Hawaiian native John John Florence claimed his third world title and teenage sensation Caitlin Simmers became the youngest ever surfing world champion today after winning the World Surf League finals in Southern California.

Florence delivered a merciless display of powerful and progressive surfing and defeated Brazilian Italo Ferreira in the championship duel.

Florence, who won world titles in 2016 and 2017, was the top seed after a strong performance on the nine-stop professional world tour.

Florence, a child prodigy who grew up in Haleiwa and surfed on Oahu’s North Shore, enjoyed the crystal-clear, head-high waves and overcame the pressure of the final day format introduced in 2021.

“The last seven years have been so hard, there have been so many injuries. Just fighting for this position and then this new format is so exhausting,” said Florence after being carried up the beach following his victory.

In the first of her best-of-three finals, Florence trailed the energetic Ferreira, who achieved a total score of 15.33 out of 20 after some risky aerial acrobatics.

But Florence stayed in touch with his first wave and did just enough to take the win on his second ride with his own big air and a series of turns, finishing with a total score of 15.5 out of a possible 20 with two waves.

In her second heat, Florence started with one of the twists of the year, a huge forehand layback hack that the judges awarded 9.7 out of 10 – the highest single wave score in the history of the final.

He backed that up with another superb 8.43, leaving Ferreira, the 2019 world champion and gold medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, chasing a near-perfect score as time ran out.

Simmers wins in home state

Simmers is from Oceanside, near the final venue Lower Trestles, is only 18 years old and in only his second year on the professional world tour.

Her victory over Florida’s 2023 world champion and Paris Olympic gold medalist Caroline Marks was California’s first world title in more than 30 years.

“It all came down to an hour and a half of surfing and I felt like all my emotions from the whole year came together in that hour,” Simmers said after her win. “I cried in my locker room for 30 minutes before my heat. I didn’t want Caroline to win everything because that girl wins everything! She’s the toughest opponent and she literally never falls.”

Simmers, the top seed in the one-day, all-or-nothing final of the top five surfers, got off to a strong start in his best-of-three final, posting two excellent rides of over 8 points.

But Marks, a veteran but only 22, stormed back to take the win with a near-perfect 9.6 out of 10 for a relentless series of critical backhand spins with just seconds left on the clock.

Simmers won the second run with flying colors, scoring two rides of 9 or more points in her first two waves for a total score of 18.37 out of a possible 20 points – the highest in the history of this final event.

She also got off to a better start in the deciding heat with two solid scores, including an excellent 8.83. Marks also scored a 7.17 before the sea calmed and gave Simmers the win.