Words: Max Smetts / Photos: @devindmedia
The 2026 Florida Pro/AM wrapped up on Sunday with fun conditions and the riders put on a show during the Finals. With a slight bump in Swell and favorable offshore winds, there was 1-2’ liners coming through for the riders during the high tide in the morning. Steve from Run Drop Slide made the call to run the Professional division right off the bat to take full advantage of the fun waves. The Quarter Finals kicked off the action and all the heats were super tight leading to the Finals. Zap Team riders Leo Freitas, Graham Shelton, and John Akerman all put on a show in the Quarters- unfortunately for Graham, he didn’t make it into the Semi's. Leo and John ended up matching up in the Semi’s head to head where John got the better of the Exchange to meet Jack Tenney in the Final. The Pro Final was extended to 15 minutes run time and it was a heater. John had a great mix of technical tricks and wave rides to claim the Win at the Florida Pro/AM. It was great to see John back in action in the skim scene and prove that he still has a lot left in the tank.
Rounding out the rest of the day with the Amateur divisions, standouts included Gio Tomasi, Dylan Dubrow, and new Zap team rider Camden White. It’s safe to say the future is bright with these young crop of riders coming up in the scene. They are all ripping with a full bag of technical tricks.
We want to give a shout out to Steve Pullara from RDS for putting on the Florida Pro/AM and Crossover Tour this year. It was the first year that the Crossover Tour returned in over 10 years and it was great to be a part of it. To put on a Skate, Wakesurf, and Skim competition in back to back days takes a lot of work. We thoroughly enjoyed it and camaraderie among all the athletes as always. We’re looking forward to next time!