SURFER Interview: Makua Rothman

How did you learn how to handle yourself in big waves?

Just from experience. My dad always told me never panic. I always had asthma when I was a little kid. When I was young I always had attacks, so I kind of know how it feels to operate with minimum oxygen in your body. I don't know, I just came to it…a bunch of eat-its. Brah, when I was eight years old at Waimea, during the Eddie ceremony I paddled out and it was like 10- to 12-foot. Brah, I got pounded and I didn't come up. I swear I thought I was gonna die. And then all of a sudden I just popped up and everybody was looking for me. I think I was under two waves or something.

What was the most significant change you've made to develop your surfing?

About two years ago I got on a training program and I lost a bunch of weight. I was 189 pounds and that was just beyond…too big for me. I'm like 160 now.

What type of training do you do?

Just a bunch of cardio and more quick reflex things like jumping. To make your fast twitch muscles grow.

Who made it apparent that training was going to help you elevate your surfing?

Kai Garcia, but Kai has a knee injury, so now I'm training on my own. I go to the gym everyday still. But now Rob Garcia, his cousin, is here. He trained seven different world champions. He's Oscar de la Hoya's strength trainer and stuff like that. But now I have this little thing that happened at Backdoor [pointing to knee]. But once it's heeled, I'm right back on the program again.

Who are your biggest influences in surfing?

Eddie Aikau. One of the most proven big-wave riders ever. Eddie, Shane Dorian, Andy Irons, Bruce Irons, Kelly Slater, Sunny Garcia. Pretty much my favorite surfers. All the guys that rip; I just want to surf good too, so I look up to guys that surf good.

What's it been like for you to grow up on the North Shore where you get to see the best surfers in the world every year?

Growing up here, when I was a little kid I always had Johnny Boy [Gomes] around. When he was like, 19 years old, he came and was living with us from when I was about five all the way until I was about 15. He was always around me. Him and Dane [Kealoha] were always here. Those were my two biggest inspirations ever.

But you see a lot of overseas guys come through here too. Are there some that you think are overrated?

I don't really like to talk about people. But, I mean, Dane Reynolds makes $150,000. Where's he? He's not here. And that kid who does all the airs, what do they call him? Gorkin? He's not here either. I mean, they're good at what they do, but they're not here where the waves are.

The North Shore has always been is notorious for aggressive localism. As a local, do you think violence has a place here?

I just see it as, brah, you don't see us going to Australia and acting like kooks. Or you don't see us going to Tahiti and dropping in on those guys and being like, "Oh, sorry, we didn't see you," trying to play dumb, you know what I mean? It's like, brah, this is our spot, this is our waves, we live here year round, flat or what. When we're going, even if we're in front of you or in back of you, we have right of way. It's just respect. You respect someone, they respect you back. It's just like anywhere else in the world. If you don't respect us, you're done, see ya, don't come back.

It seems there's a lot of loyalty between the Hawaiians, no matter what Island they're from. It's just Hawaii. We all stick together. Say we got one from Oahu, one from Kauai, one from Maui, one from the Big Island, and we go somewhere, we're all one guys. Hawaii boys pretty solid. We watch each other's back when we go other places.

You have a reputation as someone who's not going to back down, but who's not going to go out and look for trouble either. Do you think you need to be that way to live here where you do?

Oh yeah, brah. There's always guys around that are gonna try to test you. All those guys are jealous. If they step to the plate, then we're gonna play ball, but I really don't want to go out and look for trouble, cause, brah, you could run into the wrongest f--ker, and he'll just shoot you, bang, see ya. And that'll be the end of Makua. So I just try to keep it low pro, have a good time, do what I do. But if it just comes down to it and it's on, then it's on for sure.