V13n9

Tr avel Iss

Th

e

ue

V 1 3 # 9

#stillfree

Mason Ho Photo: Diogo D’Orey

FREE PARKING

At the outset, every surf trip is indeed a calculated risk. But with the possibility of scoring an epic session at an empty break like this in Mozambique, how could one not book a ticket? Photo: Alan VanGysen

Jake Marote

EDITOR’S NOTE

By Cash Lambert There’s thousands of travel quotes out there that could introduce this month’s Travel Issue, but the one I felt most appropriate (and my personal favorite) is a phrase from a film called 180 South, where a crew of vagabonds chase swell in remote parts of South America: “The best journeys answer questions that in the beginning you didn’t even think to ask.”

These fifteen words woven together ring so true, because there is no better way to learn than to go for it, to book a ticket and absorb along the way. Yes, in the digital, cyberforest world we live in, we can be virtually anywhere at any moment and yes, it’s much cheaper than a plane ticket; but no, there isn’t a substitute for going, for wandering, for exploring.

in the feature, after returning from the spooky and wave-rich Skeleton Bay. “Every trip I go on teaches me lessons,” says Shawn Briley.

“I’d have to say that this trip [to Indonesia] in particular taught me to truly appreciate the special places that we as surfers are accustomed to going to, because the world is changing at such a fast pace now.”

We also sent Staff Photographer Keoki Saguibo on mission to Indonesia, and he returned with images of perfect, endless barrels, along with an honest perspective about the realities of chasing swell forecasts in a foreign land.

He writes: “While packing and making a plan to head to the airport [to leave Indonesia], the tide was slowly dropping and I saw two surfers paddle out. Knowing what would happen if the tide dropped enough, I tried not to look at the ocean when I left the camp. As we This is why we dedicated drove away, I couldn’t help look at this issue’s main feature, what I was about to miss…” flip entitled Postcards from the over to page 63 to read the full Edge (found on page 37), to interviews with eight of Hawaii’s account. accomplished surfers: we Above all, we hope this issue wanted to see what they had learned throughout their global inspires you to get out there, where there aren’t just waves and new adventures over the summer. friendships, but also answers to “If the trip taught me anything, questions you may have yet to ask. it was to always say yes to a strike mission,” says Alex Smith

PER-FLEX

Start

5.0

H YAT T R E G E N C Y WA I K I K I ALA MOANA CENTER

Line

BOARDIES

KOKO MARINA WINDWARD MALL WAIKELE

OKI

LocalMotion

H A W A

I

.com

QUEEN KA‘AHUMANU CENTER KUKUI MALL L A H A I N A G AT E WAY

QUEENS’ MARKETPLACE

new POaG m Dre

Follow JambaHawaii www.jambahawaii.com @jambahawaii

TA BL E O F CO N TE N TS / DEPA RTMEN T S 04 Free Parking 06 Editor’s Note 14 News & Events 74 Environment 78 Industry Notes 82 Last Look

Leila Hurst Photo: Ryan Chachi Craig

S H O W

R O O M

36

Hingeley

TABLE OF C ONT ENT S / FEAT URE S

N e w s & E vent s /

B I K I N I S , C LOT H E S & A CC E S S O R I E S

POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE

50

Keoki

Firsthand accounts from eight of Hawaii’s well known surfers on their summer adventures across the globe.

INDONESIA FIELD NOTES

62

Auberlen

Staff Photographer Keoki Saguibo discusses the thrill of chasing swell and scoring.

Hawaii Dream!!!

Haleiwa

66-250 Kamehameha Hwy, # E101 Haleiwa, HI 808.637.1777

Kailua

629 Kailua Road, # 120 Kailua, HI 96734 808.261.3026

www.brazilianshowroomhawaii.com ~ AT THE NORTH SHORE MARKETPLACE ~

GROM REPORTING Eleven-year-old Kaiser Abuerlin ventures to Australia to enjoy the Gold Coast’s wave-rich coastline.

AMPLIFIRE The Amplifire Model evolved e from Eric Arakawa’s popular K4 design that was modified for Joel Centeio. The tail rocker is slightly more relaxed than the K4 and the concave is amplified through the mid-section of the board. This increases forward lift for more front foot acceleration and speed. The position and shape of the concave creates better grip and drive through bottom turns with more speed heading into the lip and beyond. The Amplifire is a great high-performance shortboard for intermediate to advanced skilled surfers.

Available Tail shapes: Squash, Thumb, Round Pin and Swallow.

Enjoy The Ride!

HIC Surfboards and Boardshorts

BANDIT The Bandit breaks all the rules as to what type of waves a mini-board can be ridden in. Designed to be ridden 3-6” shorter than your everyday shortboard, the Bandit catches waves easily and grovels well in small mushy conditions.

However, this design should not to be regarded as a groveler only, it is a high-performance shortboard in a mini-board disguise. It is fast and loose, it squirts through flat sections and powers through the pocket. Ride it as a 3-fin or 4-fin, the Bandit is a barrel of fun and plenty of fun in the barrel.

Available Tail shapes: Squash, Bat Tail and Swallow.

“KANAHA” Octo-Stretch Boardshort

SPRINGER The Springer is the next generation of Eric Arakawa’s Transformer model, but with a fuller outline and a slightly lower rocker than its predecessor. The most Hobbi significant change is the adoption of the Hobbit’s bottom contours, with a double concave forward which transitions to a single concave through the fins.

This increases traction and drive under the front foot, and creates a “clean zone” of low interference high-speed water flow through the tail section. The Springer is super quick and has a “tail free” feeling on top turns. It’s a fun, versatile board in small waves and adapts well from a 3 fin to a 4 fin set up.

ADVANCED COMPOSITE MATRIX With over 20 different Eric Arakawa models to choose from, HIC’s got the right board to take your surfing to the next level.

Ala Moana Center

Street Level, Mauka

808-973-6780

www.hicsurf.com

D’Orey

Editorial

Publisher Mike Latronic Managing Editor Cash Lambert Photo Editor Tony Heff Art Director John Weaver Multimedia Director Tyler Rock Ambassador-at-Large Chris Latronic West Coast Ambassador Kurt Steinmetz Staff Photographers Brent Bielmann, Tony Heff, Chris Latronic, Mike Latronic, Tyler Rock, Keoki Saguibo Free Thinkers Kahi Paccaro, Kaiser Auberlen

Senior Contributing Photographers

Erik Aeder, Eric Baeseman (outbluffum.com), Brian Bielmann, Ryan Craig, Jeff Divine, Pete Frieden, Dane Grady, Bryce Johnson, Ha’a Keaulana, Ehitu Keeling, Laserwolf, Bruno Lemos, Mana, Zak Noyle, Shawn Pila, Jim Russi, Jason Shibata, Spencer Suitt, Tai Vandyke

Contributing Photographers

John Bilderback, Marc Chambers, Brooke Dombroski, DoomaPhoto, Rick Doyle, Isaac Frazer, Jeromy Hansen, Pete Hodgson, Joli, Kin Kimoto, Tim McKenna, Dave “Nelly” Nelson, Nick Ricca, Gavin Shige, Heath Thompson, Bill Taylor, Wyatt Tillotson, Corey Wilson, Jimmy Wilson, Cole Yamane Senior Account Executive Brian Lewis Business Coordinator Cora Sanchez FREESURF MAGAZINE is distributed at all Jamba Juice locations, most fine surf shops and select specialty stores throughout Hawai‘i. You can also pick up FREESURF on the mainland at Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstores and select newsstands. Ask for it by name at your local surf shop!

