That’s not where you want to be on a Jet Ski at Cloudbreak. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Koa Rothman feasts on big, left-hand barrels. It is nice for him that Pipeline just so happens to be a big, left-hand barrel, but Pipeline doesn’t break all year ’round. When things on the North Shore begin to slow down, people like Koa must look elsewhere to get their next meal, and for Koa, Cloudbreak is a good one.
A few weeks ago, he saw a swell in the forecast that was making its way towards Fiji. The first thought, one would assume, was whether it would work for Cloudbreak. So he packed his things, called up Billy Kemper, and hit the proverbial road.
When they got there, it was stormy. Lightning lit up the early morning sky. But with big weather comes big waves, so they had high hopes — and those hopes were lower than what they found. Unfortunately, when the waves are higher than the hopes, it’s easy to get caught off guard. More than a few sets mowed down the lineup, including one very bummed Jet Ski pilot.
“I’m so glad I was on the boat for that set,” Koa laughed from the safety of the channel after the lineup was punished and the Jet Ski was knocked from the pilot’s grip. “This is the gnarliest size for Cloudbreak.”
