2023 has been pretty damn good to 17-year-old Koldo Illumbe.
Born in Bali, the best waves in the world are at Illumbe’s fingertips, and he knows exactly when to chase them and how to ride them.
In “Roots”, Illumbe’s season ending postcard from Bali and beyond, we see him score a handful of the year’s best swells, most notably a near empty dream day at Greenbush starting at the :50 mark.
If this is the first time you’re hearing Illumbe’s name, get used to it: He just received an invite to the Vans Pipeline Masters in December — the only surfer from Indonesia in the event.
Judging from the clip above, Illumbe is a very good tube rider, and while we doubt he has much experience at Pipe at just 17, if he surfs Pipe the way he rides heavy Greenbush…watch out.
Tune in to the Vans Pipe Masters starting December 8 to watch Illumbe go.
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