Kai Otton, Rocky Lefts, Hawaii

After a coupla weeks’ worth of a lake-esque ocean, a smallish pulse just materialised in Hawaii and lured every pro on the rock outta their team houses. For those in the Reef Hawaiian Pro, stop one of the Vans Triple Crown, this meant contestable waves. Kai Otton, pictured here, was seeded in round three of the event but fell in his heat just behind Kolohe Andino and Hodei Collazo. So, how d’you release frustrations at a not-so-great result? Go surf Rocky Lefts and blast the hell out of it. But it ain’t all bad – for WT surfers like Kai, this year’s been more of a battle than recent years, with the last three months being jammed with contests – so, a little downtime in Hawaii and an extended period of time spent in one place to settle and acclimatise sure is a welcome treat.