Stab Magazine | Meet Lowers' New Big-Man: Cole Houshmand

Live Now — Episode 3 Of Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico

945 Views

Meet Lowers’ New Big-Man: Cole Houshmand

Size does matter. 

cinema // Jul 23, 2020
Words by Michael Ciaramella
Reading Time: < 1 minute

There’s something about people who surf big. 

And no, we’re not just talking about being powerful. Adriano de Souza is powerful, but he couldn’t clean the ceiling fan of a dollhouse without a step-stool.

And we’re not just talking about being tall, either. Owen Wright is tall, but he compresses so much through his turns that he could literally be Adriano’s step-stool

“Surfing big” comes from some intangible combination of standing tall through turns and leveraging that position to drive your board through the water in a way that’s different from the rest.

Very, very few surfers possess this ability. On the current Championship Tour, John and Jordy are the only two fellas who genuinely surf big.

Again, surfers such as Gabe Medina, Wade Carmichael, and even Filipe Toledo are supremely powerful, but their genetic makeups and/or preferred techniques ensure that they do not “surf big.”

But Cole Houshmand? He surfs big. 

Just shy of 20, this San Clemente local has grown significantly over the past couple years. But unlike most kids who shoot up two wetsuit sizes overnight, Cole did so proportionately—arms busting at the seams like tubes of chorizo, legs strong enough to pop a watermelon, chest built like half of Mr. Rushmore (the Washington-Jefferson side), etc.

And the best part about his multilateral growth? Cole hasn’t sacrificed an iota of his satin-smooth style, making his big-man Lowers turns some of the most enticing we’ve seen since Jordy gave up his full-time residency in the 949. 

Kolohe would still get him in a heat, but Cole’s got the one thing that you just can’t teach.  

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Laird Hamilton on The Limitations of Being a Purist, Invention vs. Ownership + Why He Never Had a Sticker Deal 

Untold stories from his How Surfers Get Paid interview.

Jul 4, 2025

Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico: Episode 3

"The tribe has spoken," Dane Reynolds pronounced, and a surfer's torch was snuffed.

Jul 3, 2025

When Surfer’s Eye Is Actually Cancer

Erin Campbell's brutal journey from surf camp dreams to chemo drops, cryotherapy, and surgical horror.

Jul 3, 2025

Surfing’s 2025 Q2 Report

An assessment of surfing's vital signs throughout the second quarter of 2025.

Jul 2, 2025

What Actually Happened to Occy’s Mad Max Plunger Pool In Yeppoon?

Surf Lakes’ brass talks: internet hecklers, the unplugging of the plunger, and the Tom Curren…

Jul 2, 2025

Poor Goofy Foots 

Data shows that the world is stacked against goofs — they even make 15% less money than…

Jul 1, 2025

Britain’s First Wavepool Has Closed — What Really Happened?

Bankruptcy, social media hackings, debts unpaid — and yet, reopening looms.

Jul 1, 2025

Watch: Was Matt Meola’s Air Actually Better Than Hughie’s?

Watch the full Swatch Nines highlight reel and decide.

Jun 30, 2025

Houshmand Bludgeons Field To Win Second CT — Molly Picklum Tastes Blood, Snatches World #1 In Brazil

You can't argue with big surfing — that's Saquarema wrapped.

Jun 29, 2025

37 Years Old And World #1 — What’s Changed For Jordy Smith?

On rediscovering decades old surfboard templates, having a personality on the CT, and why this…

Jun 27, 2025

Tom Lowe Stars in ‘Let Me Live’

The wild, improbable ascent of Britain’s best big-wave surfer.

Jun 27, 2025

Saq Wrap: Italo Celebrates Mid-Heat, Griff Drops A Freestyle, Jordy + Yago Continue BBQing 20-YOs

Top seeds sow ruin, Final 5 starts to crystallize.

Jun 27, 2025

Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico: Episode 2

Our seven surviving surfers confront an oddly large California beach break.

Jun 26, 2025

SEOTY: The ‘Once-In-A-Decade’ Caribbean Swell That Kelly Slater Passed On

Michael Dunphy stars in Jimmicane's 'Blue Veil'

Jun 25, 2025

Who Owns Bingin? Legal Fight To Stop Demolition Begins

Eviction notices served for all businesses built on state land.

Jun 25, 2025

Tony Hawk Just Named Hughie Vaughan’s Internet-Breaking Air Because… No One Else Can

89% of our IG poll respondents claimed the 'stale fish flipper' was the best air…

Jun 25, 2025

German Surfers: AN INVESTIGATION

Truth is the light by which the world can see. 

Jun 24, 2025

“I Lost Everything I’ve Ever Owned, But This Board Came Back”

One month after the LA wildfires, a surfboard washed ashore.

Jun 24, 2025
Advertisement