Subscribe at freesurfmagazine.com Other than “Free Postage” letters, we do not accept unsolicited editorial submissions without first establishing

Watch Board Stories on Channel 12, or 112 digital in Hawai`i or at OC16.tv

contact with the editor. FreeSurf, Manulele Inc. and its associates is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged submissions or their return.

Mon 2:00pm Tue 11:30am

One-way correspondence can be sent to P.O. Box 1161, Hale‘iwa, HI 96712 E-mail editorial inquiries to info@freesurfmagazine.com A product of Manulele, Inc. 2015

Wed 8:00pm Thu 2:00am Fri 6:00am Sat 5:00am Sun 7:00am

Please recycle this magazine, mahalo.

N E W S

&

E V E N T S

TEAM PERU CLAIMS VICTORY AT 2016 INS ISA WORLD SURFING GAMES All Photos: ISA / Jimenez After eight days of world-class surfing competition at the 2016 INS ISA World Surfing Games in Playa Jacó, Costa Rica, Team Peru emerged victorious and earned the Team Gold Medal and coveted Fernando Aguerre World Team Trophy.

The Gold Medal was the second for Team Peru in three years, having won the Team Gold Medal at the 2014 ISA World Surfing Games in Peru. Team Portugal won the Silver Medal, Team USA won the Bronze Medal and Team France won the Copper Medal.

“Congratulations to the Team Gold Medalist, Team Peru, and the individual Gold Medalists Tia Blanco and Leandro Usuna,” said ISA President Fernando Aguerre. “Tia and Leandro will forever be the very first ISA gold medalists of the Olympic Surfing cycle.

As all the other ISA competitors, they surfed in true Olympic spirit, for the honor of representing their countries.”

He continued: “Twenty-seven nations came together from around the world to surf in this history-making ISA World Surfing Games, for a phenomenal week of surfing and team 14

camaraderie. Since 1964, the ISA has been the global surfing stage for all the surfing nations. This event has been the very first one after the IOC inclusion of Surfing into the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Now all surfers in the world have the chance of becoming Olympians, the first ever Olympic surfers”.

Team USA’s Tia Blanco was crowned the Women’s Gold Medalist for the second consecutive year, repeating her 2015 performance at the ISA World Surfing Games in Nicaragua, and Team Argentina’s Leandro Usuna was crowned Men’s Gold Medalist for the second time in three years, after winning the 2014 Men’s Gold Medal in Peru.

After a morning that featured both the Men and Women Main Event and Repechage Finals, the Open Women's Grand Final took to the water in front of thousands at Playa Jacó. USA’s Tia Blanco found her rhythm midway through the Final and found a pair of rides in the 7-point range that gave her a heat total of 14.72. Blanco’s score proved to be just enough to win, as

&

E V E N T S

Ecuador’s Dominic Barona (14.67) earned the Silver, France’s Pauline Ado (14.46) earned the Bronze and France’s Justine Dupont (12.33) earned the Copper.

“I’m over the moon right now! It couldn’t get any better for me,” said Blanco. “I’ve had a bit of a rough year so I’m super happy to get this title. I love to represent the USA and so excited to make everyone proud at home.”

The Open Men Grand Final finished off the day, where Leandro Usuna, the 2014 Gold Medalist in Peru, won his second ISA World Surfing Games Gold Medal with a score of 14.33. Peru’s Lucca Mesinas (12.57) finished with the Silver Medal, Costa Rica’s Noe Mar McGonagle, the 2015 Gold Medalist, with the Bronze Medal and Venezuela’s Francisco Bellorin (9.67) with the Copper Medal.

“I’m a two-time champion, I can’t believe it!” said Usuna. “This is the third consecutive Final I’ve made in the past three years. I do this for my country, for my family and everybody who is always there for me. This isn’t about points or money, this is about love for your country and raising your flag. I’m just so happy!”

Team Peru had remained among the top of the Team Rankings through the entirety of the competition, trading off the top spot multiple times with Portugal, Costa Rica and France. Their stellar overall team performance proved to be the key to their success, spearheaded by Lucca Mesinas’ individual Silver Medal.

16

ISA / Evans

N E W S

EVAN GEISELMAN JUST PASSING THROUGH

REEF ROVER

N E W S

&

E V E N T S

“Unfortunately I couldn’t win my category division, but when I heard that Peru was the ISA World Champion, there were no words to describe it,” said Lucca Mesinas. I’m very happy that Peru finished as champion here in Costa Rica.”

2016 INS ISA WORLD SURFING GAMES RESULTS Open Men Gold – Leandro Usuna (ARG) Silver – Lucca Mesinas (PER) Bronze – Noe Mar McGonagle (CRC) Copper – Francisco Bellorin (VEN) Open Women Gold – Tia Blanco (USA) Silver – Dominic Barona (VEN) Bronze – Pauline Ado (FRA) Copper – Justine Dupont (FRA) Team Standings 1 – Gold Medal – Peru (3188) 2 – Silver Medal – Portugal (2924) 3 – Bronze Medal – USA (2860) 4 – Copper Medal – France (2848) 5 – Costa Rica (2785) 6 – Argentina (2725) 7 – Japan (2576) 8 – New Zealand (2179) 9 – Australia (2123) 10 – Ecuador (2078) 11 – South Africa (2058) 12 – Venezuela (2045) 13 – Chile (1860)

14 – Mexico (1703) 15 – Nicaragua (1560) 16 – Panama (1554) 17 – Puerto Rico (1474) 18 – Italy (1350) 19 – Switzerland (1308) 20 – Guatemala (1218) 21 – Canada (1170) 21 – Russia (1170) 23 – Sweden (1158) 24 – Colombia (1050) 25 – Denmark (300) 26 – Uruguay (264)

B

O

A

R

D

S

H

O

R

T

O’NEILL INC. 2016 US.ONEILL.COM TORREY MEISTER

PHOTO: MARC PREFONTAINE

F E A T U R I N G

Available at Deja Vu surf shop

U N R EASON ABLY DRY U NREAS ON ABLY LIGH T

S

&

E V E N T S

WSL / VanKirk

N E W S

TATIANA WESTON-WEBB WINS VANS US OPEN OF SURFING In front of a standing-room-only crowd on the Southside of Huntington Beach Pier, Tatiana Weston-Webb won the Vans US Open of Surfing in three-to-five foot waves, the 6th stop of 10 on the WSL Championship Tour. The win, taking place on July 31, earned her 10,000 points and advanced her two places to 4th as of August on the Jeep Leaderboard.

“To be honest, I had a tough week last week because I lost out in the first round of the Supergirl Pro QS event,” said Weston-Webb.

“I just wanted to get my confidence back up. I knew I had a tough draw here in Huntington, especially going against Courtney (Conlogue). She is in her home court and she is so amazing out here. After beating Courtney I got a lot of confidence. I had to surf the Final against my fellow Kauaian Malia (Manuel) and she has been ripping all event.”

The Final saw a clash between Hawaiian chargers Weston-Webb and Manuel. Manuel kept busy to put points on the board and charged with back-to-back waves under Weston-Webb’s priority.

Weston-Webb fired back with an excellent 7.33 and a 5.63 to regain control with fifteen minutes left on the clock. Manuel continued to chip away at Weston-Webb’s 12.96 combined score. A set out the back in the dying minutes of the heat gave Manuel one last opportunity, but she was not able to find the 7.79 required to close the gap and Weston-Webb took the win.

