What surfing means when it says “Backdoor”

Ah yes—Backdoor. Not that Backdoor, you filthy animal. And not just Pipeline’s Backdoor, either. Let me explain.

To “backdoor” a wave means to enter a barrel or tube section by taking off behind the peak of the wave and pulling into the barrel from the opposite side of the main takeoff spot. According to the Encyclopedia of Surfing, “the surfer enters through the ‘back door’ into what, in the late ’60s and ’70s, was often referred to as the ‘green room.’”

It’s an advanced maneuver—not especially difficult (or so Matt Warshaw says)—but it does require nerves, a steady hand, and a deep store of tube-riding knowledge.

‍♂️ Pipeline has a right side too

Now let’s talk about the other Backdoor—on the North Shore of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i. It’s the right-breaking wave attached to the Pipeline peak that pumps when the swell is coming from the north or northwest.

That’s when you can see two surfers on a single wave at Pipe: one going left (Pipeline), the other going right (Backdoor).

It’s also where the Da Hui’s Backdoor Shootout takes place—an independent surfing competition that can still make you rich. North Shore native Koa Rothman made $55K this January when he won the individual division with a perfect score.

The Rothmans: surfing’s most notorious family?

The competition has an interesting origin story. It was established in 1996 by Eddie Rothman. Hold on a sweet second…another Rothman? Yes, they’re related—father and son. There are two more sons, too. As Surfer Magazine once called them: the most notorious surf family.

Anywho.

Eddie was a co-founder of the Da Hui surfing club in the 1970s—also known as the Black Shorts, thanks to their black surf trunk uniform. The group was formed because, according to Eddie himself, “too many people from too many places” were visiting Hawai‘i and not showing enough respect to local surfers.

I think we all know where this is going.

Black shorts, big punches

Da Hui, Eddie insists, was never “an extortion ring or into drug dealing or anything like that”—but beating people up in public? Oh, they were into that.

Of course, a lot has changed since 1975. These days the club owns a clothing brand—Da Hui—advertised by none other than Jason Momoa. Needless to say, if you bump into any Black Shorts at Pipe, stay out of their bubble.

No jerseys, no rules, just vibes

Back to the contest. At the inaugural Shootout in ‘96, each of the 36 surfers paid a $4,000 entry fee—a record at the time. I’ll do the math for you: $144K.

Nothing about this comp was normal. Each surfer rode three times over three days, and their top three scores were combined for a final tally. No colored jerseys either! Apparently all the surfers were so unique, the judges could tell them apart just by their style. Kelly Slater won and took home a $35,000 check.

Barbed wire, holsters & core surf slogans

I bet when you think of surfing, you don’t think about guns, holsters, barbed wire, and flying bullets—but that’s exactly how the 1999 Shootout was advertised, with the slogan:

“The Core of Surfing Gonna Rumble Again.”

They weren’t kidding.

Fast forward to 2025. This year’s Shootout featured eight mixed-sex teams representing different causes, brands, and countries—and included the likes of Bethany Hamilton and Moana Jones-Wong.

Team Japan took the overall win.