Jon Pyzel’s pedigree runs much deeper than just being the shaper for the best surfer on the planet, John John Florence. You gotta go back a bit. As a teen surfer kid in Santa Barbara, Pyzel was close witness to the birth of the ’80s Tommy Curren era and Al Merrick’s subsequent global design dominance. A powerful influence that caused Jon to pivot his dreams of becoming a pro surfer, to that of an underground shaper.
At first mentored by Matt Moore of the famed Rincon Designs surf shop (that was within sight of California’s best point break), Jon upped stakes when he moved to the North Shore in 1992. It was there, now mentored by maestro shaper Jeff Bushman and possessing a keen interest in modernizing the Hawaiian designs that came before his time, that Jon Pyzel developed a reputation as a shaper for the future.
As it happened, John John Florence and his family lived right next door. A lifelong friendship with the Florence family grew and soon Jon Pyzel was shaping boards for the blond young man who would someday become the best surfer in the world. With the ultimate test pilot securely in his corner, Pyzel’s career, matching that of his young charge, skyrocketed onto the world stage. A collaboration that has since led to international fame, three World Titles, an Olympic appearance and a 2016 win at the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational contest at Waimea Bay…