In Plain Sight: Subjects: Kolohe Andino

Kolohe Andino recently underwent a significant metamorphosis. The boy we’ve all known as “Brother” for so long transformed his entire approach to life, surfing and competing over the tumultuous couple of years during the pandemic. With competition on the WSL Championship Tour on hold, Kolohe took advantage of the downtime and used it to mature into a thoughtful, creative and dynamic adult. He went through some big changes: New major sponsor, a battle back from injuries, he moved houses, became a dad and made the surf film of the year out of a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Indonesia with his best friends called Reckless Isolation. 

Right at the beginning of his transformation, we convinced Kolohe to come sit down with us. It was clear he had a new perspective on life and surfing. So, we had him over to a neutral location with little detail of what we wanted to talk about and in one of the first signs of his newfound maturity: he showed up with panache, style and a new tone entirely. He was enthusiastic. Earnest. Even charming and funny. And excited to convey the things that were firing him up about life and surfing. Not exactly what we were expecting. But a welcome surprise.

Since this interview it’s been well documented that Kolohe had his daughter Noelle. The movie and premiere tour he was in the process of making when we did this interview has come out to much applause. And he’s in the middle of a year that sees him back on the road, tis time with wife and baby along and he has a new vibe that’s extremely easy to root for. Watch below for an insider look at the moment it all seemed to be coming together for Kolohe.—Travis