surfing

Interview with U.S. Rep. Ed Case; Timeshare industry hopeful for a rebound; Swimmers and fisherman struggle to share Ala Moana Beach; SoCal author writes surfing history book

John John Florence of Hale‘iwa will join fellow Hawai‘i surfer Carissa Moore on the U.S. Olympic Surfing team.  That was decided Thursday during the Pipe Masters at ‘Ehukai Beach.  Events continue today on the North Shore.  We found out more about what goes on under the waves, with a leading authority on O‘ahu’s beaches.

Local boy, Zak Noyle is recognized as one of the best water photographers in the world.  His shot of trash arcing overhead in a wave in Indonesia is featured in National Geographic right now, and you’ve seen his work in Sports Illustrated and on ESPN.  He was senior staff photographer at Surfer magazine by age 25, but he’s seen the business change. He’s hoping this year’s Doris Duke Surf Film Festival will put a new generation of surf filmmakers on the map.

Wahiawā in Central O‘ahu is home to about 18 thousand people, plus over 15 thousand soldiers at Schofield Barracks.  Over the last ten  years, a change has come over a central section of Wahiawā, where bars and porn shops ruled the block.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports, a surfing nonprofit has brought a fresh wave into town.

Climate Change and Migration in the Pacific; Marshallese Clothing Mat; Surfing During the Vietnam War; Mission House Museum Candlelit Tour

In the early years of the Vietnam War a cultural revolution was underway on the West Coast of the United States. It wasn't women's liberation or the counterculture. It was the Shortboard Revolution. As the modern sport of surfing was taking shape, many of its earliest adopters were being sent to war the jungles of Vietnam.

Surfing may be the ancestral sport of Hawaii but these days it is also big business. The global surfing industry is worth around $10 billion per year. At the forefront of that industry is the World Surf League. Every year the WSL runs more than 180 events at all levels of competition. In 2018, more than 2,400 male and female athletes caught waves in 27 countries around the world.

The World Surf League announced last month that in 2019 women will get the same prize money paid to male surfers. Jessi Miley Dyer, the Deputy Commissioner for the World Surf League’s women’s Championship Tour told HPR that the decision was motivated by a desire to move toward gender equality. But surfing elder statesman Fred Hemmings feels differently. He said that male and female atheltes in the WSL do not compete on equal footing and the sport will never achieve true parity until that happens.

Adaptive Surfers from around the world are expressing displeasure with a new scoring policy. 

The sport of adaptive surfing uses modified boards and equipment to allow people with physical limitations to ride ocean waves. The sport has been gaining popularity worldwide after the Hawaii-based organization Access Surf started the first ever adaptive surfing contest 11 years ago.

Hawaii is known around the world as the birthplace of surfing. In the Territorial Days, Duke Kahanamoku introduced the Western world to the sport of wave riding at Queen's surf break in Waikiki. Now, under the watchful gaze of the Duke statue, Queens is once again the site of a milestone event in the world of surfing.

The 11th annual Hawaii Adaptive Surfing Championships wrap up today in Waikiki. There are plenty of surf competitions across Hawaii – but this one is unique among them. The big difference? Many of the competitors arrive at the beach in a wheelchair. 

In the surf world, hydrofoil boards are turning heads. In the south of France, the town of Anglet has actually taken steps to ban hydrofoils altogether. It was the first such ban in the Atlantic. Here in the Pacific, Hawaii organizers of the standup paddle race between Molokai and Oahu added a Hydrofoil division. The winner of that race was Maui waterman Kai Lenny, who made the trek in less than three hours.

When you head to Kuhio Beach in the center of Waikiki, you expect to be able to rent a surfboard, maybe get lessons, or even try one of those famous outrigger canoe rides.  You can do this through two for-profit city concessions, which go up to bid every five years.  This time, new regulations will likely mean the end of an era.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports.

The world title showdown continues for top surfers on the North Shore. Competition kicked off Monday for the Billabong Pipe Masters. Surfers and surf fans alike are anxiously waiting to see who comes out on top. But as HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports, this may be one of the last opportunities to see a world champion crowned at Pipeline.

A showdown on the North Shore will crown the next champion of the surfing world. The final event of the 2017 surf season features the top male surfers from around the globe vying for a win at Pipeline. The Billabong Pipe Masters could see action as soon as today. HPR’s Ku‘uwehi Hiraishi reports.

