Take in the first five minutes of this vlog from Koa Rothman and consider this: big wave surfers probably have the toughest job in the waveriding realm. Aside from the act of pulling into giant bombs, which is crazy enough in its own respect, their livelihood comes with an entirely different set of challenges and circumstances other professional surfers don’t combat.
They’re not flying into destinations for a two-to-four-week contest window, instead living on call 365 days a year. When a swell pops up somewhere in the world that looks exceptional, everybody jumps into a frenzy to be ready for the next contest. And that often means athletes get a window no longer than a few days to grab their bags and their boards, book a ticket from wherever in the word they call home, and get into the water in time for their first heat. Nevermind the prize money in big wave surfing rarely even sniffs what a CT winner can pull in, every athlete is risking life and limb after brutal last-second travel, probably very little sleep, and even less opportunity to relax. It looks stressful. It looks tiring. And then they go out into massive conditions and put on a show. Conclusion: big wave surfers like Koa Rothman always have to be “on.”
“I was accepting, like, ‘I’m just not gonna sleep tonight. I don’t give a f***, I’m gonna send it tomorrow,'” Rothman says on the morning of the Puerto Escondido Cup.
It’s just another layer of perspective for you when appreciating the dedication (and insanity) of big wave surfers.