“I can only go up from here and I want to keep this roll going and hopefully win some more events in the future,” said Weston-Webb.

“I just want to thank my family, sponsors and all the fans for their support. This win is for everyone.”

20

N E W S

&

E V E N T S

SURFING INCLUDED IN THE 2020 OLYMPICS In August, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) formally included surfing as a gold medal sport in the Sports Programme for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

“Congratulations to ISA President, Fernando Aguerre, and the ISA on their successful bid to have the sport included in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” said Paul Speaker, CEO of the World Surf League. “This is a huge moment for professional surfing and further highlights surfing’s rise as a global participatory and spectator sport. As home to the world’s best surfing, the WSL looks forward to working with the ISA to ensure that the sport is showcased in the best possible manner and with the world’s best athletes. It is awesome that our incredible athletes will have the opportunity to showcase their talents and skills to the global Olympic audience and compete for their countries.”

Kieren Perrow, Commissioner of the World Surf League added: “The WSL has worked tirelessly to provide all of its surfers with opportunities to develop as professional athletes and to expand global participation in the sport of surfing. We’re excited by the IOC’s decision and look forward to what it means for the future of professional surfing.”

The event will run at Chiba, a 45-minute train ride from Tokyo and include 40 competitors in total, 20 men, 20 women. Although there is still little known about the exact format of the contest and how the surfers and countries will be chosen and represented, it’s evident that professional surfers alike are excited about the opportunity.

“For the sport being accepted onto the Olympic stage is a great step forward. Surfing continues to grow and seeing it reach the Olympic level is really exciting,” said John John Florence. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity of representing our country if I’m fortunate enough to make the U.S. team.”

“If I was invited to surf Olympics, I’d love to represent Hawaii. There’s so many talented surfers,” said Malia Manuel.

“I would love to represent my country in the Olympics,” seconded Coco Ho. “I’d love to be a part of it.”

N E W S

&

E V E N T S

JEFF HUBBARD TRIUMPHS AT THE HAWAII BODYBOARDING PRO TOUR’S ALA MOANA BOWLS CHALLENGE Photos: Keoki

On August 5th, Jeff Hubbard, using a combination of backflips, ARS and barrels, won the Ala Moana Bowls Challenge sponsored by Cutter Auto, Science Bodyboards, O.N.E Coconut Water, Pulp Surf, Sustainable Designs and Cerave Sunscreen. It was the first event of the 2016 Hawaii Bodyboarding Pro Tour.

“Just to have a session out there with only three other guys is pretty special,” Jeff said after the awards ceremony at Magic Island. “I was on the sideline last year with a broken foot. My brother Dave won this event last year so it’s nice to keep it in the Hubbard household. Regardless of the size of the waves today, we all had fun.”

The swell that was on hand: 1-2 foot, with occasional 2-3 foot sets, challenged the international field of over 100 competitors, forcing each male and female to adapt and showcase their small wave repertoire.

This is exactly what Jeff did in the 30-minute Final, winning the heat by charging into one of the few set waves.

Jeff edged out 2015 three division winner Sammy Morretino, Alistair Taylor and Dave Hubbard for the victory.

24

Entries into the event showed a talented and legendary field of competitors, including nine-time World Champion Mike Stewart, six-time World Champion Guilherme Tamega, 2015 Hawaii Pro Tour three division-winner Sammy Morretino, current World Tour Junior's leader Tanner McDaniel, and Karla Costa, a former World Tour champion.

The Men’s division was one of three that ran at the iconic South Shore break on the first day of action, with other divisions including Women’s and Master’s.

Jessica Becker, with her phenomenal wave selection in the early rounds, bested Ayaka Suzuki, Karla Costa, and Melanie Bartels in the Women’s Final.

Jimmy Hutaff came out on top in the Master’s Final that saw Wade Asato score runner up, Drake Hawelu third, and the Big Island’s Marshall Orr fourth.

The second day of competition, which planned to run Drop Knee, Stand Up and the Junior division, was called off due to a sewage spill in close proximity to the contest area.

“We called the contest off because the official position of Hawaii State Department of Health Clean Water Branch is that no one should be in the water through the Ala Wai Canal, the Harbor, and including surf spot Bowls," said contest organizer Norm Skorge. "Earlier indications said it was contained in the Harbor area, however updates included the surf spot we were in. So we have canceled the second day of the event.”

The next Hawaii Pro Bodyboarding contest will be held at Sandy’s Beach on September 2-5, followed by Makapu’u on October 29-30 and the Big Island in November. Visit IBAHawaiiTour.com for more information.

&

E V E N T S

WSL / Steinmetz

N E W S

COCO HO CATAPULTS UP THE QS LEADERBOARD WITH FIRST PLACE FINISH AT PAUL MITCHELL SUPERGIRL PRO For the second year in a row, a female who calls Hawai`i home reigned victorious at the Paul Mitchell Supergirl Pro, the largest allwomen’s surf contest in the world and the only WSL Women’s QS6000 event in North America. The win boosted Ho’s ranking on the QS from 21 to 6.

The finals came down to a clash of Hawaiian talent on July 24: Coco Ho versus Malia Manuel. Malia was the 2013 champion, and also earned first at the contest in 2008 and 2010. Coco Ho nailed two of the top scores in the final day of competition, earning a 9.00 in the Final and matching the highest-single wave score of this year’s event.

“It’s all a whirlwind!” said Ho, whose win earned her a third Supergirl cape, and her first since the contest became a QS6000. “I’ve never really been labeled as consistent and to be able to prove that wrong with a third win is my biggest milestone.”

The North Shore native bested Carissa Moore with an impressive 8.50 in the Semifinals, as well as Nikki Van Dijk in the Quarterfinals.

In the Final, Manuel battled back against Ho’s blazing attack, posting a 7.10 and 6.17 to earn runner up. By making it into the Final, Manuel, as of August, sits at the number one position on the Women’s QS rankings.

“For years now, Coco and I have wanted to be on opposite sides of the heat draw at Supergirl Pro so we could compete together in the finals. Finally being able to compete with each other in the finals is a dream come true for me and Coco,” said Manuel. “I’m so grateful to sponsors like Paul Mitchell who continue to support this event. It’s huge for us to have such a big company supporting women’s surfing like this.”

26

N E W S

&

E V E N T S

SUNNY GARCIA BECOMES 4X SURFERCROSS CHAMPION AT THE TOYOTA 18TH ANNUAL SURFERCROSS Story by Shawn Pila Photos by BrownDog Wilson

For the past 19 years, after the U.S. Open at Huntington Beach, a group of extreme athletes and industry professionals come together to participate in a two-day exclusive competition in sunny Southern California called Surfercross. The event is a laid-back, and somewhat low-pressured competition founded in 1997 by Jeremy Albrecht and Mike Parsons. It combines an even mix of professional surfers and motocross athletes along with some of the top names in the industry. Each surfer randomly selects a motocross partner and all teams then have to race two 12-lap races, and surf two 15-minute heats the very next day.

“It's been really cool to see the respect all the athletes have for each other's sport and the new friendships that are formed,” said Albrecht.

August 1 marked the first day of the 2016 Toyota 18th Annual Surfercross, held at Milestone MX in Riverside, California. Trucks, trailers, dirt bikes and pop-up tents lined the dusty dirt parking lot where over 300 spectators and 94 contestants mingled and geared up for competition.

