A shark scare didn’t stop Hawaiian John John Florence from reaffirming his status as the world’s best surfer with a dominant victory at the Margaret River Pro.

The reigning World Surf League champion racked up high scores in quarter-final and semi-final wins before outclassing American Kolohe Andino 19.03 to 13.60 in the final.

Florence knocked out Australia’s Jack Freestone in the first semi-final before the second semi between Andino and Brazil’s Felipe Toledo was stopped after 15 minutes due to shark sightings.

“The whole bay’s pretty full of salmon and tuna and everything’s feeding, so in amongst all that is a few smaller sharks and we’re just checking for larger sharks at the moment,” WSL head judge Rich Porta said during the wait. “It’s turned into a full feeding frenzy in the middle of the bay. Safety first, we’ll bring the guys in for a 20-minute hold until the fish move out.” The second semi-final resumed without incident but Andino admitted to being spooked.

“We saw all these splashes and I don’t think either of us could really surf after that,” Andino told Fox Sports.

“I paddled over and said ‘I think there’s sharks out here.’ I saw so many fish swimming under me and I know the big fish follow the small fish. “They said we could go on hold and I said ‘OK’, because I couldn’t really think.” Sharks had never been a major issue for professional surfers but that thinking changed when Australia’s triple world champion Mick Fanning was attacked by a great white at the J-Bay Open in South Africa in July, 2015. Fanning took time off before returning to the tour and has said there are moments when he still feels uncomfortable in the water.

Florence claimed the WSL No.1 ranking at the expense of Australia’s Owen Wright, who lost his quarter-final to Freestone.

The 24-year-old consistently posted big scores throughout the tournament and shrugged off a scary collision with the shallow reef in the semi-final which left him with a bloodied elbow.

“This is one of my favourite places to come to,” Florence said. “(Andino) used to beat me all the time at nationals so I kind of wanted to get him back.” Florence will wear the yellow jersey when the tour shifts to Victoria’s Bells Beach later this month.

Former junior world champion Freestone registered his best finish as a pro and should be confident heading into Bells.

“I was a little worried but John’s a tough nut. I think he’ll be good,” Williams said.