Koa Rothman and Bruce Irons in Bali. Photo: Koa Rothman // YouTube
A few minutes into Koa Rothman’s latest video, Bruce Irons comes screaming over the horizon on a jet ski. What ensued was a welcome collaboration between YouTuber and surfing legend, as they teamed up to explore an Indonesian “secret slab.”
“That was a hectic mission in Bali, but it was really fun to go surf those waves,” summed up Rothman afterwards. “I’ve never even heard about them before. There was no one out. Bruce was psyching to get barreled. He said he hasn’t been barreled in like a year, which is epic.”
From there, the pair attended a press event for Darc Sport, the fitness apparel brand that recently added both surfers to its sponsorship roster. Koa left longtime sponsor Quiksilver to join the fledgling brand back in June. The move was the most recent in a mini exodus of surfers leaving established brands that also included Nathan Florence and the Gudauskas brother leaving Vans and Kelia Moniz parting ways with Roxy.
However, it seems like Koa’s time in Bali may be coming to a close, for now. “I think this might be our last session out in Indo,” he said, before paddling out into a characteristically packed Bingin lineup. But don’t worry, he’ll be back.
