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Greg Noll

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P A R K I N G

Thanks to a forecast of perfect waves, the North Shore is the gathering place for the majority of the surf world during the winter months. This dates back to the 1950s and 60s, when pioneers like Greg Noll made the pilgrimage to paddle out in waves of consequence, like the infamous Big Wednesday swell of 1964. There to capture the moment was Surfer Magazine founder John Severson, creating an iconic photo that speaks to the challenging and deadly North Shore conditions surfers face during the winter season. At that time, Pipeline had only been surfed a few times, and to those watching from shore, Noll making it out beyond the whitewash was a miraculous feat. “It was the biggest I’ve ever seen Pipeline,” Noll said. “Once I got up on a particular wave, all I could do is spread out and hope for the best. As I went down the face, I could hear the board chattering…then nothing. The wind caught it, lifted me up and then I fell. It took me an hour to get in. But looking back, I wouldn’t trade any of it for anything.” Since then, surfers have continued to make the pilgrimage to Oahu’s North Shore, known as surfing’s Mecca, every winter season.

Photo: John Severson

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Lynton

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The 2017 Pe’ahi Challenge

The Mecca

Heff

Recapping the high drama and high scoring rides at the Big Wave Tour event

Breaking down the elements that make the North Shore the hub of surfing during the winter season

Talk Story: Rocky Canon Examining the career path of the North Shore native, who works as a contest announcer, real estate agent and surf instructor

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Keoki

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2017 Vans Presents the HIC Pro Recapping the action at the qualifier for the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing

WSL / Heff

16 Editor’s Note

18 44 Catching Up 64 Junior Report

72 Surf Art: Christie Shinn Examining the art of the North Shore based artist

new Smoothies to-go pack walk in or order online at jambajuicehawaii.com/catering jambahawaii.com

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Marote

treat your team right

photo by Mark mcdaniel

68 She Rips

Environment: Ignite Ecoboard Adoption An update on the ProTest, a winter long ecoboard contest

80 Industry Notes 82 Last Look

Editorial

Publisher Mike Latronic Editor Cash Lambert Photo Editor Tony Heff Art Director John Weaver Multimedia Director Tyler Rock

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Ambassador-at-Large Chris Latronic

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West Coast Distribution Kurt Steinmetz East Coast Distribution Eastern Surf Supply Hawaii Distribution Brian Lewis Staff Photographers Tony Heff, Chris Latronic, Mike Latronic, Tyler Rock, Keoki Saguibo Free Thinkers Kyveli Diener, Tiffany Hervey, Kahi Pacarro, Shannon Cavarocchi

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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!

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N O T E

Chachi

E D I T O R ’ S

By Cash Lambert

Ulu Napeahi

On a recent weekday afternoon, I left work and conducted a routine surf check. Seeing small, windswept swell with about an hour left of daylight, I put shoes on and headed in the direction of the Ehukai Pillbox, a historic World War II bunker that sits in the mountains overlooking Pipeline. After a quick stretch, I jogged up the mountain, dodging mud, boulders and sticks. As the sun began to sink lower toward the horizon, beams of sunlight split through the trees along the way, giving the trail a golden look.

After arriving and stepping foot on the pillbox, I took in the mesmerizing view of the entire North Shore, a 7-mile stretch that is the epicenter of surfing for the winter season: To my right sat the massive blue Pacific meeting the picturesque sands of Sunset Beach (the site of the Vans World Cup), Backyards and VLand, and to my left, I gazed at Rockies, Pipeline (where a world champion will be crowned at the Pipe Masters), Off the Wall and Log Cabins. My eyes continued to trace the 7-mile stretch, seeing Haleiwa (the site of the Hawaiian Pro), Kaena Point and then horizon.

I had just finished researching the feature titled “Our Mecca,” found on Page 46, where we break down what makes the North Shore surfing’s Mecca. It starts with the waves and how the North Shore is uniquely positioned to act as a swell magnet: “Anywhere north of our latitudes is fair game as a breeding ground for swell,” said Pat Caldwell, a

National Weather Service surf forecaster. There’s the illustrious Vans Triple Crown, a contest series that can make or break surfing careers.

