Koa Rothman Surfs and Survives 'Terrifying' Pipeline During Huge Swell

Jade Eckardt
·2 min read

The historic Black Friday swell has been blowing our minds since it pushed some of the world's best big wave surfers into massive surf on the North Shore and Maui.

So far, we've used a lot of different words to describe the massive swell: XXL, gigantic, big, beautiful, historic, monstrous, and giant.

So what's left? Well, in his latest vlog, the North Shore's Koa Rothman offered up a new one to describe his session at Pipeline—terrifying.

Rothman just dropped his latest edit today above and titled it:

"A Terrifying Day at Pipeline"

"I got home yesterday from surfing that outer reef all day, so cooked," Rothman says while choosing a board.

But he's psyched.

"Waves are pumping. It's turning on right now, the Pipeline. This is exactly what we predicted," he says.

The edit offers almost 20 minutes of non-stop barrels, wipeouts, and mind-blowing waves at Pipeline.

At one point, Rothman's stuck inside as a massive set comes in. The person behind the camera is concerned, and says:

"I wouldn't say his leash is broken, but his spirit might be. He's about to get exploded."

Press play above for an epic Pipeline session.

Viewers were stoked. Here are a few of their comments:

"Koa, love your videos so much! Do you think u will ever release a new board again?"

"Great vid, that inside wave on the head was nasty, surprised your board made it out in one piece."

"I don't know how they survive all those massive waves just drilling them over and over. That last one was massive and HEAVY. Man that looks brutal. The shape they must be in. . . . Insane"

***

Don't miss another headline from SURFER! Subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on Instagram, and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of surfing. We're always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging surf-related videos to feature on our channels.

Whether you're a professional surfer or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on SURFER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality surf videos.