Another one bites the reef.
Anyone who has ever had the good fortune of pilgrimaging to Oahu’s North Shore in order to stand on Ehukai’s sands and gaze at the Banzai Pipeline has, certainly, been filled with a sense of awe and wonder. The most famous wave in the world lives up to its billing. All the power of the Ocean Pacific, the fury, crawling for miles in order to meet that reef, stand tall and explode, shaking the earth, sending plumes to pressurized mist into the tropical air.
Or, as poetically stated in the award-nominated Welcome to Paradise, Now Go to Hell:
Pipeline is it. Pipeline is the only thing and it matters not which country, which state, or which island a surfer is from, he comes to Pipeline as soon as he is able. This is partly because of the way Pipeline breaks, perfectly and very close to shore making it scenically dynamic. Partly because it has claimed more lives than any other wave and has the mystique of a beautiful killer. Partly because it is the most holy admixture of science and magic. Everything surfing means is wrapped up in Pipeline.
Those brave enough to paddle into her maw might just maybe etch their names alongside Gerry Lopez, Michael Ho, Andy Irons, Jamie O’Brien and heroes who have come before. They might also catch a thorough hiding. Both, in fact, likely scenarios.
“You must pay to play,” as the adage goes, and, this December Pipeline has upped the price of admission.
Yesterday, extremely experienced local, and son of legendary strongman Eddie Rothman, posted a picture of his bloody face to Instagram after kissing the aforementioned lava rock making him the fourth major this month. You’ll recall João Chianca was dragged from the water, unconscious, around Pipe Masters time.
Tahitian charger Eimeo Czermak was injured during the event, hoping that he’ll be able to walk again.
Eli Olsen down hard too, Peruvian hotshot Joaquin Del Castillo suffering multiple hip fractures after a catastrophic wipeout latest and now Koa Rothman.
Why the spate of misfortune?
Overcrowding at the shiniest jewel of the Triple Crown?
El Niño?
Whatever the cause, I’m stunned that bodies aren’t broken out there every single day. Wishing speedy recoveries to all brought low.
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Wonder what da blemish free blonde girl you like gonna think every time she look at dat dome bra
She’ll love it…like a mirror
deep cries out to deep
Most of the time, she is looking at his other head. It’s her paycheck.
Guessing Koa won’t be vlogging until his face doesn’t look like it went through a meat grinder. His youTube channel could be on hold for the next 8 weeks. I should send him some HamSammishes.
Def both!
Boom!
Dahui karma
Bravo.
His g/f looks like she knows a good plastic surgeon so he’ll be right…
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
i think this will be the outcome
oooff. I do wish Koa and Elii well. I dig thier blog/vlogs for vicarious tube time. but..
Koa’s face might not be as pretty now. My girl doesn’t mind when I watch “This is Livin'”.. Showed this and she gasped, audibly gasped.
I had to quote Moe from the Simpsons watching the Monkey knife fight – “He aint pretty no more”
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Did he find his e-bike?
He thought Reef took it.
Looks like he hit it hard.
Is the reef ok?
Why do surfers keep damaging the coral?
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Florence Marine X?
JOB’s latest vlog has a raw POV of Pipe and it is an absolute shit show out there. I wouldn’t paddle out to that crowded fuckery even if it had a pillow soft landing instead of reef. There will be plenty more carnage in the coming run of swell if those crowds persist. Eddie must be reminiscing so hard right now.
The sand is fucked, week straight of solid NE swell will do that. Maybe this run of XL NW will fix it up?
He ate shit on the drop – nothing sand on the end bowl caused. Just bad luck catching the outside rail on the drop.
Nah, he got hurt after he straightened out because the section ahead was clamping. I know the clip you’re talking about, and that’s not how he got hurt.
https://youtu.be/WXOYu_yDTb…
8:15 he straightens out. Looks like no big deal but he’s in knee deep water, get smoked by white wash
Hey Koa remember like 2-3 years ago when you announced You’d be taking any waves you want at Da Pipeline? Well bra, she had other plans for you. -Aloha.
So where is the video? Koa films everything he does from multiple angles ? Difference being this time it might be interesting
Get well
“Reefs don’t punch like that!”- Chandler
Bet with all the swelling he is looking like he could fit right in to the goonies. Wonder how that will impact his vlogs? Will his eye candy girl be able to stomach his grotesque image for more than a day? Fuck knows.
This is what happens when young horny boys play with the pipeline prostitute too soon. We have yet to have a BIG proper WNW swell take ALL the sand down to ehukai followed by more BIG WNW swells with light ENE tradewinds to create the hottest, irresistible pipeline slut known to man. All these 20 year olds keep blowing their loads too early and are getting bitch slapped mentally and physically. Count your blessings boys. Hoping for their speedy, full recoveries but more importantly, what my pops taught me, understanding that the ocean gives and takes in mysterious ways…
Shoooootz!
Ooofff….I’ll stick to my overcrowded soft points and beachies thank you very much
As a raging lunatic with CTE,I recommend this.
With only 7 diagnosed concussions under my belt, I’d say those warriors have a few more to go before the real fun begins
Right!? If you don’t have tracers in your vision, and that little black spot…..quit your crying.
Oh man, you got the good acid.
Can’t say I’ve had tracers since I quit doing shrooms on a regular basis back in the late 80s but they don’t sound fun. But I do enjoy the chronic headaches, the dizziness and of course the complimentary tinnitus for the last 20 years. But compared to many, I think I’m pretty lucky and it hasn’t slowed me down whereas age has.
The tinnitus is fucked for sure
Constant background noise like music helps decrease the nonstop ringing…
Helmet discussion? Surely there must be a helmet company that would sponsor some stories by an online pub….
Not a great month for gaff.
Helmet or no helmet, it won’t help you when u get face planted on that concrete-like sandstone pipe reef… no plastic gath helmet will save your head from a proper pipe head smashing… its a false sense of security… choose your waves and surf sessions wisely out there… that’s what I do… man I love rednecks yeeeeee hawwwww!!!
Helmets with face masks make sense.
Photoshop a prototype for us.
sandstone? is that hawai’ian for lava? or pidgin?
The argument in favor of a helmet is that they will make any head injury less bad than otherwise.
It’s still gonna suck, it’s just gonna hopefully suck a lot less.
Sandstone? The lava shelf reef at Pipeline has nothing to do with a “sandstone” formation.
You need a geology lesson –
Or Gath
Did someone ask for a Buckethead discussion
https://youtu.be/adV8-_hgL4…