There’s also the convergence of the entire surf community onto the 7-mile stretch, which in the past has seen wild parties but now takes on a more serious, competitive tone, and the influence of ancient Hawaiian sacred locations found throughout the North Shore.

There’s another unique element in the feature that explains how the North Shore remains surfing’s Mecca generation after generation, and it has to do with preservation and the continuing efforts to “keep the country country.” Gazing at the countryside atop the pillbox, I thought of what Doug Cole, the Executive Director of North Shore Community Land Trust, told me about how to continue protecting the sacred land.

“The strongest form of protection is a shared appreciation,” he said.

“The more people get out there, surf and enjoy the North Shore, the more likely they are to be a part of an effort to preserve it.”

We hope that the feature inspires you to experience for yourself what makes the North Shore surfing’s Mecca this winter, whether it’s hiking to watch the sunset from a pillbox, paddling out in challenging conditions, visiting and learning more about ancient Hawaiian sacred sites or getting involved in helping preserve the land.

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Keoki

N E W S

41ST NORTH SHORE MENEHUNE SURF CONTEST IN MEMORY OF BROCK LITTLE Spanning two weekends in October - 14-15, 21-22 - tents and scaffolding lined Haleiwa Ali’i Beach Park with children and parents teeming through the makeshift alleyways during the 41st annual North Shore Menehune Surf Contest.

This year marked 41 years of the contest that provides an introduction into competitive surfing for those who call Hawaii home. Many of the North Shore’s top surfers today can trace their surfing roots back to the Menehune Surf Contest.

With age divisions ranging from 4-6 and 10-12 years old showing their talents in the playful swell, the feeling in the air throughout the contest was that of family fun.

“I wasn’t the only one engaging in this annual North Shore tradition,” said our Ambassador at Large Chris Latronic, who was present at the contest pushing his son - Luke - into waves in the Kokua division.

“Alongside of myself were a few of my childhood friends, making great moments of their own: Makuakai Rothman with his daughter Nalia, Fred Patacchia with his daughter Lily and son Lincoln, Mikey Bruneau with his sons Frankie B and Mikey James, Joel Centeio with his dynamic duo sons Noah and Asher. We were all smiling and splashing, wiping out and laughing. Before we all knew it, the finals concluded and the awards ceremony commenced.”

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After a day full of surfing and activities, families and participants gathered for the awards ceremony. “One of the greatest things you’ll ever see in this life is your child’s stoke when his/her name is announced for an award,” said Latronic. “For the Kokua division, it's tradition for all the participating groms to be called up and gathered for an iconic group picture. Their smiles and poses are what we live for.”

Mahalo to Ivy Blomfield and all those who have made and keep making the Menehune Surf Contest one of the most treasured experiences on the North Shore..

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Keoki

N E W S

10-12 GIRLS SHORTBOARD 1. BettyLou Sakura Johnson 2. Ewe Wong 3. ‘Oaka Wong 4. Kailey Bogart 5. Puamakamae Desoto 6. Anon Matsuoka

7-9 GIRLS LONGBOARD Gemma Gause Celina Rizzo-Murray Navahine Fukumitsu Kula Blomfield Cash Hoover Brooklyn Gailey

10-12 GIRLS LONGBOARD Kelis Kaleopaa Babe Kane Sophia Culhane Lucy Rust Journey Regelbrugge Hanako Dougherty

41st Menehune Surf Contest Results

7-9 BOYS LONGBOARD Mala’e McElheny Beau Spradlin Vaughn Hemeon Jeremiah Dale Zealand Pollock Gabriel Wood

10-12 BOYS LONGBOARD Nate Delamarter Tamaroa Kalama Nakui Murphey Kaua Kahaulelio Kaneloa Lane

4-6 BOY & GIRL SHORTBOARD Kodin Wau Taj McGill Duke Eveland Ruby Stringfellow Devo Magyar T.J. Ingbino-Francisco