David Kuwada and his partner Justin Lee took 2nd place in the pro surf division last year, but this year David suffered a bad injury. After an accident with another rider during the second moto he was rushed to the nearest emergency room where they later chopped off half of his right pinky finger.

“Things happen,” Kuwada said. “You’re in this crazy race with some of the best pros in the industry, and everyone’s a

Hawaii’s Ocean Sports Headquarters Since 1965

SURF, Dive & SUp Right iN oUR backyaRD!

(808) 637-SURF SurfNSea.com 62-595 KAMEHAMEHA HWY. HAlEiWA Hi, 96712

3584-1QMP_HalfVertAd_2.indd 1

N E W S

&

E V E N T S

competitor trying to get to the finish line. Study your mistakes and analyze what you did, and that’s how you get better.”

Bumps and bruises and a few casualties led to day two of the competition with perfect glassy 2-3 foot surf at Trail 6 in San Onofre.

“It’s the most complete opposite thing you can do from surfing,” said Sunny Garcia, six-time Triple Crown champion. “One is in water and in the ocean, and the other is in the dirt and inland. I love both and to get to do both is incredible.”

Garcia and his partner, Ricky Yorks, took an overall ranking of 3rd place in the pro moto division and 3rd place in the surf, which led them to an overall victory. The all-new 4X Surfercross Champion says that this is his favorite event all year long.

“I could really care less about all the other events,” said Garcia.

“Professional Surfing is my job but this is my passion. I love motocross and I love surfing, and to have an event that crosses over both has been my dream and I’ve been living it for the last 19 years.”

Overall Pro Division Results (Pro Surf / Pro Moto) 1st Place - Sunny Garcia & Ricky Yorks 2nd Place - Dylan Lightfoot & David Pingree 3rd Place - Ryan Sakal & Carlen Gardner 4th Place - Josh Sleigh & Michael Sleeter 5th Place - Mark Gabriel & Sean Lipanovich 6th Place - Blake Howard & Dan Pastor Overall Industry Division Results 1st Place - Josiah Damm & Ryan Corum 2nd Place - Brett Dimanno & Patrick Lopez 3rd Place - Chris Fichetti & Tommy Bonacci 4th Place - Dusty Marrin & Matt Collins 5th Place - Jonathan Murphy & Ryan Federow 6th Place - Austin Prida & Mark Moss 4/13/16 12:54 PM

Cholo’s

Homestyle Mexican Restaurant & Margarita Bar Finn McGill

Photo: Heff/Freesurf

Open Everyday 9:30 am-9:30 pm Happy Hour: 4-6 pm M-F – Food & Drink Specials – North Shore Marketplace Haleiwa, Hawaii 96712

637-3059 www.CHOLOS.mx

Authentic Mexican Favorites Island Fresh Fish Tacos Refreshing Margaritas CELEBRATING 20 YEARS

Food & Festivities in Historic Haleiwa Town

Muchos Mahalos to all our loyal customers for your patronage!

N E W S

&

E V E N T S

5TH ANNUAL LIVE LIKE SION GROMFEST Photos by Marina Miller On July 23rd, a crowd of three to four hundred people excitedly gathered at PK’s Southside on Kauai to take part in the 5th annual Live Like Sion Gromfest, an event put on to celebrate the life and legacy of the late Sion Milosky.

“The event is always special,” said contest director Milo Murguia. “But at the 5th annual, the vibe was electric. Everyone was so positive, there wasn’t an ounce of negativity throughout the entire day.”

Around 200 participants competed in the fun-sized swell on hand, with light offshore winds prevailing. Although Tropical Storm Darby had threatened to put the contest on hold, the storm system didn’t make landfall until the following day.

Up for grabs as prizes were trophies, as well as donated surfboards from Will Scovel Surfboards, Lee Surfboard Designs and Tamba.

“The goal of the event is to perpetuate and keep Sion’s memory alive,” said Murguia. “He was such a positive guy, he did so many good things. His family values were intertwined with surfing and his love for the ocean. On one hand it’s a serious competition and on the other hand its family, fun, and friends on the beach. There’s great camaraderie, and it’s amazing how many people in the surf world and community in Kauai help. It’s nice that it's still continuing to grow.”

32

Maldives

Pacific Islands

www.worldsurfaris.com

Indo

AFFILIATED WITH

MONTROSE TRAVEL CST# 1018299

Reservations Specialist

SEAN WALKER sean@worldsurfaris.com

And many more!

(877) 617-1328

N E W S

&

E V E N T S

Girls 6-8 1 Maluhia Mai 2 Zoie Zietz 3 Anonui Emery 4 Mia Carano 5 Kailea Nelson Boys 6-8 1 Jacob Turner 2 Given Goodwin 3 Mananalu Leopoldino 4 Noah Hernandez 5 Makahoa Candelaria 6 Cash Valesquez Boys 9-10 1 Legend Leopoldino 2 Kamaehu Swain 3 Jackson Krest 4 Rush Abubo 5 Keanu DeWitt 6 Jonah Raymond Girls 9-12 1 Kaia Krest 2 Summer Narverette 3 Kahea Bothelo 4 Sydney Doi 5 Prestly Grant 6 Kiana Mertz

Boys 11-12 1 Elijah Ibbs 2 Conner Green 3 Dylan Granato 4 Hanalei Wann 5 Nahoa Davis 6 Zaia Kikatsis Girls Longboard 14 and under 1 Molly Middlebrook 2 Elise Nagel 3 Mehana Kamalani 4 Piper Sheehan 5 Kawehi Graham Boys Longboard 14 and under 1 Lucas Bryan 2 Christian Schmidt 3 Joel Hamai 4 Kanoa Nelson 5 Noah Raymond Open 14 and under final 1 Kainehe Hunt 2 Sammy Gray 3 Hendrix Frankenrieter 4 Campbell Sheehan 5 Sydney Mackza 6 Luca Aza

TAVARUA ISLAND RESORT – FIJI

Go once and you will make it an annual pilgrimage!

EXPLORE FIJI AND SAMOA For the best and most convenient surf trips from Hawaii fly Fiji Airways to Fiji or Samoa with 3 flights per week departing Honolulu!

SALANI SURF RESORT - SAMOA The heart of Polynesian culture!

MATANIVUSI RESORT – FIJI

Enjoy the quiet side of Fiji and surf world famous Frigates Pass.

For reservations and a full list of destinations visit waterwaystravel.com | 888.669.7873 (SURF)

MASON HO Indonesia South Africa Portugal

Photos by Rory Pringle

It can get exhausting if you don't know how to travel, but my Dad and Uncle showed me the formula. Now, it's mostly candy.

The gnarliest situation I can remember while traveling recently was when we had around 10 people skinny dipping. We all tried to walk out to this reef shelf far out in the ocean. Long story short, there were urchins, jellyfish…

It was dangerous. Another time in Portugal, we found this crazy wave that peeled off a funny looking rock. It looked like a fun little 3-foot left wedge. So I got all excited and was about to paddle out, putting on my suit and waxing my board and that’s when a 15-foot wave washed through the place and exploded over all these jagged rocks. I’m so happy I didn't paddle out.

On one of my trips this year, I saw a 6-year-old boy named Lukey get barreled over a super shallow reef shelf in the jungle. It was very cool seeing talent like that in such a remote place with not much surf equipment around.

