Koa Rothman Shows What Surf Trips Are Really Like

Koa Rothman in yet another tube. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot

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Usually when you see a surfing edit on YouTube, it’s made of highlights. The best barrels, the best air, the best rides in general, the best scenic photos, the best quotes. That makes sense, because for the most part the stuff in between isn’t that interesting. However, it can lead to a kind of disappointment when you are on a real surf trip, because when you spend too much time online, you expect that life all are highlights.

But the ones that are silent in between can be some of the best. The times when you just sit in the sand with a blank mind and aching shoulders, staring at the sun sinking toward the horizon and the evening breeze cooling the salt on your skin. The times when you just float in line, chatting with the person floating next to you, waiting for a wave during a long silence. Staring out the window of a vehicle, bumping along a dusty, broken track, hot air blowing in from outside. The times when there are no cameras because there doesn’t seem to be much to film.

Koa Rothman’s recent trip to Indonesia took a different tack than the usual highlights. The YouTube episode, called “What Surf Trips Are Actually Like,” showcases some of those moments. Waking up with the sun, chatting with friends back home on FaceTime or whatever, waiting for the boat as the morning sun warms the air, wheeling board bags around, and all the other in-betweens.

Since he’s Koa Rothman and he has to have at least a few highlight clips, of course there are those too. It was a trip that did not disappoint – in waves or in any other way.