7-8 BOYS SHORTBOARD 1. Bruno Ferri 2. Kamakani Fukumitsu 3. Kielan Jardini 4. Seizo Sexton 5. Takoda Suratt 6. Sunny Giles

Keoki

Keoki

7-9 GIRLS SHORTBOARD 1. Skai Suitt 2. Chesney Guinotte 3. Haven Ingbino-Francisco 4. Kaipo’I Koa 5. Malia Deodato 6. Ocean Love Burdine

9-10 BOYS SHORTBOARD 1. Kenny Nishimoto 2. Dylan Sloan 3. Jack Cunningham 4. Kilian Rosskopf 5. Nolan Senn 6. Braedon Harris

11-12 BOYS SHORTBOARD 1. Kai Martin 2. Nalu Deodato 3. Maikai Burdine

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EZEKIEL LAU WINS 2017 VANS PRESENTS THE HIC PRO

What do you get when you mix 6-8+ foot Sunset Beach conditions, Hawaiian veterans (such as Billy Kemper, Ezekiel Lau, Mason Ho) and an international group of competitors (like Brazil’s Lucas Silveira and Aussies Jack Robinson and Wade Carmichael) all competing against one another to secure a slot in the 2017 Vans Triple Crown?

The 2017 Vans Presents the HIC Pro! Since 1984, the contest has marked the green light for the winter season on the North Shore, and since 1989, Hawaii-living residents (Michael Ho, Andy Irons, Pancho Sullivan) have taken home the trophy, along with an oversized check and momentum headed into the winter season.

This year’s winner - Lau - extended this tradition, winning the Vans Presents the HIC Pro on October 30th in dramatic fashion by unleashing and landing an aerial 360 no grab maneuver in the Final for a 9.33.

“I was roaming a little bit in the beginning, trying to make something happen. Once he (Wade Carmichael) got his big score I was like all right, it’s time to go big, so I started launching,” said Lau. “I was super pumped, I kind of just Hail Mary-ied it and threw it up. I knew the wind was good for it. I’ve never done an air on this board so for everything to come together like that, I was super stoked.”

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Shannon Cavarocchi

N E W S

Lau bested a talented field in the Final, including Carmichael, Tanner Hendrickson and two-time HIC Pro winner Ho. “I was coming into this event with the goal to win and get the 3,000 points putting me that much closer to requalification,” said Lau, discussing requalifying for the World Surf League Championship Tour.

“I had a little bit of a rough year on Tour. I’ve had moments where I had good performances but a lot of it was a learning curve for me and getting used to everything, so I really want to be there next year to get a better grasp of it and hopefully take some bigger guys down.”

Carmichael was a standout throughout the three days of competition - utilizing his patented power surfing to win every heat on this way to the Final.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” said Carmichael, who won the 2015 Hawaiian Pro. “It would have felt better to get number one, but it’s a good start to my season here and hopefully I can take some momentum into Haleiwa. Just a bit of extra confidence is always good, and the more heats you get the more used to your boards and more comfortable you get.”

The HIC Pro saw nine surfers from Hawaii earn a spot into the coveted

HI-PER Kerry Tokoro’s Hyper Model is the perfect go-to board for high-performance surfing in shoulder-high and larger waves. A generous amount of continuous bottom curve makes this model loose, forgiving and responsive. The bottom features a shallow single concave with a moderate double concave, with an outline that is lean and trim with a narrower nose and tail. Designed for vertical surfing in and around the pocket, this board flows easily from rail to rail, generating speed with every turn.

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WSL / Heff

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Mason Ho

VTCS series, including Maui’s Cody Young. At just 18 years old, he was the youngest athlete to advance in the competition and narrowly missed out after a buzzer-beater heat by Hendrickson in the Semifinals.

WSL / Heff

Hawaiians including Kemper, Koa Smith, Josh Moniz and Dusty Payne also had strong showings, surfing into the Round of 32, carrying momentum into their 2017/2018 winter campaigns.

