Surfing
Surfing
Jack Robinson on Leo Fioravanti, Kanoa Igarashi, and the making of One More
Post Philippines Pro, we talk to Jack Robinson about Leo Fioravanti and Kanoa Igarashi and their shared journey from young kids with stars in their eyes to living out their wildest dreams.
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Jack Robinson, Leo Fioravanti and Kanoa Igarashi were fixtures on the WSL Championship Tour long before they qualified for surfing’s major league. Barely teenagers, the three Quiksilver-sponsored grommets were taken under the wing of Quik team manager Stephen Bell and given the kind of VIP access that most young surfers would kill for.
If that wasn’t enough, as well as being Fioravanti’s step-father Belly was also Kelly Slater’s longtime travel buddy, and the three groms shadowed the greatest surfer of all time around the lineups and beaches of the Dream Tour for years. After growing up in Italy, Japan, and remote Western Australia, the trio suddenly found themselves living in surfing Hollywood.
These days the trio have beaten the odds and are living out their dreams at surfing’s highest level. They’re travelling the world, winning events, and challenging for world titles, but best of all they’re still best friends.
During a recent break in the CT schedule, the three old longtime sparring partners chartered a boat in Indonesia and set sail from Padang, headed for the Mentawai island chain. While the waves were good not great, the fresh memories they made, while reflecting on old ones, will last a lifetime. As Robinson said afterwards, “Going on a pure surf trip, with absolutely nothing else to think about, was incredible for all of us all.”
"One More" is a delightful production from the Inherent Bummer crew, a 20-minute examination of three unique characters, from three totally different corners of the globe, who’ve become lifelong friends through their shared love of surfing. To celebrate the film’s launch, Jack Robinson gave us a moment of his time this week, somewhere between the official premiere in Portugal, and the next event in the Philippines.
Jack Robinson! Congrats on "One More". How long have you, Leo and Kanoa been talking about a trip and a project like this for?
It’s been in the works for a few years. We thought it might have happened at the start of the year, but I ended up having off-season surgery and couldn’t make the trip. We just wanted to figure out how to get all of us together, and get back to the love of surfing as a reminder of what it’s all about. There’s nothing like getting on a trip with your mates, making memories together and pushing each other to get better.
You’ve been a close friend of Leo’s for years. What’s he like?
Leo is real. He tells you what he thinks, he’s a straight-up guy. He’s a workhorse, he believes in himself so much and I take a lot of inspiration from that!
Leonardo Fioravanti midway through the best season of his life
© Nate Lawrence/Red Bull Content Pool
Leo Fioravanti loves the life aquatic
© Nate Lawrence/Red Bull Content Pool
We’re from the same generation so we’ve spent so much time together, pushing each other over the years. It’s super cool that we grew up together, and now we’re on tour together.
Kanoa and Leo
Can you remember when you first met Kanoa?
Yeah! Kanoa came to the Gold Coast when we were little, and we surfed against each other in Occy’s Grom Comp. He was really fast and whippy, I feel like he’s taken a lot of influence from Taj Burrow. He’s super precise on a wave, and he’s really methodical when he surfs heats.
Kanoa Igarashi, Leonardo Fioravanti and Jack Robinson's daily download
© Nate Lawrence/Red Bull Content Pool
Kanoa Igarashi's casual carve
© Nate Lawrence/Red Bull Content Pool
Even when he’s free surfing, and the rest of us loosen things up a little, he’s incredibly precise.
It’s crazy that you guys first met as little kids who dreamed of one day being pro surfers, and somehow those dreams came true!
It’s pretty incredible, moreso because we’re all from different parts of the globe, and the percentage of people who make it in this sport is so small. We all pushed each other so much growing up, we’d see each other competing and it lit a fire that keeps burning today.
Jack Robinson, Kanoa Igarashi and Leo Fioravanti take One More photo
© To Mane/Red Bull Content Pool
Full house at the One More premiere in Ericeira, Portugal
© To Mane/Red Bull Content Pool
Travis Ferre grills Leo Fioravanti, Jack Robinson and Kanoa Igarashi
© To Mane/Red Bull Content Pool
When I see Leo doing well then I want to do even better, and when they see me doing well, it’s the same for them. We’re always striving for more, trying to get the best out of ourselves, and I think it’s worked well for us all as a collective.
Did you have a few pinch yourself moments in the Mentawais?
Definitely. We didn’t really get the best waves, but it wasn’t really about that in the end, it was more about being together, surfing together, and being in that environment without having to think about anything else.
Jack Robinson, Leonardo Fioravanti and Kanoa Igarashi. Friends for life.
© Nate Lawrence/Red Bull Content Pool
It was about being present with each other. That’s where the magic happens — connecting with each other and yourself, and surfing the best you possibly can.
It looked like you did as much talking and catching up as you did surfing?
Definitely, but we surfed a lot too. We’d surf most of the day, get back, eat, watch clips and then go back out and surf again. It was just like the old grom days, we were like little kids again.
Do you think Jack Robinson watched Bruce Irons much growing up?
© Nate Lawrence/Red Bull Content Pool
Are we going to have to wait another 15 years for the next movie?
No, definitely not! I think we’ll do something again in the next few years. Maybe we’ll do another trip next year, we’ll see.
Open shoulder surgery, the Jack Robinson way
© Nate Lawrence/Red Bull Content Pool
Jack Robinson, frontside stale over a Mentawai coping
© Nate Lawrence/Red Bull Content Pool
Who’ll have a world title to their name by then?
We’re all on our own journeys and have our own paths, but that’s the ultimate goal. For me, the path is already laid out. Winning a world title is the goal, and I’m focused on continuing that journey.
Jack Robinson is right at home in the Indian Ocean
© Nate Lawrence/Red Bull Content Pool
Was the trip one of the highlights of your year?
Absolutely. It was the reset and recharge I needed to keep going. We’re always competing, and when you’re so focused on that, sometimes you need a little circuit breaker to take the pressure off. I think just going on a pure surf trip, with absolutely nothing else to think about, was incredible for all of us all, and I loved it.
What else have you loved in 2026?
I’ve learned a lot this year, and I’ve loved that. I’ve been on the Championship Tour for almost five years now, and I’ve been competing non-stop since I was eight. This year I’ve changed my perspectives a little, and it’s been nice to realise you can always reframe things and look at them differently.
I’m constantly learning and still growing as a person. I feel like this is just the beginning really, my best is yet to come. Let’s go!
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