F R O M

T H E

E D G E

In their own words, 8 of Hawaii’s most eclectic surfers tell of their most recent international travels, their most dangerous moments on the road, and the important lessons learned along the way.

Every trip I go on, I feel like I learn something new about myself and the world. Lately, I’ve realized if you enjoy yourself and be super polite no matter what, then you will most likely have a good and safe trip and meet many new friends.

Pete Frieden

POSTCARDS

LEIL A HURST Cuba and Mexico

A friend called me and said "Let's go to Cuba for three days", and I said "okay!" I didn't know exactly where we were going, but I was totally in. We went with no plans other than to explore. We brought a longboard and a shortboard, surfed some beautiful waves in beautiful Caribbean blue water. We walked for hours exploring around the town and got the coolest taxi rides you could ever get. Our taxi was bright pink. It was a really cool experience, and I hope Cuba never changes.

Surfing is always an adventure. Most of the time, chasing swell doesn't end up the way you want it to.

Gage Hingeley

Ryan Craig Marco Bava

Ryan Craig

Marco Bava

Mexico was more of a real surf trip. Alana Blanchard and I have always wanted to go on a surf trip together and we finally pulled the trigger. We had such a blast, got such fun waves - the best waves I've ever got to surf in my life, Alana and I were on cloud nine. We played in the ocean all day, ate amazing Mexican food and got very sunburned.

ALEX SMITH

Namibia

Photos by Alan VanGysen

I was in Morocco, and my brother Koa Smith called with news of the swell. As soon as I hung up the phone, I booked my ticket without a second thought. I went with Koa, Benji Brand, Koa Rothman and Anthony Walsh. The wave is in a different league, the way the swell expresses itself on the sand bar with such perfection. It's hard to believe what you're seeing is real. Between the animal life, contrasting desert weather and massive swell, the place has a very intense energy and it’s beautifully powerful. If the trip taught me anything, it was to always say yes to a strike mission.

The waves in Indo are absolutely perfect: Padang and Desert Point delivered some of the most flawless waves I've seen. Nias is also one of those waves that is just ridiculously perfect but can hold you underwater for a long time.

EZRA SIT T Indonesia Photos by Jake Marote

After going to Indonesia the past five to seven years in a row, I’ve learned that you can get the most bang for your buck there. We had a great crew in tow: Micah Moniz, Jake Marote and a few others.

Over the years, I’ve realized it is important to look at the maps and get pretty good at them. I knew there was solid swell for our whole trip, so Micah and I pulled the trigger.

The craziest part of the trip was after a full moon party, one member of our crew drove off a cliff on a moped but luckily was fine. A few guys even tried to mob us outside a event party and we had to defend ourselves. Jiujitsu has showed me how to deal with people if attacked.

Indonesia has taught me a lot in the past years, it's become a part of me. I show a lot of respect and love the vibe, and at the same time you have to know that it can get heavy in one second. I don't litter, I don't look for fights, I don't treat people badly. I just do my thing, respect everyone and get barreled.

SHAWN BRILEY

Indonesia

Photos by Pete Frieden

I’ve traveled extensively on surf trips for almost three decades and I'm very thankful for the opportunity to now share some of my favorite places with my family. This year, I spent six weeks traveling through Indonesia: Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa and Java surfing, zip lining, paddle boarding and spending time with friends. I caught an epic swell at Desert Point, super fun waves at Lakey Peak, and a slabby right at Desa Limasan.

The place that has changed the most is Bali. The Balinese are incredibly nice people and their culture is still very vibrant.

On the other hand, the sheer amount of development has been absolutely lifechanging for the Balinese people, and the visitors as well. Surfers fall in love with the area to some degree because it’s getting more crowded. The sheer beauty of the waves for the most part has not changed, though. It's just the way that humans and surf industry people have capitalized and commoditized these surf breaks that has changed, in my view.

Isaiah Briley

Every trip I go on teaches me lessons. I'd have to say that this trip in particular taught me to truly appreciate the special places that we as surfers are accustomed to going to because the world is changing at such a fast pace now.

During the trip, everyone’s surfing was so far beyond expectations. It’s rad to see how everyone’s surfing has evolved.

This trip gave me the perspective I needed. I’ve never taken my life for granted, but this trip was a reminder of how lucky I truly am. I spent 10 days on Tavarua with three best friends that I grew up with, and I’m not sure how many people can call that part of their job.

Surfing, fishing, diving, ping pong, beers, cards: it was the trip of a lifetime.

BILLY KEMPER Fiji Photos by Ryan Moss Albee Layer, Kai Barger, Dege O’Connell, we’ve known each other since diaper days. Once we grew older, we went our separate ways. Albee started filming movies, Barger was grinding on the QS, I moved to the North Shore and wanted to surf big good waves and Dege stayed on Maui. So ever since, I’ve been talking with Albee about doing a trip. The other part of this is that when Albee won Innersection, him and Dege made a bet that if he won, Albee would have to take Dege on a surf trip. And Albee is super loyal, a man of his word. I saw there was going to be a mental run of swell going to Tavarua, and it all worked out.

Indonesia and Tahiti

Frieden

MIKEY O'SHAUGHNESSY

I spent a week at Desert Point, then Bali for a week and half. I wanted to see Bali because I had never been to Indonesia before, and had always wanted to score waves at Desert Point and Keramas, experiencing a place and culture that was new to me. After that, I spent two weeks in Tahiti.

The faraway destinations are always a gamble, because the swell and the forecast can always change.

Desert Point, if you’ve never been, it’s a desert. There’s no clean water and you sleep in concrete huts that are hot and super dirty. I flew to Lombok at night and wasn’t sure how I was going to get over to Deserts. After I landed, I realized I was in a very foreign location, and in a very different culture. After spending an hour trying to catch rides with some Brazilians, I luckily bumped into a Hawaiian at the airport. The wave itself at Desert Point is one of the most bizarre waves I’ve experienced. The tides are so drastic, so the swell can come in and die very quickly.

Mexico, Fiji and Chile

I started my summer going to California for the WSL Big wave awards. From California, I went to Punta Lobos, Chile for a while and then I went back home to the North Shore. From there, I chased a big swell to Fiji to surf Cloudbreak for a couple of weeks. Then the Puerto Escondido contest was called on while I was visiting family in Arizona, so I went to Mexico for a couple more weeks to surf Puerto Escondido and Salina Cruz.

It was two weeks in each location: Chile, Fiji, and Mexico. There’s always a chance that after traveling halfway across the world the waves might not cooperate, so it's very important to remember it's the journey not the destination, waves or no waves. Traveling is what you make of it.

Edwin Morales

TREVOR CARLSON

The best wave I've ridden this summer was my first wave of the Puerto Escondido trip, two days before the contest - it was the first wave I’ve caught in Mexico since getting injured there last summer. I paddled out saying that I didn't even care if I caught a wave, I just wanted to be in the water and if a perfect one came to me, I would go. Then this wave came to me and I had to go.

A

P

Fransisco Porcella, Teahupoo, Tahiti. Photo: Ben Thouard

E

R

T

U

R

E

John John Florence, Jefferys Bay, South Africa. Photo: Pete Frieden

Imaikalani DeVault, Sumbawa, Indonesia. Photo: Luke Forgay

Kai Barger, Cloudbreak, Fiji. Photo: Ryan Moss

Bruce Irons, Keramas, Indonesia. Photo: Laserwolf

Torrey Meister, Mainland Mexico. Photo: Ryan "Chachi" Craig

Kalani Chapman, Desert Point. Photo: Pete Frieden

62

F

David Wight

Welzie

Walfrido Please visit us at our Hawaii locations.

