For Floridians, stepping up in critical, big waves is expected given the groundwork laid by Cory Lopez, among others. The hard yard gains came from Pete Lopez white-knuckling to Sebastian every weekend from the west coast of Florida, punching through orange grove shore pound and six-hour round-trip runs. Big or small, kegging or not, Cory defined grit and guts along side Andy Irons, battling Kelly and others in a critical time of professional surfing. All the while, he has maintained a stellar reputation as charger, dad, and brand ambassador for O’Neill. We are proud to call him a Floridian. Enjoy.

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