If you’ve been following Koa Rothman’s This Is Livin’ this year you may have noticed by now that it’s unique in a growing class of lifestyle/travel vlogs in surfing. There’s always a nugget of truth buried in an episode that every surfer can or will relate to and often there’s a hint of almost profound insight…or at least an earnest reminder of how wildly different the life of a professional surfer is from most. This episode is a bit of the latter.
A couple weeks ago, Rothman took an early exit from the Pipe trials but didn’t exactly seem too disappointed about it. A quick wrap for him meant he wouldn’t have to miss out on a monumental forecast from across the Pacific where Mavs was expected to go completely nuts. As you know by now, Maverick’s did in fact, go completely nuts. Much of the world’s big wave elite were there to make history even with the WSL calling off the Maverick’s Challenge well in advance.
So Koa Rothman jumped on a plane and went straight to California, ready to get his share of what Maverick’s had on offer. But by his admission, he didn’t exactly get what he came for. Yes, Rothman eventually left California with a couple Mavs waves under his belt but they weren’t exactly the anxiety-inducing rides he was expecting. There’s even a moment after his anticipated session in Half Moon Bay where Koa breaks out the phone to check the cam back home at Pipe — surf FOMO in its truest form. And this is the life and sometimes the plight of a big wave surfer: drop everything and get on a plane. Put your life on the line. But there’s no promise you’re going to get the wave you were hoping for. The conditions may not come together or maybe one just never rolls your direction when it’s your turn. But either way, seeing trips like this should give you a new kind of appreciation for the level of dedication (and hope) it takes to be a big wave surfer.
