Meet Lowers’ New Big-Man: Cole Houshmand

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.