08:30,594 --> 00:08:33,104 Already at 22 years old, 55 00:08:33,096 --> 00:08:37,306 John has countless stamps to remind him of the many places he has been to, 56 00:08:37,309 --> 00:08:39,269 places that most only dream of. 57 00:08:39,269 --> 00:08:41,649 Um, sometimes I look back on the passport and, yeah, 58 00:08:41,646 --> 00:08:45,106 it does make me reminiscence, rem-remi...remember. 59 00:08:46,610 --> 00:08:48,570 So props to you, John, 60 00:08:48,570 --> 00:08:52,780 for living the dream, living our wildest dreams. 61 00:08:52,782 --> 00:08:56,742 Pipe dreams, wet dreams, sweet dreams, broken dreams. 62 00:08:56,745 --> 00:08:58,155 For you, John, it's not a dream. 63 00:09:05,170 --> 00:09:06,460 Dream on, John. 64 00:17:25,086 --> 00:17:27,046 What else do we need? 65 00:17:27,046 --> 00:17:30,466 Hurry up and wait, hurry up and wait, hurry up and wait. 66 00:17:30,466 --> 00:17:32,466 I wonder if the road's as bumpy as it used to be. 67 00:17:33,136 --> 00:17:34,506 Ah! There it is. 68 00:17:37,223 --> 00:17:38,523 It's here. 69 00:17:38,516 --> 00:17:40,676 - Holy shit. -Enough size for it. 70 00:17:40,685 --> 00:17:42,265 -Look at this one. -Look at that one. 71 00:17:42,270 --> 00:17:43,440 That's just for one. 72 00:17:43,438 --> 00:17:44,898 -That's a nice one. -Oh, damn it. 73 00:35:27,918 --> 00:35:31,298 We meet in an hour of change and challenge, 74 00:35:33,256 --> 00:35:35,256 in a decade of hope and fear, 75 00:35:37,719 --> 00:35:40,299 in an age of both knowledge and ignorance. 76 00:35:43,683 --> 00:35:46,353 The greater our knowledge increases, 77 00:35:46,353 --> 00:35:48,983 the greater our ignorance unfolds. 78 00:35:51,066 --> 00:35:53,646 ...that all great and honorable actions 79 00:35:53,652 --> 00:35:56,782 are accompanied with great difficulties, 80 00:35:56,780 --> 00:36:01,370 and both must be enterprized and overcome 81 00:36:01,368 --> 00:36:03,158 with admirable courage. 82 00:36:06,123 --> 00:36:10,503 Many years ago, the great British explorer, George Mallory, 83 00:36:10,502 --> 00:36:13,962 who was to die on Mount Everest, 84 00:36:13,964 --> 00:36:15,844 was asked why did he want to climb it. 85 00:36:20,720 --> 00:36:22,260 He said, "Because it is there." 86 00:36:24,766 --> 00:36:26,726 Well, space is there, 87 00:36:26,726 --> 00:36:28,056 and we're going to climb it. 88 00:36:32,232 --> 00:36:34,192 And the moon and the planets are there, 89 00:36:35,944 --> 00:36:38,824 and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there. 90 00:36:41,908 --> 00:36:45,908 And, therefore, as we set sail, we ask God's blessing 91 00:36:45,912 --> 00:36:50,002 on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure 92 00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:52,170 on which man has ever embarked. 93 00:36:52,169 --> 00:36:53,039 Thank you. 94 00:46:52,894 --> 00:46:54,064 Oh, look at the ocean. 95 00:46:55,605 --> 00:46:58,225 Oh, imagine some inside cruising. 96 00:46:58,858 --> 00:47:00,028 Oh, no hand. 97 00:47:00,026 --> 00:47:01,396 Oh, my gosh. 98 00:47:02,195 --> 00:47:03,775 See you later. 99 00:47:03,780 --> 00:47:05,360 Should we go right here? 100 00:47:05,364 --> 00:47:06,624 I'm sure it's pointless to walk all the way down. 101 00:47:06,616 --> 00:47:07,866 You end up right here anyway. 102 00:50:34,198 --> 00:50:38,028 And so, for now, our time with John comes to an end. 103 00:50:39,453 --> 00:50:40,623 Any last words, John? 104 00:50:42,456 --> 00:50:43,536 How about a wave? 105 00:50:45,209 --> 00:50:46,789 Not that kinda wave, John. 106 00:50:49,714 --> 00:50:50,764 That kind. 107 00:56:26,091 --> 00:56:29,721 Check one, check two, check three, check four. 108 00:56:29,720 --> 00:56:32,680 Check 55, or not. 109 00:56:32,681 --> 00:56:34,561 Yeah, well, for, you know, for me... 110 00:56:34,558 --> 00:56:36,678 -Oh, shit. Is it still going? - Yeah. 111 00:56:36,685 --> 00:56:39,645 Everything I associated with surfing in the ocean, 112 00:56:39,646 --> 00:56:43,016 was 100% to do with my brother. 113 00:56:43,025 --> 00:56:47,985 He was my ultimate influence and I didn't realize that until he was gone. 114 00:56:47,988 --> 00:56:53,658 A lot of drive, insight for surfing kinda went with him. 115 00:56:53,660 --> 00:56:56,910 It took years for me to find that love for surfing again. 116 00:56:56,914 --> 00:56:59,044 It's through guys like John, 117 00:56:59,041 --> 00:57:02,381 seeing how he's evolved from a kid to a man, to what he's doing now... 118 00:57:02,378 --> 00:57:06,758 That's what got me psyched, it made me wanna reevaluate my whole surfing life. 119 00:57:07,841 --> 00:57:10,131 I can't wait to see what's next. 120 00:58:31,300 --> 00:58:34,510 Every session I go out with him, it's exciting, it's already the future, 121 00:58:34,511 --> 00:58:36,511 I see progressing with what he's doing. 122 00:58:36,513 --> 00:58:40,273 For me, it's nice to be around that psyche, that energy, 123 00:58:40,267 --> 00:58:43,637 and how damn good he surfs. 124 00:58:43,645 --> 00:58:46,105 I think that's why I think why he is where he is at, 125 00:58:46,106 --> 00:58:51,436 'cause the way he surfs and he draws these lines that no one else draws. 126 00:58:51,445 --> 00:58:54,235 It's explosive, it's wild, it's unorthodox and it's... 127 00:58:55,449 --> 00:58:56,369 It's John John.