Tanner Hendrickson

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2017 VANS PRESENTS THE HIC PRO FINAL RESULTS 1st Ezekiel Lau (HAW), 14.16 pts 2nd Wade Carmichael (AUS), 13.93 pts 3rd Tanner Hendrickson (HAW), 5.63 pts 4th Mason Ho (HAW), 2.03 pts

Ezekiel Lau

WSL / Heff

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WSL / Heff

N E W S

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WSL / Lynton

N E W S

Ian Walsh

MAUI SWEEP: IAN WALSH AND PAIGE ALMS CLAIM VICTORY AT 2017 PE‘AHI CHALLENGE With a long period NW swell on a collision course with the northern shores of Maui from October 26-27, a green light for the 2017 Pe‘ahi Challenge shifted all attention toward the big-wave locale known as Pe‘ahi. The 30- to 40-foot surf, combined with the world’s best bigwave surfers, set the stage for glory (streaking down massive faces, pulling into Jaws barrels, and a champion crowned) and gore (surfers disappearing into exploding whitewash, elevator-dropping wipeouts and seemingly endless hold downs).

From the start of the contest, Ian Walsh showcased his mettle and skill by paddling into massive faces, and pulling into high-scoring barrels.

The Maui native, who entered the event as a wildcard, dominated his Round 1 heat, pulled into a barrel during the Semifinals on Day 2 – garnering a perfect 10 from the judges – and in a talent-packed Final, he edged out other chargers like Billy Kemper, Greg Long and Kai Lenny. Walsh’s first Pe‘ahi Challenge victory vaulted the 34-year-old into third place on the World Surf League Big Wave Tour rankings.

“This is a really big honor and I’m stoked that I can follow Billy Kemper and keep this thing on Maui,” Walsh said. “It was an incredible couple days of surfing. There were some challenging lulls, but everyone here surfed really well and it was a pleasure to be in the water with them.”

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Other standouts included Makuakai Rothman, who scored a 18.46 in the Final, just behind two-time Pe‘ahi Challenge winner Billy Kemper, who scored a heat total of 18.57. Besides Walsh’s perfect 10 in the Semifinals, Aussie Ryan Hipwood navigated a steep takeoff and slid into a cavern of a barrel, also obtaining a perfect score in the semis.

Lenny, who finished fourth overall, took the lead in the BWT rankings.

After Walsh’s victory, the Women’s Pe‘ahi Challenge kicked off – a 60-minute Final – with Alms using her local knowledge to take off on two gigantic waves for an excellent 21.23 combined score (out of a possible 30), claiming her second Pe‘ahi Challenge victory.

“Anyone that says they’re not scared of this place, I think they’re lying,” Alms said. “I think it’s the most powerful and intimidating big wave anywhere in the world, by far. I definitely look up to Ian (Walsh) and I’m super stoked that he won it. We couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

Alms, who made history as the first Women’s Pe‘ahi Challenge champion last season, etched her name into big-wave lore yet again with the victory.

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WSL / Keoki

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Paige Alms

Big-wave veteran Keala Kennelly earned second place in the women’s event with four fearless attempts, earning a 17.21 heat score, including

an impressive completion for a 7.17 single-wave score. France’s Justine Dupont locked in a 14.36 with three big attempts and placed third.

After the conclusion of the event, as massive rides including deep drops, barrels and cringe-worthy wipeouts inundated social media, one sentiment prevailed, spoken by Walsh: “It was fun to watch our sport progress as the waves got bigger and better.”

WSL / Keoki

“I feel so grateful to be able to sit out in an empty lineup at firing, perfect Jaws,” Alms said. “It doesn’t get much better than that. Every single one of the women today sent it on a bomb. I feel super stoked and honored.”

