Koa Smith grabbed a red seven-foot Pyzel Paddilac and donned a helmet to face up against the first big swell of the Bali season. In the intro to the video above, a crew of onlookers, including Jon Pyzel, gather along the shoreline to ogle at what Smith estimated were waves in the ’12-foot Hawaiian’ range.
The surf proves more intimidating from the water, but Smith sends it nonetheless. Epic barrels and brutal thrashings follow. In GoPro clips from the middle of the session, Koa reflected, “That one pounding was pretty cool because it took me to a place that was almost a little scary. It forced me to go deeper, ‘How far can I push?’ I can’t do anything else but relax and make it through it.”
Not everyone can glean as much insight from a solid pummeling as a pristine ride, so good on Koa. It’s certainly a promising start to the season for Bali.
