Multiple world champions, Australia’s Stephanie Gilmore and USA’s John John Florence, are both opting to miss the 2025 surfing season to focus on injury recovery and outside projects, the surfers announced on Tuesday, 21 January.
It will be the second consecutive season off for the Australian eight-time world champion Gilmore, while Florence is taking the year off after winning his third world title in 2024.
Gilmore was given a wildcard to compete at Pipeline Pro, starting on 27 January, but chose to extend her break to continue focusing on injury recovery.
“After careful consideration, I’ve decided to take another season away from the WSL tour. This time will allow me to focus on healing some lingering injuries and redirect…