SURFER Interview: Makua Rothman

Did you think you were in serious trouble?

Yeah, I thought I was going to drown because only one arm was working and there were sets coming, and I couldn't breathe and I didn't know if anybody'd seen me. So that was probably one of my scariest moments.

Is that fear always in the back of your mind when you surf spots like Peahi, Pipeline, Sunset?

You can't really think of that stuff happening because that's when you hesitate and that's when it happens. Once you start hesitating and not committing all the way that's when you start getting hurt.

Has the thought of dying every crossed your mind?

No. Because I know that when I die it ain't gonna hurt.

You were invited to the Pipe Masters this year, but you've hurt yourself to the point where you can barely walk. Are you still going to surf in the contest?

I'm gonna surf for sure. You can't pass that up. Pipe Trials, that's something you don't miss. Even if you got something hurt like my knee, you still try. That's the thing to do.

What does it mean to you as a surfer and as a person to be recognized with that honor?

I was real stoked. My first year ever invited, first year ever getting to surf it.

Do you feel that people are finally recognizing your ability?

Pipe's a big wave, brah, no matter how you put it. If you can surf Pipe good, you're a pretty good big wave surfer, because it's big and there's no water underneath. I've been surfing Pipe since I can remember, from little kid time, so it's like our backyard, they got to let us in the contest one day. We're getting blown out no problem and they're gonna deny us?

The North Shore is an intense backyard. Have you ever felt in over your head?

One of the scariest moments actually was when I lost a jet ski out at Backyards with Darrick Doerner. It was 30 feet and I towed Darrick into a big close out and when I went in to get him, there was a set coming and he waved his hand and said he was okay. I thought he would get washed in and I would pick him up. But somehow he didn't get washed in, he just kind of stayed in the same spot. I was going over these big whitewaters to get him, and another big set came right after that, and I was like, "F--k, I got to get him already." The ski flipped over on me and I landed on the sled. I pushed it off, and the waves took it and I got to it, I flipped it over and as soon as I flipped it over, a wave hit me and took the ski. By the time I came up it was way inside, and the wave just took it. All of a sudden Darrick popped up right by me, and I told him "Brah, what are we gonna do now?" And he says, "What do you mean, 'What are we gonna do now?' We're gonna swim in." We swam right through the bowl at Sunset and that didn't feel good at all.