You’ve seen her in the background of almost every victory shot. She’s the one with the sun-streaked hair, usually looking more like a surfer than a "soccer mom." That's because John John Florence's mom, Alexandra Florence—known to everyone on the North Shore as Alex—is exactly that. She’s a surfer. A skater. A single mother who raised three of the most talented watermen on the planet on a diet of saltwater and freedom.
It’s easy to look at a two-time World Champion like John John and assume he was born into a rigid, high-performance training program. Most elite athletes are. They have coaches by age six and nutritionists by ten. But that wasn’t the Florence household.
Alex didn't just raise a champion; she raised a specific kind of person. To understand why John John surfs the way he does—with that mix of reckless abandon and total technical calm—you have to look at the woman who moved to Hawaii from New Jersey with nothing but a surfboard and a sense of adventure. She is the blueprint.
The Move to the North Shore
Alex Florence didn't grow up in the tropics. She grew up in New Jersey, far away from the Banzai Pipeline. She was a teenager when she landed on Oahu in the 1980s. Imagine that for a second. You're young, you're in the surfing capital of the world, and you have to figure out how to survive. She didn't just survive; she thrived in the lineup.
She was one of the few women out there at Pipeline and Rocky Point back when the North Shore was even more of a "boys' club" than it is today. That grit is important. It’s the reason why, when John John, Nathan, and Ivan were toddlers, she wasn't keeping them away from the shorebreak. She was pushing them into it.
"I just wanted them to love the ocean," she has said in various interviews over the years. It sounds like a cliché, but for her, it was a survival strategy. If the boys were going to grow up on the beach at Log Cabins, they had to be comfortable in the water. Otherwise, the North Shore would eat them alive.
Raising the "Florence Brothers" on Her Own
Life wasn't always glamorous photos in Surfer Magazine. Being a single mother to three high-energy boys in one of the most expensive places on Earth is a grind. Honestly, it’s a miracle they all made it to adulthood in one piece.
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Alex worked multiple jobs to keep the lights on. She was a photographer. She worked in hospitality. But no matter how busy she was, the priority was always the beach. People often ask what the "secret" was to John John's success. Was it a specific board? A training regime? No. It was the fact that John John Florence's mom treated the ocean like a playground rather than a stadium.
She famously let the boys skip school when the surf was good. Now, don't get it twisted—she valued education. But she understood that on the North Shore, a "six-foot swell with light offshore winds" is a classroom. You can’t learn how to read a triple-overhead barrel in a textbook.
The Skateboard Ramp in the Yard
The Florence house was legendary. It wasn't a mansion. It was a modest spot, but it had everything a kid could want, including a massive skate ramp. Alex wasn't the mom telling the kids to "be careful" or to "come inside before you get hurt." She was often out there skating with them.
There’s a famous story—or maybe it's more of a local legend—about Alex being the one to show the boys how to drop in. Think about the psychological impact of that. If your mom isn't afraid of the concrete, why should you be afraid of a wave? That lack of fear is a hallmark of the Florence style. Whether it’s John John doing a massive backflip at Margaret River or Nathan charging 30-foot Shipstern Bluff, that "send it" mentality started with Alex.
Why Alex Florence Isn't Your Average "Sports Parent"
In the world of professional surfing, "surf dads" are notorious. They’re the ones on the beach with a jersey and a stopwatch, yelling at their kids about priority and heat strategy. They are the stage parents of the sea.
John John Florence's mom is the polar opposite.
She rarely talks about "winning." Even now, when John John is a global icon and a multi-millionaire, she’s more likely to talk about the fun they had on a sailing trip than the points he earned in a WSL heat. This perspective saved John John from burnout. Surfing is a brutal sport. The travel is relentless. The pressure is immense. Having a mother who views a "bad result" as just another day at the beach is a massive competitive advantage. It keeps the head on straight.
The Artistic Influence
It wasn't just about sports, though. Alex is a creator. She’s a photographer and has a deep appreciation for film and art. You can see this reflected in John John’s production company, Parallel Sea.