WYLAND GALLERIES BEACH WALK WAIKIKI 226 LEWERS STREET SUITE L-127 , HONOLULU, HI 96815 / 808.924.1322

ハワイの各店舗情報をご覧いただけます SIGNATURE GALLERIES BEACH WALK WAIKIKI 226 LEWERS STREET SUITE l-124 , HONOLULU, HI 96815 / 808.924.1322

Wyland

Heather Brown for more info visit

WYLAND GALLERIES KO OLINA 92-1048 OLANI ST. SUITE 3-102 KAPOLEI, HI 96707/ 808.677.1440

Wyland WWW.SIGNATUREGALLERIES.COM

WYLAND GALLERIES NORTHSHORE MARKETPLACE 66-250H KAMEHAMEHA HWY HALEIWA, HI 96712 / 808.637.8729

662 RIDE SHOP HONOLULU’S SOURCE FOR BODYBOARDS, SWIM FINS, LEASHES, SURF CAMERA ACCESSORIES & MORE!

MCCULLY SHOPPING CENTER 1960 KAPIOLANI BLVD. SUITE 108 808 - 944 - 2662

EXCLUSIVE ONLINE STORE WWW.662HI.COM

FOLLOW US

@662RIDESHOP_HI

INDONESIAN FIELD NOTES WITH KEOKI Words and Photos by Keoki

Like the waves we ride, we as surfers are travelers.

We will search the vast ends of the Earth to find our version of the perfect wave.

Whether our dream destination consist of no crowds, a left or right, long barrels or sandbars, the journey of getting to the waves keeps us hungry for more year after year.

This is no exception as a surf photographer.

Knowing there are firing waves somewhere in the world, the lighting opportunities, the surfing action, lifestyle moments, all of this tends to wear on the creative mind.

The flood of social media photos and video invades my feed and makes me feel that as every day passes, I’m losing out on something that I could have been there for. I previously had the opportunity to make a move but I let it slip through, and I couldn’t let it happen again: this would be my third trip to Indonesia.

Understanding how to travel in Indonesia (places to stay, what’s safe to eat, how to get around), I knew I could be more adventurous on this trip. While having my morning coffee and watching crowded 3-4 foot Uluwatu, a photo caught my eye across the warung (restaurant). It was a photo of Mikala Jones in a gaping barrel resembling the looks of my favorite winter playground: Off the Wall.

My palms started to sweat and I was itching to get in the know. Hanging out while waiting for the tide to change, I started to talk with local rippers. Over a few Bintangs, I luckily got some knowledge out of them on how to get to this

INDONESIAN FIELD NOTES WITH KEOKI wave. First light the next day, I was on it.

I rolled up on my motor bike after winding through Indonesian morning traffic to the spot where I saw the photo of Mikala the previous day. Knowing the location of the wave is only a small part of the recipe, not to mention every spot takes a certain concoction of tide, wind and swell to make the wave work at its best.

I saw some lines marching in, eyeing the potential of the

wave. Winds were sheet glass, the tide just right, but no swell.

Skunked. This trend continued the next day and at that point, I was having doubts on this wave and wondered how often it works. But third time was a charm.

A south-southwest swell rolled in overnight, and the tide was looking prime but the winds were questionable. On a whim, I geared up and made the journey.

What was a total roll of the dice turned out to be one of the best decisions of the trip. Waves were unloading 4-6 feet with two guys out and not a waterdrop out of place. It was on!

Later on in the trip, Desert Point was on my mind. It’s a wave

Kaimana Henry

INDONESIAN FIELD NOTES WITH KEOKI Later on in the trip, Desert Point was on my mind. It’s a wave everybody seems to score but me. I’ve seen countless hours of footage and heard a million stories about the place, but had yet to score it for myself. I’ve done the mission to the arid dream wave twice before, but no gold. The first time the waves were too small and the second time it was too big with bad winds. On this trip, I had a small window to catch the rising part of a fresh southwest swell. I linked up with Kaimana Henry and close friend Keli Everett to make the journey. Knowing the winds could be funky and the tides would play the deciding factor of the “dreamwave recipe”, we went for it anyway.

The first morning we got up, climbed out of our mosquito nets and walked straight to the wave. It was 1-2 feet on the sets, the tide was way too high and the feeling of being skunked was all over my face.

“Be positive, it will turn on”, said Kai Henry. I glanced over at him to see the

same ‘what were we thinking’ face. We decided to be patient and wait for the tide to drop. After walking the beach for two hours looking for shells, an hour nap, and drinking countless coconuts because the humidity sucked moisture from your body like a dehydrator, the tide dropped and we saw waves coming to life.

The winds, for some reason, turned offshore after what the forecasts called to be sideshore. The waves started to rise with the dropping tide and it came together and turned on.

Switching off with the barrel hungry crowd, we scored our share of waves and views and then called it day. The waves fired until the night, and we ended our day with a traditional Indo farewell, ice cold Bintangs.

Through the night, the waves got bigger and it felt as if the ocean was rising with every set. We were so excited for what the next day brought.

The next morning, the rituals of brushing your teeth, washing your face, and getting ready for the day were non-existent. We awoke, climbed out of our mosquito nets and walked directly to the beach. Much to our surprise, it was flat. The tide was too high.

What was a barreling dream wave was now a small, reverse version of Malibu.

That was my last chance to score Desert Point on this trip.

While packing and making a plan to head to the airport, the tide slowly dropped and I saw two surfers paddle out. Knowing what would happen if the tide dropped enough, I tried not to look at the ocean when I left the camp. As we drove away, I couldn't help look at what I was about to miss. I saw a five-foot, top to bottom wave lining up all the way through.

That last image has been in my mind ever since, and I can’t wait to go back for more. pau

UP

S ION

ZE

EMIS S RO

O

T

AMERICA’S PREMIER INDOOR KARTING CENTER

45 MPH

ARRIVE & DRIVE ADULTS AND JUNIORS 48” AND UP GREAT FAMILY FUN!

CORPORATE EVENTS

SPACIOUS LOBBIES

PROFESSIONALLY DESIGNED TRACKS

91-1085 Lexington St, Kapolei, HI 96707 | (808) 682-7223 | K1SPEED.com

AZ - PHOENIX, CA - CARLSBAD . IRVINE . ANAHEIM . TORRANCE . ONTARIO . SANTA CLARA . SAN FRANCISCO . SACRAMENTO . SAN DIEGO, CO - DENVER FL - FT. LAUDERDALE . MIAMI . ORLANDO, GA - ATLANTA hi - kapolei, IL - BUFFALO GROVE . ADDISON, MA - BOSTON . KINGSTON, NY - ALBANY . POUGHKEEPSIE, in - indianapolis, TX - ARLINGTON . AUSTIN . DALLAS . HOUSTON . SAN ANTONIO, UT - SALT LAKE CITY, WA - SEATTLE

Kai Ku Hale

Green Style Island Living

Mahalo to supporters and competitors!

