The Da Hui Backdoor Shootout is a hell of a surf contest. As luck would have it, the waves are stupidly good every time it runs. The surfers who are invited are stupidly good at surfing Pipe. And this year, it was no different.
For a handful of surfers, the event ended badly. Makua Rothman folded his leg in half, tearing his ACL. Billy Kemper suffered an undisclosed injury. And Kala Grace was knocked unconscious, was heroically rescued, and then required CPR on the beach. Pipeline is not a wave to take lightly, no matter who you are, how much you surf it, or how well you surf.
But despite the injuries, the event produced some insane entertainment. The waves were about as good as they can get at that fabled chunk of reef. All the best were there, including Koa Smith, Kelly Slater, Kai Lenny, Carissa Moore, and Matahi Drollet, all of whom were on Team A New Earth Project. In the video above, created by Koa Smith, we get an up-close-and-personal look at what it’s like to compete in one of the world’s most prestigious surfing events.
