Koa Rothman in yet another tube. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Most of the time when you see a surfing edit on YouTube, it’s made of highlights. The best barrels, best airs, best rides in general, best scenic shots, best quotes. That makes sense, too, because for the most part, the in between stuff isn’t all that interesting. It can, however, lead to a sort of disappointment when one is on a real surf trip, because if you spend too much time online, you expect that life should all be highlights.
Those quiet in between times, though, can be some of the best. The times when you’re just sitting in the sand with an empty mind and sore shoulders staring at the sun as it drops towards the horizon and the evening breeze cools the salt on your skin. The times when you’re just bobbing in the lineup, chatting with whoever is bobbing next to you, waiting for a wave during a long lull. Staring out the window of a vehicle, bumping its way over a dusty broken track, hot air blowing in from outside. The times when cameras aren’t there because there doesn’t appear to be much to film.
On Koa Rothman’s recent trip to Indonesia, he took a different tack than the usual highlight reel. The YouTube installment, called “What Surf Trips Are Actually Like,” shows a few of those moments. Waking up with the sun, chatting with friends back home via FaceTime or whatever, waiting for the boat as the morning sun warms the air, carting board bags around, and all the rest of those in between moments.
Of course, since he’s Koa Rothman and he’s got to have at least a few highlight clips, there are those too. It was a trip that didn’t disappoint — wave-wise or any other way.