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2017/18 PE‘AHI CHALLENGE FINAL RESULTS WSL / Hallman

2017/18 BWT Women’s Pe‘ahi Challenge Final Results 1. Paige Alms (HAW) 21.23 2. Keala Kennelly (HAW) 17.21 3. Justine Dupont (FRA) 14.36 4. Bianca Valenti (USA) 10.86 5. Andrea Moller (BRA) 6.41 6. Felicity Palmateer (AUS) 4.54 2017/18 BWT Men’s Pe‘ahi Challenge Final Results 1. Ian Walsh (HAW) 21.67 2. Billy Kemper (HAW) 18.57 3. Makuakai Rothman (HAW) 18.46 4. Kai Lenny (HAW) 18.26 5. Greg Long (USA) 14.67 6. Ryan Hipwood (AUS) 6.60 2017/18 Men’s BWT Rankings (after Pe‘ahi Challenge): 1. Kai Lenny (HAW) 19,042 points 2. Billy Kemper (HAW) 18,807 points 3. Ian Walsh (HAW) 15,625 points 4. Makuakai Rothman (HAW) 13,920 points 5. Jamie Mitchell (AUS) 10,647 points

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Ian Walsh

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Summer Macedo

VAHINE FIERRO WINS TURTLE BAY RESORT PRO; MAUI’S MACEDOS SWEEP HURLEY SURF CLUB PRO JUNIOR MEN AND WOMEN’S TITLES Hawaii’s top juniors and longboarders battled for bragging rights and to bolster their rankings October 15-17 during the Turtle Bay Resort Pro and Hurley Surf Club Pro Junior Men’s and Women’s events.

Thompson, Carlsbad’s Alyssa Spencer and Brianna Cope.

Fierro, known for her fearless approach and stylish backside surfing, continued to collect scores and ultimately found the best wave of the heat, a 7.50.

The events wrapped up the World Surf League Women’s and Junior regional circuits for Hawaii/Tahiti Nui, crowning champions in each. Maui’s Summer Macedo and her brother, Ocean Macedo, took the junior wins in clutch Final scenarios while Tahiti’s Vahine Fierro won the Women’s QS. Runner-up athletes Barron Mamiya and Zoe McDougall were also crowned as the Regional Junior Champions alongside Savanna Stone, who took the Regional Women’s QS title home to Maui.

“It feels really great to win today because I’ve been making Finals but not winning, so I’m really happy to take the win this time,” Fierro said. The Tahitian competed last year at the Turtle Bay Resort Pro Junior and although she missed out in the Semifinals, she built momentum this year after collecting a runnerup finish at this year’s Papara Pro Vahine Open Tahiti and Wahine Pipe Pro.

The Women’s QS division was whittled down to four finalists, including Fierro, La Jolla’s Tiare

During the dying minutes of the Hurley Surf Club Women’s Pro Junior Final, which saw Macedo, McDougall, Leila Riccobuano and Keala Tomoda-Bannert battle through a flurry of wind-swept

waves, McDougall had the lead for the majority of the 30-minute heat with scores of 7.00 and 5.50, but Macedo fought back and with five minutes left on the clock, scored an 8.17 and then backed it up with a 5.07 in the final seconds.

The win cemented Macedo’s place in the upcoming World Junior Championship in Australia, alongside McDougall, the newly crowned 2017 WSL Hawaii/Tahiti Nui Regional Junior Champ.

“Qualifying for Worlds has been one of my biggest goals this year because I’ve gotten third or fourth in the rankings the past few years and so I was just like, ‘I need to do it this year,’” Macedo said.

Ocean set the stage for a Macedo sweep after he won the first division of the afternoon, the Hurley Surf Club Men’s Pro

Junior, against a loaded heat of Hawaii standouts. The Maui surfer took a commanding lead early. Macedo went on to combo competitors when he scored an excellent 8.33 for multiple powerful maneuvers on a set wave, although Mamiya was close behind. The North Shore junior secured a 6.93 and was on a determined hunt for waves, but fell short after failing to earn a necessary backup score for the win.

Mamiya still ended the day on top, being crowned as the 2017 Regional Junior Champion and awarded a travel scholarship along with McDougall. Mamiya is set to compete in the World Junior Championships next year and Macedo’s win catapulted him to a qualifying position as well. Finn McGill, who did not compete at the Hurley Surf

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WSL / Keoki

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Club Pro Junior due to an ankle injury, also secured his place at Worlds along with Maui’s Elijah Hanneman.

