As competitors assembled for day 3 of the Da Hui Shootout they were greeted by Huge, glassy and particularly evil looking Pipe.
Real Pipe, where even a minor misstep could have major consequences. And though the majority of the field know this wave intimately, you can be sure there were more than a few nervous moments among the group before they jumped into the current toward the channel.
The nerves were quickly forgotten however. This was the Da Hui Shootout – a matter of pride for the competitors. Fear was forgotten and the surfers put on a performance worthy of the conditions. In the end it was young Koa Rothman who deservedly took the win. The goofy-footed son of Eddie and brother of Makua rode the wave of the event, possibly the winter, when he disappered behind an iron curtain that looked impossible to escape, before nonchalantly emerging after the spit without even a hint of a claim. Looking at the wave, not throwing his hands in the air would have possibly been the hardest part of the ride.
The day did come close to making bigger headlines however, and for all the wrong reasons. Pipe specialist, Kalani Chapman failed to resurface after what was, by the day’s standards, a fairly innocuous wipeout. Only quick thinking by Seth Moniz and Nathan Florence who were in the water at the time, and the skills of the North Shore Lifeguards saved his life by the slimmest of margins (he had to be resuscitated on the beach).