“Literally in the worst possible place.” Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Koa Rothman is used to heavy waves. He’s a Pipeline local, after all, and his playground is the North Shore and all the waves that come with it. The South Shore, although not nearly as frequently big as the North, can bare its teeth every now and again — and recently, it didn’t just bare its teeth. It took a few big bites.
Before Rothman’s latest vlog gets into the South Shore content, he headed to Huntington Beach to do some good with the Mauli Ola Foundation. It’s a wonderful thing, Mauli Ola. The charitable organization was founded back in 2008 to promote awareness of Cystic Fibrosis and give support to those affected by it. Some of the work they do includes something called Surf Experience day, which pairs pro surfers with surf students in an effort to introduce them to the healing properties of exercise, ocean air, achievement, and just plain old fun.
“Hypertonic saline (which is prevalent in the ocean air just above the water’s surface),” Mauli Ola explains, “has been shown to be a natural treatment for people with Cystic Fibrosis.”
After that bit of good, Koa headed home to Oahu, where a giant south swell was lighting up Ala Moana Bowls. “Bowls is firing big Bowls,” he said from the parking lot. “Today and tomorrow are going to be like, possibly 10-foot in Town, which is super rare.”
If you know anything about surfers from Hawaii, calling something 10-foot is not generally what you’d hear about the South Shore. Day one was solid. Day two? Made of concrete.
“Bowls has 10-foot closeouts coming through,” Koa said. “So we’re going to go surf probably all day.”
“All day” didn’t work out, unfortunately. Koa didn’t come out of the water unscathed.
“I fully smashed my face on the reef,” he said. “I saw Zeke [Lau] not going on the wave, so I whipped it last second. I was literally in the worst spot possible. Smoked, straight under, and I went straight to the bottom and whacked my face on the reef.”
All in a day’s work for Koa, however. You’ve got to pay to play, and Koa’s more than willing to open up that wallet.
