Photo: Koa Smith // YouTube
It’s officially springtime on the North Shore of Oahu. As such, many North Shore surfers have been bidding adieu to the prime season at storied breaks such as Pipeline. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a little bit more blood to be squeezed from the stone.
Another edit of the end-of-season happenings at Pipe comes from Koa Smith. The North Shore barrel hunter and YouTuber took the waning attention to the wave as an opportunity to venture out with an uncharacteristically light crowd. When he did, he was rewarded with a session that took an unexpected turn towards the dramatic.
“Pipeline looked perfect… then turned terrifying,” explained Smith in the caption. “I paddled out for one last session of the season and found myself in an empty lineup during a massive rising swell. What started as a dream quickly turned into a full-on survival mission, ending my 2024-2025 season getting washed all the way to the beach from second reef!”
