At one point in the latest video from Koa Rothman, he finds himself in a situation pretty much every surfer can identify with. Rothman, along with fellow Oahu surfers Nathan Florence and Koa Smith, stares out at the ocean, trying to figure out whether the hell it’s even worth going out.
To make matters worse, it could be one of the last swells of the season, which makes the crowd itchy to get in the water. “The boys are really amped to try to get some waves [but] it’s just not worth it, at the moment,” explains Rothman. They look out on Pipeline at its absolute worst: backwash, onshore winds, possibly dangerous conditions. “It’s one of those days that it’s hard to leave”, continues Rothman, “because you think it can just turn on at any moment, but the waves are still just funky and not worth it.”
To make matters even worse, the scene came hot on the heels of an epic Rocky Point surf the day before. After coming out of the water, Koa dubbed it of the most fun sessions he’d ever had at the spot, and a good omen for the next day at Pipe. “We’ll see you tomorrow,” he excitedly proclaimed. “The waves are going to be even better.”
Wrong.
So, what to do? Sit and stare at Pipe for the rest of the day, or venture out to (possibly) greener pastures? In the end, they went for the road less traveled, heading off to Sunset point for 10 to 12-foot “kind of rippable” waves. Not maxing Pipe, for sure, but sure beats watching and waiting.
