Makuakai (Makua) Rothman (born June 17, 1984) is an American big wave rider, professional surfer and musician. On February 28, 2015, he was crowned the 2015 Big Wave World Champion in the

World Surf League The World Surf League (WSL) is the governing body for professional surfing, surfers and is dedicated to showcasing the world's best talent in a variety of progressive formats. The WSL was originally known as International Professional Surfing ( ...

's (WSL) first sanctioned Big Wave World Tour (BWWT). The ''

Honolulu Star-Advertiser The ''Honolulu Star-Advertiser'' is the largest daily newspaper in Hawaii, formed in 2010 with the merger of '' The Honolulu Advertiser'' and the '' Honolulu Star-Bulletin'' after the acquisition of the former by Black Press, which already owned ...

'' reported that on January 16, 2021, Rothman rode what it called "the biggest wave ever ridden in Hawaii", estimated to be 100 feet tall, at Jaws on the island of

Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...

Life and career

Makuakai (Makua) Rothman is Jewish, born to a Portuguese father and a Hawaiian mother, on the North Shore of

Oahu, Hawaii Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northw ...

. He attended Kahuku High School in Kahuku, Hawaii, playing soccer, football, baseball, karate, and water polo. An accomplished professional big wave surfer and aspiring musician, Rothman was crowned the 2015 Big Wave World Champion. Rothman achieved a milestone in surfing at age 18 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, Rothman suffered from

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

, making surfing a personally 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. Rothman later attributed his physical stamina and dedication to these pursuits. Before he was 10 years old, Rothman was surfing some of Hawaii's most notable and biggest waves, including Pipeline and Sunset Beach. When he was eight, he surfed 12-foot Waimea waves, an unusual feat for a young boy, one that helped prepare him for his later big-wave accomplishments. By the time he was 13, Rothman was known as a promising young surfer in the surfing community. Surrounded by accomplished older surfers such as

Sunny Garcia Vincent Sennen "Sunny" Garcia (born January 14, 1970) is an American professional surfer from Waianae, Hawaii. After leaving school he debuted on the 1986 Gotcha Pro at Sandy Beach, Oahu, beating the 1984 champ Tom Carroll. His top surfing ac ...

, Myles Padaca, Johnny Boy Gomes, and Dane Kealoha, Rothman learned how to dive, surf, farm, and hunt. He credits these men as role models who instilled values of leadership and respect.

Music career

Rothman had not considered music 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 Matthew Paul Miller (born June 30, 1979), known by his stage name Matisyahu (; ), is an American singer, rapper, beatboxer, and musician. Known for blending spiritual themes with reggae, rock and hip hop beatboxing sounds, Matisyahu's 2005 sin ...

, Sublime w/Rome,

Common Kings Common Kings is an American, Hawaiian, and Samoan reggae rock/pop band from Orange County, California. The band's debut album, ''Lost in Paradise'', was nominated for a Grammy Award. History Formation (2011) Born in the South Pacific and raised ...

The Wailers Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as the Wailers and prior to that the Wailing Rudeboys, the Wailing Wailers and the Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Rober ...

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, 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. In 2017, Rothman guest performed on Goldfinger's album ''

The Knife The Knife were a Swedish electronic music duo from Gothenburg, formed in 1999. The group consisted of siblings Karin and Olof Dreijer, who together also run their own record company, Rabid Records. They gained a large international following i ...

'', playing ukeke on "Liftoff". He has also partnered with Hawaiian youth organizations to create programs for local youth at-risk.

Siblings

Makua has two younger brothers, and a younger sister. Koa Rothman, the middle brother of the Rothman siblings and ten years younger than Makua, is also an accomplished big wave pro surfer who first surfed big waves (Hawaiian system) at age 17. In 2014, at the age of 21, he won both the Best Tube Award from his ride at Teahupoo and the Billabong XXL Wipeout of the Year Award with his feat also at Teahupoo and on the same wave. Rothman and his siblings have a Hawaii-based bagel business.

Current sponsors

RVCA RVCA is a New York, New York–based clothing company owned by Authentic Brands Group. Etymology The logotype for RVCA portrays the letter A without a crossbar, resembling an uppercase lambda (Λ). The name resembles the Greek ''ρούχα'' ( ...

* SHADE Sunscreen * Oakley (sunglasses) *

Monster Energy Monster Energy is a brand of energy drink, energy drinks that was created by Hansen Natural Company (now Monster Beverage Corporation) in April 2002. In 2022, Monster Energy had a 30.1% Market share, share of the American energy drink market, th ...

Drink

Contests and tours

* 2002 Billabong XXL Big Wave Challenge Award - Winner * 2006 Volcom Stone’s Blowfish Surf Series - 3rd Place * 2006 Xcel Pro - Sunset Beach, Hawaii - 4th Place * 2007 O'Neill World Cup - Sunset Beach, Hawaii - Winner * 2014 Billabong Pico Alto - Pico Alto,

Punta Hermosa Punta Hermosa is one of 43 districts of the Lima Province in Peru. The capital of the district is the village of Punta Hermosa. The district's main attractions are its beaches. Geography Punta Hermosa borders the Pacific Ocean on the west; the ...

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

- Winner * 2014-5 World Surf League (WSL) Big Wave World Tour (BWWT) Champion * 2015 Quiksilver Ceremonial in pumping surf at Punta de Lobos, Chile - Winner

References

External links

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rothman, Makua 1984 births Living people American surfers Jewish American sportspeople People from Oahu Surfers from Hawaii Musicians from Hawaii World Surf League surfers Big wave surfers 21st-century American Jews Mountain Apple Company artists Hawaii people of Portuguese descent Native Hawaiian sportspeople