Koa Rothman Surfs $55k “Wave of My Life” (Watch)

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Jan 17, 2025 1:31 PM ET

The 2025 edition of the Da Hui Backdoor Shootout wrapped on Tuesday at pumping Pipeline, following multiple days of competition in a variety of conditions – featuring everything from wild and woolly, to small and tricky, to “doesn’t get scarier than that,” to just about as good as it gets.

Luckily, finals day was the latter. And Koa Rothman, North Shore native and perennial Pipeline standout, won the individual division with a perfect score. The wave, alone, bagged him $5k; and the win, altogether, earned him an oversized $50k check. Not bad for surfing Pipe with a couple friends.

Below, follow Koa’s journey to the top of the leaderboard.

“That was a good heat,” Koa casually reports after his final surf of the event. “That wave was sick. So, my good one just now…Nate and Ivan [Florence] split the peak on one that I thought was good, and then that thing popped up right behind it. We were kinda giving each other priority, like taking turns. And Jose [Morales] paddled for the one right before it, too. So that thing just came straight to me. It was a good event, and now it’s time to have a beer.”

A beer or two, then a waiting game until the awards ceremony.

In the end, it was enough for Koa to take the whole contest, individually, while Team Japan won the team division. As mentioned above, it was also enough to add the two giant checks to his collection.

Referencing his harrowing head injury at Pipeline last season, Koa summed up the win:

“Still can’t believe it! From almost dying at Pipeline a year ago to winning the Backdoor Shootout yesterday, it’s a dream come true!”

Well deserved.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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