
If you were to ask a non-surfer if they knew the name of any wave around the world, odds are, nine out of 10 would say the Banzai Pipeline. Or “Pipeline.” Or just “Pipe.” It’s easily the most revered wave on the planet, by both surfers and non-surfers alike. That’s probably because it breaks just yards off the sandy beach of Oahu’s North Shore. It’s violence is on display for everyone to see. And film.
Pipeline also has so many different faces. When it’s small, kids surf it. People longboard it. When it gets bigger than four feet (Hawaiian), though, it turns into an entirely different beast. Careers are made and broken there. A big cleanup set at crowded, giant Pipeline can not only be terrifying, but make one question one’s purpose in life. This drone footage exemplifies that to a T. It was captured as part of Koa Rothman’s enviable, This is Livin’ vlog, which we’ve highlighted here on the site plenty of times (he does a solid job with production, no doubt).
This particular cut sort of got lost in the hype, though. From 9:16 to around 10:54 in the video above (I started it at the chaos), Koa’s drone pilot captures some insane footage of a cleanup set at Pipeline, and just how scary it can be with a lineup full of hard boards and sharp fins. The waves won’t let up, and between the reef and the equipment, the hazards are everywhere.
First, Koa breaks his board to start the mayhem (could you imagine trying to swim in with all that current, without floatation?). Then the waves just keep coming, dispersing the crowd in a rowdy show of the ocean’s force. Yes, Pipeline is revered for its incredible barrels, that seemingly go as square as any place in the world, but it’s feared for situations just like this. Have a look and try to tell us it doesn’t make you just a little bit nervous.