In our humble opinion, in surfing the true marker of a gifted surfer lies not with how they perform on the face of the wave, but how well they negotiate the tube. Don’t get us wrong, we love us some good performance surfing. A big well-executed straight-air gets us very aroused, but there is something enigmatic happening inside the tube when the best are plying their wares that takes it above pure performance and into the mystical realm.

Take this clip for example. The latest offering from Nate Florence’s YouTube channel. featuring a bluebird day on the North Shore and Backdoor at its absolute best. Enter John John Florence. His tube-riding performance is on a whole other level. How he does it is something only he understands. It is pure mastery of surfing’s most sacred artform.

Also putting in performances worthy of note are Jack Robinson, Nate and Ivan Florence, Griff Cola, Zeke Lau, the Moniz bros, Eli Olsen and more.

Also worthy of note is the 12-minute intro featuring a wonderful prank performed by Nate Florence on good friend Eli Olsen and a carton of eggs. Entertaining viewing, but skip if you want to sink your teeth straight into the surfing.