Koa Rothman has surfed Pipe throughout most of her moods. Big and small, glassy and choppy. Onshore and off; whatever the case may be, it’s likely he’s paddled out. His preference, of course, is big, heavy, and hollow, and the sneaky size of the Black Friday swell certainly had those qualities. It had enough size and power for Koa to call it a “terrifying day at Pipeline,” which is saying a lot, especially when the one saying it is Koa Rothman.
The day in the video above was shot the day after one very intense outer reef session, and the size of the swell took many by surprise. “I was so cooked,” he said. “I came home to my yard destroyed. The public trash can was trashed… it washed through my board room.”
But when the waves are pumping, clean up can wait. The swell had dropped a bit from the day before, but it was still giant. Giant enough for Koa and everyone else in the lineup to snag a few waves they won’t soon forget… but also giant enough to put the fear of God into anyone in the water.
