Koa Rothman learned the hard way what happens when you signal John John Florence into a wave. Photo: Koa Rothman // YouTube
Winter is back. This was the declaration North Shore mainstay Koa Rothman made in his latest video, posted to his YouTube channel. In the rest of the edit, Rothman teamed up with newly-crowned world champ John John Florence to celebrate the return of waves to surfing’s main stage.
However, while there are many pros to sharing a lineup with the best in the world, there are some downsides. “John burned me,” lamented Rothman, before ruefully admitting, “Not gonna lie, I told him to go on the wave. Then all of a sudden there was a little chip-in, so I went. He was already standing up, but it was pretty funny. He had no idea I was there for a moment.”
You win some, you lose some, Koa. Either way, he was stoked. “The first swell is here,” he proudly announced, “Winter has started.”
