Nathan Florence and Koa Rothman Remember Surfing with Jimmy Buffett in Fiji: 'Such a Legend.'

Dashel Pierson
·1 min read
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Earlier this month, the world (and surf world) lost Jimmy Buffett.

The beloved songwriter, restauranter billionaire, real-life pirate, lover of life and surfing passed away on September 1st. He was 76 years old.

And since then, the surf world has been remembering the late icon, including Kelly Slater (who called him a “surrogate” father), Nic Von Rupp (who took him out to Nazaré), and comedian Colin Jost (who was rescued by him while surfing in the Caribbean).

Now, the latest surf world commemoration of Buffett comes from Nathan Florence and Koa Rothman, who recalled a random run-in with the late musician during a trip to Fiji, as heard (and seen) on the latest episode of their podcast; hit play above.

“Rest in peace, Jimmy Buffett.” – Nate

“He played songs for us that night, and we were surfing with him that night.” – Koa

“We surfed with him that morning. Such a legend. [He] loved surfing. He just happened to spontaneously be there, surfing Restaurants, and loving it.” – Nate

Apparently, this trip was from quite a few years back. And it involved a late-night on Tavarua Island in which some other shenanigans went down – including all of Nate’s surfboards being sold to the boatmen of the island by a surf photog.

“At the end of the trip, we usually send it with a big night,” said Nate. “We partied super hard, and everyone was super hungover the next day.”

Partying with Jimmy Buffett in Fiji as a young, budding pro surfer – pretty cool.

RIP, Jimmy.

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