His films, like View From a Blue Moon, aren't just surf movies. They are cinematic experiences. That's Alex's influence. She taught her sons to see the beauty in the environment, not just the utility of it. She encouraged them to document their lives, to be curious about the world, and to travel. When John John bought his boat, Vela, and started sailing across the Pacific, it wasn't a departure from his upbringing. It was the culmination of it.
The Competitive Mom
Don't let the "cool mom" vibe fool you. Alex Florence is a competitor. She has competed in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing events herself. She’s a regular in the Hawaii surf scene and can still hold her own at places most people are terrified to paddle out.
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Seeing your mom charge Pipeline gives you a different perspective on gender and capability. It’s probably why John John and his brothers have always been so supportive of the women’s tour. They grew up watching their mom drop into heavy sets. To them, women in big surf isn't a "new trend"—it’s just what moms do.
Navigating the Injuries and the Fame
It hasn't been all trophies and sunsets. John John has dealt with some of the most devastating injuries in the sport. ACL tears. Back issues. These are the moments when a professional athlete's career can spiral.
During these times, Alex remained the anchor. When John John was stuck on land, she was there to make sure he didn't lose his mind. They hiked. They worked on the farm. They sailed. She helped him realize that he is a person who surfs, not just a "surfer." That distinction is the key to longevity.
As for the fame? Alex hates it. Or, at least, she’s indifferent to it. She doesn't seek the spotlight. You won't find her trying to become an "influencer" off her son's name. She’s too busy living her own life on the North Shore.
Lessons From the Florence Household
What can we actually learn from how Alex raised her sons? It’s not about move-to-Hawaii-and-hope-for-the-best. It’s about a few specific principles that any parent (or person) can use.
- Exposure over Protection: She didn't hide the boys from the elements. She taught them how to navigate the elements. This builds genuine confidence, not the fake "participation trophy" kind.
- Passion as a Career: She never pushed them to be "pros." She pushed them to be "passionate." The career followed the passion, not the other way around.
- Independence: She gave them a long leash. The Florence boys were known for wandering the North Shore, exploring, and getting into (mostly) harmless trouble. That independence translated into a unique ability to read the ocean.
- Stay a Student: Alex still surfs. She still learns. By being a participant in the lifestyle, she remained a peer to her sons as much as a parent.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think John John Florence is a "natural." They think he just woke up one day and knew how to do a 540 air. But "natural" is a word we use to describe the result of thousands of hours of unsupervised play.
John John Florence's mom provided the environment for that play. She provided the boards, the van, the beach house, and the permission to fail. She didn't build a champion in a lab. She grew one in the wild.
If you want to understand the modern state of surfing, you have to understand the culture of the North Shore. And if you want to understand the North Shore, you have to look at women like Alex Florence. She represents a generation of surfers who moved to the islands for the right reasons—not for the fame, but for the feeling of being in the water.
Actionable Takeaways for Modern Parents
You don't have to live at Pipeline to adopt the Alex Florence method. It’s about a shift in mindset.
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- Prioritize "Mat Time": In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, they talk about "mat time." In surfing, it’s "water time." In life, it’s just "doing the thing." Stop over-scheduling and let kids spend time in their environment without a coach telling them what to do.
- Model the Behavior: If you want your kids to be active, be active. If you want them to be brave, show them you’re doing things that scare you. Alex didn't tell her kids to surf; she went surfing.
- Value Experience over Results: Next time your kid has a game or a competition, ask "Did you have a good time?" before asking "Did you win?" It sounds simple, but it changes the entire neurological wiring of how they approach pressure.
Alex Florence remains a fixture of the community. You’ll still see her out at Log Cabins or at the grocery store in Haleiwa. She’s not "John John’s mom" to the people there—she’s just Alex. And that, more than anything, is why her sons turned out the way they did. They were raised by a woman who knew exactly who she was, which gave them the space to figure out who they wanted to be.
To dig deeper into the Florence family dynamic, watch the documentary series Twelve. It offers a raw look at the family’s life on the North Shore and the quiet, powerful role Alex plays in their day-to-day operations. You’ll see that behind the world titles is a very simple, very beautiful life centered around the tides.