On the Ground for the WSL Finals 2024

Tristan J. Hicks
3 min readOct 2, 2024

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I’m far from a great surfer. And, at this point in my life, I’ve accepted that fact. But, that doesn’t stop me from getting stoked to paddle out whenever I can, talk equipment with whoever will listen, or debate if the judges really have it out for the Brazilian storm. And, watching a WSL event makes me even more obnoxious to my friends and family.
So, with this being the last year of the WSL Finals taking place in California and finding myself with some overlapping free time, it only felt right that I wake myself up at 5 a.m. and make the trek from Ventura to brave the e-bike-littered trails of Lowers and witness it in person.
Arriving at the beach with my trusty blue Florence cap, allegiances were tested as red “With Griff” merch was freely flying in an attempt to baptize any passerby into the 2% crew. Some converted, while others held true. I was amongst the latter.

Finding the Florence Marine X tent amongst the sea of red, I set my stuff down as the sole occupant. It didn’t take long, however, for others dawning the burgee flag to arrive — a mix of the Florence teamers and everyday fans. And the Florence residency began. I was blown away by how friendly everyone was. I was offered merch, drinks, cookies, etc., and chatted with many crew around me. They were all just as stoked as I was for a day of insane surfing.
The anticipation for John’s heats was incredible and only grew as Italo gained momentum, air-reversing through the competition. Nerves were certainly high once it came time for Final Heat #1. The younger part of the crew left to occupy the beach while most of us watched the heat unravel from a distance.
Yeah, that heat was kinda quiet from the Florence camp. With under 4 minutes left, John had only ridden one wave — given, for a 7.17, but still, not much to cheer for. However, that changed as John cashed in on a last-minute wave for an 8.33, giving him the win and sending a wave of cheers through the beach. Now it was on.
The tent was empty for Final Heat #2. A sea of camo tees, yellow hats, and burgee flags took over the sand and cobblestones. It was electric. John’s first wave had all of us mind-blown, jumping up and down, and having nothing to say but “holy sh*t.” From then on out, any time John stood up, no matter how big or small his maneuvers were, the entire crowd was unapologetically calling for 10s and going ballistic.

In the final minute, families were sprinting to avoid the chaos that was sure to ensue. And they were right for it; it was a madhouse. Saw some gnarly spills on the cobblestones as the crowd surged towards the waves and the people’s champ. Somehow, I was front and center to the celebrations without having to throw any elbows.
The entire Florence team was super gracious in sharing their stoke with everyone there. Not to mention, prepared as hell. The new world champion’s feet had barely touched the sand and the “3x World Champ” shirts were on and tribute video already posted to Instagram — hats off to them. Thanks for a good time.

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Tristan J. Hicks
Tristan J. Hicks

Written by Tristan J. Hicks

I write about surfing, skiing, climbing, or anything outdoors that I may find interesting!