14th Annual Malama Wai’aha Roots Body Board Contest

Richard Peters Photo by S. Buddy Ah Nee

Unique Hawaiian Art, Home Decor & Gifts

76-6246 Ali`i Dr. Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740 (808) 326-1771

Haleiwa Town Center

Open 10 am - 6pm Daily 66-145 Kamehameha Hwy., Haleiwa, HI 96712 Phone: (808) 636-2244 www.kaikuhale.com

By Kaiser Auberlen

I have only been on Earth for eleven short years and have been lucky enough to travel to places like Fiji, Nicaragua, California, Australia and Bali. Australia is probably at the top of the list, so while all my friends were chasing titles at Nationals over the summer, my Dad (Geoff) and I decided to take another trip back to the Gold Coast. After surfing epic 3-4 foot barrels at DBah on our first session, I knew we made the right decision.

We spent the first half of our trip on the Gold Coast, always up at dawn surfing either Dbah or Snapper. The Superbank is an amazing set up: it's the longest sand bottom point I have ever seen. If you get a good one all the way to Greenmount, your legs are burning.

The one bummer about these spots? The crowd. There can be easily over 200 people out at the Superbank, and the amazing thing is you can go 15 minutes south to Fingal or Kingscliff and find great waves by yourself. You just have to know where to look.

One of the best parts of the trip was our session at South Straddie, a small island off the Gold Coast. It’s known for some of the best beach breaks in the world. We got to the boat ramp at dark and knew it was on when we saw Dean Morrison, Ryan Hipwood and The Mad Hueys launching their skis. It was solid 4-6 foot barrels and the best beach break I have ever seen.

70

We did step offs and it was the most fun I’ve ever had on a surfboard, just stepping off and getting barreled. I was hooked!

The next day we went off on another adventure with a friend to a secret spot on an island off Brisbane. We will call this Spot X, because they didn’t want me to mention the name. It took us an hour to get there by boat, and there were perfect 3-4 foot rights peeling down a sandbottom point for over 200 yards. Nobody was out! We surfed for a solid three hours, went to the beach, made a fire, had lunch and paddled back out for another threehour surf. It was epic.

After a great ten days on the Gold Coast, we moved on to our next destination: Byron Bay. I really like Byron because it has it all: point breaks, reef breaks and beach breaks. It’s a cool town with great food and nice people, like a hipster version of Haleiwa. We would usually surf the Pass in the morning, followed by an evening session at the Wreck. The Pass is another long sandbottom right-hand point with a thick crowd. Evening high tide sessions at the Wreck were sick, because the wave consists of two peaks that break off an old shipwreck.

One of the nice things about most of the surf zones in Australia is that they are usually around a headland, so you have a point, a beach and a back beach. This is good because you can almost always find an offshore wave. If the wind goes North and the Pass

Kym Symonds

GROM REPORTING: KANGAROOS, KOALAS, STEP OFFS AND SANDBOTTOM POINTS

Wizard Sleeves

Unique Images Australia

GROM REPORTING

is onshore, you go surf the back beach. The back beach at Byron is called Tallows and it’s a super powerful wedge of a left and a right with great barrels and small crowds.

We scored Tallows a couple of times and it was insane!

During our stay in Byron, we took a few road trips south to surf some spots my Dad really wanted to check out.

The first was Lennox Head, and it’s only twenty minutes from Byron. Lennox is a rock point and has a pretty sketchy entry into the lineup. You have to jump off big boulders full of urchins. We saw several people get worked and lose their fins.

The waves were really good, solid 4-6 foot and guys were getting pitted. The next spot was Angourie. It’s located in a nature reserve and is just an amazing place. It’s a rock point that wraps into a little bay with an inside bowl like V-land. The day we surfed it was a perfect 3-5 foot and sheet glass with only 10 people out.

This was probably the best surf trip I have ever been on. We surfed everyday at least six hours, met a lot of new friends and saw some old ones. Australia is just an easy place to go, great food, nice people and guaranteed you're gonna get all types of waves. What else do you need?

Wizard Sleeves

pau

72

kaleimaeole handcrafted jewelry Enhance your beauty with one of our designs Created on Oahu’s North Shore

MOKU Rider Andre Derizans Photo: Paul Teruya

Rentals, Lessons & Sales Meeting All Your Surfing Needs With Aloha!

Now four convenient locations...

Waikiki, Hale’iwa, Long Beach NY & Rockville Centre NY

Instagram: Kaleimaeole Jewelry Shop: wwww.kaleimaeole.etsy.com

www.moku-hi.com SURF ART BEACH ISLANDSTYLE

- LOCATION -

Sheraton Waikiki International Market Place www.greenroomhawaii.com

ENVIRONMENT /

THIS IS HOW PLASTIC POLLUTION IS DEBILITATING OUR MARINE ECOSYSTEM

By Kahi Paccaro

Deep introspection of pollution ends at the epiphany that pollution is the result of failed design. If consumer goods and commercial fishing materials were designed to consider the end of their use, we would drastically constrict the flow of plastics dumping into our ocean. This most obvious conclusion also represents perhaps one of the most daunting paths of implementation. The reason? Plastic is made from oil.

As the uphill path is being walked to tackle the bigger picture of addressing sustainable design, people throughout Hawaii are working on a daily basis to not only rid our coastlines of debris, but more importantly, inspire us to stop using so much plastic.

As the world slowly recognizes the un-sustainability of overconsuming plastic, we need to turn our existing waste into a resource. Therein lies one of the most poignant current solutions.

Born out of our desire to eliminate thousands of pounds of marine debris entering the landfill or H-Power, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii has initiated the world's first Ocean Plastics Program.

In collaboration with Method Home, we turned ocean trash into soap bottles that lined the shelves of Whole Foods across the

country. This has now grown to collaborations with Parley for the Oceans and Adidas.

The successful implementation of our ocean plastics program placed Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii on the radar of not only big-name brands but also researchers working within the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (PMNM), the largest protected conservation area under the United States, as well as one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world. The area consists of 139,797 square miles in the Pacific Ocean, which, according to Papahanaumokuakea.gov, is also larger than all of the country’s national parks combined.

Researchers deployed for months on end - whose task it was to save the critically endangered monk seal - would walk over plastic pollution and societal remnants with no conduit to address the daunting amount of marine debris overtaking the habitats that seemed so important to the PMNM’s real residents.

Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii’s Ocean Plastics Program gave reason, set precedent, and laid the pathway to bring further purpose to the researchers long and arduous task while under deployment within the PMNM.

WHERE WILL YOUR NEXT DESTINATION TAKE YOU?

OAHU 66-145 KAMEHAMEHA HWY. HALEIWA, HI 96712 (HALEIWA TOWN CENTER, NEXT TO RADIO SHACK)

808.637.8882

MAUI 815 FRONT ST. LAHAINA, HI 96761

(BETWEEN KIMO’S & CHEESEBURGER IN PARADISE)

808.661.6888

120 HANA HWY. P A I A , H I 96 7 7 9 (NEAR CHARLEY’S)

808.579.8882

S h o p

o n l i n e

at

www.pakaloha.com OFFERING FREE DELIVERY FOR ALL OF HAWAII

FREEDOM Laser Hair Removal

@freedomlaser (808 ) 230 - 9 8 51 f re e d om by l as er.com

Free Parking behind Futago

ENVIRONMENT /

A

s Ni’ihau dropped under the horizon, our last glimpse of the Hawaiian Islands welcomed our entrance into the mysterious and majestic PMNM. Recently brought aboard the 230-foot NOAA Research Vessel the Hi’ialakai, our goal was to asses the damage marine debris was causing in the Monument, figure out what to do about it, and whether our Ocean Plastics Program could succeed.

