As you’re likely aware by now, the North Shore saw its first real big swell of the season. Pipe was firing, but there’s still a little too much sand on the reef. That will go away with time and swell — it’s a pretty common issue at Pipeline for these early season swells — so Koa Rothman decided to head out to Rocky Point. Rockies can be tough when it gets huge, though, but Koa surfed it the night previous to the day the video above was filmed. He got one of the best left barrels he’s ever had there, but he didn’t tell his filmer that he was going out. We’ll take his word for it.
Early season on the North Shore is a good time to be there. The December/January crowds aren’t in town just yet, but the winter swells are making themselves known. The 7 Mile Miracle is a lot less crowded than it is in the dead of winter, so when Koa and Eli Olson paddled out, they were alone. As is generally the case though, they made it look too fun. Soon they were joined by a bunch of no-names, like John John Florence and Nathan Florence.
