Makua Rothman

Makaukai (Makua) Rothman (born June 17, 1984) is an American big wave rider and professional surfer. On Feb. 28, 2015, he was crowned the 2015 Big Wave World Champion in the World Surf League's (WSL) first sanctioned Big Wave World Tour (BWWT).

Makuakai (Makua) Rothman was born on June 17, 1984 on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. An accomplished professional big wave surfer and aspiring musician, Makua was crowned the 2015 Big Wave World Champion. Makua’s achieved his first accolade in surfing at 18-years-old when he won the 2003 Billabong XXL Award for riding a 66-foot wave at Jaws on November 26, 2002 (the largest wave known to be surfed anywhere in the world that winter).

Rothman credits his surfing ability in large part to his father, Eddie Rothman. As a child, Makua suffered from asthma, making surfing a difficult and dangerous pursuit. His father decided to involve him in various sports such as soccer, baseball, football, and water polo as strenuous workouts seemed to help relieve his asthma. This instilled a toughness and dedication in Makua at a very young age.

Before he was 10-years-old, Makua was surfing some of Hawaii’s notable and biggest waves, including Pipeline and Sunset Beach. When Makua was eight, he surfed 12-foot Waimea waves, an unusual feat for one so young. As he was pounded by the large waves, on-lookers held their breath until Rothman suddenly popped up in the turbulent white-water. It was this single event that bolstered his confidence in big-wave conditions.

By the time he was 13, Rothman had emerged as one of Hawaii’s most promising young surfers. Surrounded by legends of surfing – Sunny Garcia, Myles Padaca, Johnny Boy Gomes, and Dane Kealoha, to name a few – Rothman was taught how to dive, surf, farm and hunt. He credits these men as role models who instilled values of leadership and respect.

Music was a source of constant inspiration for Makua, but he never considered it as a career until 2012, when his friend Rob Garcia told him that people should hear his music. On the verge of leaving for a trip to Indonesia, Rothman decided to cancel the trip to work on his music. A few months later, he released his first EP, Makanale Road. Since then, he’s released a full-length album in 2013, Sound Wave, and toured all over the US, headlining small shows and opening for artists such as Matisyahu, Sublime w/Rome, Common Kings, The Wailers, Steel Pulse, Slightly Stoopid, Rebelution, and Donavon Frankenreiter.Sound Wave debuted as the #1 Billboard World Album on iTunes and peaked as the #1 Billboard Reggae Album on December 28, 2013.

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