Short Film Sunday: Week 2 - Here

The first snowfall of the season has hit the Wasatch front here in Utah. For most people, this marks the annual ritual of pulling the skis/boards out from the back of the garage and applying the season's first coat of wax. But while powder will always be a favorite way I can pop out of bed at 6 AM, I have found myself drawn to a different variation of H2O, surfing, which sadly also requires early mornings.

To me, surfing embodies the purest connection to nature. It takes years of dedication to master the ability to read the waves, understand their energy, and memorize the uniquens of every break. My closest experience is snowboarding: waiting for snowfall by monitoring a buoy bouncing off the Hawaiian coast, knowing that the size of ocean waves thousands of miles away will dictate Utah’s winter storms two weeks later.

Snowfall and waves are intertwined winter phenomenas, Picking the perfect line on a pristine powder day feels like catching the ideal wave in a set—both rare, fleeting moments of pure bliss.

This Short Film Sunday highlights 3x World Surfing Champion John John Florence and his winter on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Whether you've never watched surfing or have yet to experience getting barrelled yourself, this film is cinematic gold. It captures the stunning power of the ocean, and frankly, looks a lot warmer than 20-degree powder skiing. John John and his crew of film makers showcase the beauty and rarity of surfing at its highest level. His previous movies, View From a Blue Moon, are regarded as cinematic masterpieces, but this one isn't behind a paywall.

For me, this movie hits the spot, showing me something I’ll never have: three World Surfing Championships and those perfect blonde curls. But it also gives me a little taste of living on the North Shore of Oahu. After spending a week at a surf camp in Huanchaco, Peru, this film feels even more impressive, especially after a week of not catching waves that were even one foot high.

Let me know what you think in the comments below, and be sure to tune in next Sunday for another edition of Short Film Sunday.

Bonus: Here’s a photo of me at a surf camp in Peru and wake surfing in Idaho. Zero Barrels.