Canoes are fun… until you’re upside down in one on a Waimea bomb. Then they’re really fun. Photos: YouTube//Screenshot
This winter, Pipeline, and the North Shore in general, were on a freakishly good run for a freakishly long time.
Jamie O’Brien logged a near-death experience, the Florence brothers displayed a little sibling rivalry in the lineup, and Koa Smith threw his hat in the ring, too. But it wouldn’t be a North Shore swell bender without Koa Rothman, would it? Rothman, however, took the time to head to Waimea when Pipeline was simply too big.
“Pipe has finally stopped being good for a day or two, but only because it got too big,” Koa said. “So me and Eli [Olson] are about to paddle out to Waimea Bay.”
It wasn’t the biggest Waimea, but it certainly was big enough to flip a canoe. Luckily, all aboard were just fine. Waimea wave riders, no matter what they’re riding, can take care of themselves.
