One tends to think that the world tour is one of the main vehicles for promoting surfing. A brand that's prominently displayed on a surfer's nose there will be seen by at least a large portion of the world's top surfing fans, as well as some interested outsiders.

But then comes John John, who owns Florence Marine X and is its main public face and He says no to the tour for the second year in a row..

And this reflection was shared in a WhatsApp group by a Brazilian journalist whom I greatly respect, who basically said: "What dissemination and commercial value does a circuit have if not even the owner of a brand wants to be part of it?"

What he says is damning, and I agree.

Ultimately, nowadays a lifestyle and a platform like John John's end up being stronger than an entire world circuit.

Does anyone fear that John's brand success will be affected by his absence from the tour? No! On the contrary, it might even be boosted by that admired lifestyle: him and his family traveling the world on a sailboat and his brothers getting snorkeled all over the world.

Instagram and YouTube and the world admiring.

It's truly unbelievable. In another situation or another era, they would have been forced to be on the tour to exist as a brand; nowadays, it doesn't seem necessary.

At least not if you're John John and you come up with an attractive way to showcase your career.

It's interesting to see the world of surfing and its various paths. And I think it's healthy that it's not so WSL-centric nor so Olympic-centric, and that different ways of making a living from it are emerging.