Sexual Assault in Congress; Managing Pacific Fisheries; Early Learning Shortage; Surfing Legend Shane Dorian

Maui Sand Mining; Waimea High Truancy Pilot Program; Evolution of Sponsorship in Surfing

The Doris Duke Theatre’s annual Surf Film Festival is underway with choice selections like Nervous Laughter, about an El Nino year at Pe’ahi, Maui’s notorious winter break, and Alternative Surf Craft, about new and unique ways of riding waves.  HRP’s Noe Tanigawa reports on a film about one longboard ‘s travels through waves and lives around the world.   Surf film director, Jason Baffa discusses current directions.

The Billabong Pipe Masters surfing competition could start any time as the holding period opens. 

The annual event off ‘Ehukai beach is considered the super bowl of surfing events, being one of the most attended as well as the most prestigious of the competitions.  It’s also the conclusion of ten competitions in the world surf league.

Organizers say the close viewing proximity from the shore…mixed with the danger of the reef make pipeline one of the most exciting contests to watch.  Bron Heussenstamm is a former competitor…and representative for the event.

A new documentary is looking behind the scenes of big wave surfing with a professional.

“Distance between Dreams” follows surfer Ian Walsh through the last year’s season… with a special focus on surfing Jaws on Maui.  It provides a unique first person perspective into the training, technology and preparation that goes into surfing giant waves.  Walsh says he wanted to take a different approach to the traditional surfing movie.

The large surf hitting the Hawaiian Islands is a welcome sign for big wave surfers competing in the Peahi Challenge at “Jaws” in north Maui.

The competition was put on “Green Alert” by organizers, and first heats are expected to begin as early as 7 this morning if favorable conditions hold.   Forecasts call for light winds and surf around 30 feet, which is considered “medium” for the competition.

The competition is also hosting a women’s division for the first time in event history.  Peter Mel is the Commissioner the World Surf League’s Big Wave Division.

The 9th annual Honolulu Surf Film Festival kicks off Saturday at the Doris Duke Theater inside the Honolulu Museum of Art.

Strange but true — the next big wave in Hawaii resorts might be those featuring artificial surf lagoons. Pacific Business News Editor in Chief A. Kam Napier has more.

Hawai‘i is the birthplace of the sport of surfing, and home to some of the world’s most famous surf breaks.  But for visitors seeking to hang 10, surfing out in the wild poses two challenges.  It can be unpredictable, and it can be dangerous.

So perhaps it’s not so surprising that not one, but two new resorts are being planned for West O‘ahu that prominently feature artificial wave pools.

As people like to say… “Eddie Went”

After a six-year wait and one false alarm… The “In Memory of Eddie Aikau” big wave surf competition was a “Go”. 

6:30am update: The Eddie has been called off. Event officials say the big wave surf contest will not run at Waimea Bay today due to slowly building conditions. 

5:30am update: The Eddie MAY Go.  Swell has shifted, with Waimea no longer getting a direct hit.  Start of contest may be delayed till noon.  Officials are contemplating running a modified heat format. 

Parking in Waimea valley has been filled for hours, and there are reports of heavy traffic delays. 

After a six-year wait…Eddie will GO.

  Mark Cunningham is a waterman; he was the expert in the lifeguard tower at ‘‘Ehukai, Pipeline, for twenty years, earning the friendship and respect of the world’s top surfers.  Cunningham won his first North Shore Bodysurfing Championship in high school, then won over a dozen more titles in a thirty year ocean safety career that spanned countless rescues.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports he’s spent the last decade in the ocean, along the shore, and in his workroom.

 The three-month holding period for the 31st annual “In Memory of Eddie Aikau” big wave surfing competition begins on December 1st.  The one-day big wave surfing event held in Waimea bay follows strict wave height requirements that mimic conditions Eddie Aikau liked to ride with faces of 40-feet and hold for at least eight hours.

  The 7th annual Surf Film Festival is underway at the Doris Duke Theater at the Honolulu Museum of Art.  The selection spans a wide range of the surfing world, from historical films, to documentaries about the future of the sport.

Abigail Algar is the curator. She says that the films are more than just a collection of surf movies, instead it’s more about the impact surfing has on the community.

The festival continues till the end of the month.