The Monument represents a breathing ecosystem where all parts are integral to a larger whole, contrasting the beauty of the wildlife is the evidence of mankind's waste: waste from our everyday lives, waste from commercial fishing and waste from a war torn past.

The Monument is in a state of disrepair, being brought back to life by a small army of dedicated scientists and contractors while being barraged by society’s continual over-consumption of plastic and demand for fish.

Monk seals, green sea turtles, baby albatross and masked boobies have unsolicitedly embraced the plastic tide with no choice but to accept their current reality. As our storm drains, litterers, dumps, canals, and streams empty out millions of pounds of debris into our oceans, the debris is met with millions of tons of nets, buoys, and rope intentionally dumped overboard only to wash up on the shores of Papahanaumokuakea.

Old nets and ropes are tied together to become fish aggregating devices (FAD’s) and thrown overboard. Often attached to the FAD, a small device communicates the temperature of the water, the depth of the ocean, the GPS location, the average size of fish underneath, and the density of fish. When the right parameters occur, the boat returns to harvest the fish below.

Curious monk seals play with these plastic conglomerates only to get tangled and die. Albatross fledglings starve to death in their plastic rimmed nests as their corpses decompose only to expose plastic filled stomachs. Force-fed plastic meals by their parents, similarly to how society is force feeding plastic to us.

As the World wakes up to the need to curb plastic production and use, we need to identify and protect the places affected by its most insidious repercussions. After visiting the Monument, the idea of expanding the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument - something currently being proposed - represents an unprecedented opportunity to further protect one of the world's most important existing habitats and set a precedent to encourage the protection of more critical habitats allowing our oceans to heal.

On that first journey, we returned with over 5,000 pounds of marine debris and since recovered another 15,000 pounds with more on the way. But, as we started our journey back to the Hawaiian Islands, still in the daze of experiencing a life-changing trip, reality and society quickly set in as the skilled Captain smoothly navigated the giant ship alongside a reflective mylar balloon with the words “Congrats Graduate!”

Graduates of our highest educational institutions celebrating with detrimental superficial balloons show the magnitude and scale of our current situation.

Kahi Paccaro is the Executive Director at Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii. pau

FRI 3:00am & 1:00pm SAT 12:30pm SUN 7:00am MON 5:30pm TUE 6:00am

Rock

6 DAYS A WEEK!

THU 9:30pm

INDUSTRY NOTES

On September 17, Island Club and Spa and Moku Hawaii are presenting The China Uemura Pay It Forward Event. The event, which will be held from 5-8pm, includes live music, food and a silent auction, with 100% of proceeds being donated to the China Uemura Surfing Foundation. For more information, call 808-543-3900.

Absolute Board Co. is stoked to announce Frank Messmate has been appointed Global Chief Executive officer effective August 15, 2016. The move has been made to accelerate Absolute in delivering its mission “to get more people skateboarding.”

Over the last five years, Absolute has been one of the main drivers of growth in the skateboard participation globally. “I am stoked there are so many new people skateboarding because of brands like Penny and Z-Flex and this will continue to be out company mission.”

BYRD launched a purifying shampoo this summer for weather-beaten and dull hair after a summer of surf, sand and salt. The shampoo gently cleanses while the conditioner adds strength, shine and beachy volume. The pair also features a blend of sea kelp, green tea and aloe vera extracts to regulate moisture and protect against UV/ environmental damage. For more information, visit BYRDHair.com.

78

Hawaiian Airlines released a statement after several pro surfers, including Kelly Slater, Dusty Payne, Sebastian Zietz and others aired frustrations via social media regarding board baggage fees.

“We’ve gotten a lot of feedback in the last few days about our surfboard policies, the statement read. “…Hawaiian Airlines carries a lot of surfboards—it’s part of who we are—and we’ve given these rules a lot of thought. We don’t expect everyone to agree with our policies, but we thought it would help to share some thoughts on why we have them. First, we take transporting your boards seriously…There is a cost to that mālama (care) – unlike a checked-in suitcase, our customer service team must hand-carry surfboards from acceptance to the belly of the plane and manually process them through security screening. Plus, we’re liable for damages if something goes wrong. The fees we charge are intended to cover those costs, and we try to keep them reasonable and competitive. Second, we enforce some restrictions when it comes to checking in surfboards. The one that’s gotten a lot of attention this week is the limit of two boards per bag. That limit is based on our experience that it’s more likely boards will get damaged when three or more boards are packed together – damage for which we are rightly held liable. The majority of the other US airlines have the same rule, for the same reason.”

www.darkfingloves.com

The BEST paddling gloves you’ve never tried!

FREE SHIPPING TO HAWAII!

INDUSTRY NOTES

Kahanu Delovio, an 18-year-old professional surfer from the Big Island of Hawaii, has started a Go Fund Me campaign to help fund her dream of competing on the WSL’s Championship Tour. Kahanu is hard working at her talents, training, and schooling and she has been traveling thus far on her own dime. Most surfers on Tour, or on the qualifying series have the funds available from family or sponsors to be jet set and chase their dreams. Kahanu has so far earned every bit of her travels, with out the help of a main sponsor, by working in the down time, saving every penny, as well as training, going to school, volunteering in her community, helping her brothers and sisters, all while staying dedicated to her passion. With this campaign, Kahanu is trying to raise funds so that she can focus all her attention on her surfing, competing, and traveling towards her dreams. Visit Gofundme.com/kahanudelovio to donate.

The sounds of celebration were heard from the shores of Hawaii all the way to the waves of Tahiti as the two island regions came together in August to officially recognize the partnership of World Surf League (WSL) Hawaii and Tahiti Nui. During the opening ceremony of the Billabong Pro Tahiti, stop No. 7 on the 2016 Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour (CT), a proclamation sent by Hawaii’s Governor, David Ige, was presented to French Polynesia’s President, Edouard Fritch, accepted by the Minister of Tourism, Jean-Christophe Bouissou, declaring August 18 as World Surf League Hawaii and Tahiti Nui Official Partnership Day. The proclamation recognizes Hawaii and Tahiti Nui’s connection, which dates back to centuries of Pacific Ocean migration and the fact that both regions share an ocean based lifestyle and the Polynesian sport of surfing.

As a new combined region - now known as Hawaii/Tahiti Nui - the islands join forces to honor and respect the ocean, protect it for future generations, and serve as stewards for the environment.

Preservation continues to be a vital initiative for WSL and with this new partnership, it becomes of equal importance to Tahiti Nui as well.

LEARN JIU-JITSU!

Celebrating the Cuisines of the New Americas, with Aloha

66-437 Kamehameha Hwy

Behind the Haleiwa Post Office

(808) 372-8428 Men Women Kids

Surf with a smile

Dr. John

Jones Dentistry

808 955 0058 1441 Kapiolani boulevard suite 907, honolulu, hawaii 96814

Open 7 days a week!

767 Kailua Road Kailua, HI (808) 261-1000 www.cactusbistro.com

John Choi

Auto Accident Law Center

808.792.8333HIautoAccident.com The People’s Choice Law Firm R Pacific Guardian Center, Makai Tower 733 Bishop Street, Suite 2390 Honolulu, Hawai`i 96813 attorneyjohnchoi@gmail.com

Call for free consultation

Former Deputy Attorney General

LAST LOOK

Mikala Jones deep in Bali perfection. Photo: Diogo D’Orey