Controversial Opinion: Koa Rothman Thinks Surf Helmets Are More Dangerous
Koa Rothman nearly died surfing Pipeline last month.
He wiped out going straight on a relatively small wave; it was something so inconsequential when compared to some of the other big-wave stunts he pulls. And yet, he hit his head on the reef, and was knocked unconscious. He nearly drowned.
And Rothman was just one of a handful of surfers this season at Pipeline who have hit their heads – including Kai Lenny, Joao Chianca, and Eimeo Czermak – prompting the question: Should surfers be wearing helmets?
Well, following his injury, Rothman paddled back out to Pipe. This time, with a helmet.
And right from the start, the North Shore native was not a fan.
“I really don’t like it,” he said. “It’s, like, restrictive on your head.”
Rothman went even further, claiming that the helmet was potentially more dangerous than not wearing one. He described a scenario during his surf with the helmet in which the extra headgear made him disoriented, and thus, hindered. He explained:
“I was underwater, and I just felt lost. I felt like a kook underwater. I didn’t know which way was up or down. That’s something I’m typically really good at. I’ve practiced that so much. But when I put the helmet on I completely lost that.
“So what I’m trying to say is that I think the helmet may put me in a worse position that I’m normally in. That wave was just at the sandbar…but if I fell on a huge wave, like I normally would fall on, if I don’t know where I am and I feel discombobulated, it might end up making me hit my head.
“I’m gonna go try a different one. I’m so used to doing something a certain way, but it makes it so difficult when I change a little thing.”
Helmets or no helmets?
The debate rages on.
But when the WSL’s Championship Tour kicks off at Pipeline on January 29th, expect to see much more covered craniums bobbing in the lineup than usual.
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