When the best surfer in the world’s film production company drops a reel, you watch it.

When the surfer is John Florence, and the production company is Parallel Sea, you clear some time and give it a proper once over.

Simply, their collective creative achievement to date proceeds them making everything they do these days a “must-see” in a time of so much clutter. That said, at 11:00 minutes or so and made with a distinctively slower pace, this one might lose a few of our attention-challenged friends among us.

Which is too bad because this is worth sitting down for.

In a nutshell, it’s a tribute to Pipe, its best riders, past and present, and told through a cool third-person narration by Paula Fuga, as the voice of Pipeline herself.

It’s not hyperbole to say some of the best waves ever ridden at Pipeline might be in this movie.

From John’s Youtube intro.

“Thank you to everyone who contributed to this project. It took many different shapes over the years to get to where it is now. It was originally started in December 2017 as a film that focused more on a group of friends who grew up learning to surf Pipeline. Through different creative rounds and a couple of years on the shelf, it eventually evolved into an idea that followed the imagined point of view of Pipeline, with a perspective narrated by local musician Paula Fuga. It was a fun challenge to create a visual history of the wave, but this is not meant to be a complete story. There are too many people to name who have become a part of Pipeline’s history over the years; they could never be fit into one short film. Thank you again to everyone who helped us put this together.

The project is dedicated to Derek Ho, and those like him who have dedicated their life to surfing Pipeline.”

Very well made.

What Youth

Archival Photos: Brian Bielmann + Jeff Divine

Featuring: @John John Florence @Nathan Florence Ivan Florence, @Jamie O’Brien @Koa Rothman @Eli Olson Mason Ho, Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Andy Irons, Dane Kealoha, Rory Rusell, Gerry Lopez, Michael Ho, Derek Ho, Alex Florence, Mike Stewart, Kiron Jabour