In the Women’s longboard division Final, Honolua Blomfield battled Kirra Seale, Encinitas’ Kaitlin Maguire and Kelta O’Rourke and scored the best wave of the heat, a 7.17.

The silky-smooth surfer crossstepped her way to the nose of the board and remained in the pocket of the wave to hang five, then powered out a couple of even-tempo cutbacks to take the lead from Seale, who secured an early 6.07. Maguire’s best ride was a 5.0 for a beautiful noseride and a couple of turns above the foam, but she and O’Rourke were unable to find necessary backup scores to overtake the heat leaders.

Ocean Macedo

“I’m very happy to have won today,” Blomfield said. “All the girls were definitely surfing very good, it was a hard Final.”

event and scored a 7.83 from the judges, making him hard to catch after backing the ride up with a 6.07.

On the Men’s side, Scotty Fong Jr. displayed progressive surfing and fast footwork against fellow finalists Kai Sallas, Ned Snow and Makamae DeSoto. He found the only barrel section of the

“I’m super stoked, it was tough conditions but super fun and I’m just happy to be out there with all my friends, it was a really good vibe,” Fong said.

“The tour is getting a lot better,

better venues, better waves. I’m just happy to be part of it and hopefully I can travel with all the boys again and represent Hawaii.”

DeSoto, who placed fourth in the event, is the top-placing surfer on the WSL Hawaii/Tahiti Nui regional Longboard QS after the competition.

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The family said they hold a permit to have an opening ceremony on November 30, and the contest window spans from December 1, 2017 – February 20, 2018.

“Even if we have to have coconuts for trophies and you come down with a can of sardines, Uncle Clyde will feed you rice and we’ll have the event,” Clyde Aikau said to KHON2 in November. “It’s just a whole new road and a very exciting road, and the main thing is that the family wants to continue to carry on Eddie’s legacy and what he was all about.”

DESPITE NO MAJOR SPONSORSHIP, THE EDDIE WILL GO On November 4th, the Eddie Aikau Foundation unveiled its contest poster for the 2017/2018 big wave contest, an event that this year will simply be known as The Eddie.

Because Quiksilver and the Aikau family could not reach an agreement and have reportedly parted ways, the contest will run without the major sponsor — if the required swell size of 25 feet or greater arrives this winter.

For over three decades, The Eddie Aikau Invitational has been the most iconic big wave event, celebrating the life and legacy of Eddie Aikau and etching the name of contest winners into surfing history. The event has also paved the way for the rapid growth of big wave surfing as well as water safety innovation.

Since 1984, the event has only run a total of nine times - the last Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau ran in 2016 - and every winter, the surf community watches the swell forecast in hopes for another Eddie size swell to funnel into Waimea Bay. Stay tuned to FreesurfMagazine.com for updates on the opening ceremony and the invitee list.

WSL ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR SCHEDULE FOR 2019 From Hawaii to California and beyond, there have been both rumblings and rumors regarding potential changes to the World Surf League Championship Tour schedule. These rumors remained unconfirmed until late October, when WSL Deputy Commissioner Renato Hickel confirmed to Portuguese media that the times indeed are a changin’, shedding light on what is to come. Here’s a summary of Hickel’s talking points:

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Nickel said that the World Tour will remain the same for 2018.

The changes start in 2019: the Tour will begin at Pipeline in February and end in Tahiti in September.

This change condenses the Tour from 10 months to eight, but the number of events - 11 - appears to remain the same.

After the final event, there will be a “special event” according to Hickel “in which the five or six best in the Men's ranking and three of four in the Women's ranking will compete in the very last final for the World Title. This event will “in principle, be held in Indonesia.”

After the WCT concludes, the last months of the year will be dedicated to the WQS Tour. According to Hickel, “Whoever didn't qualify (anyone ranked 23rd and below) will be able to concentrate in the ‘QS with more dedication for the rest of the season. But there will still be ‘QS events in the first half of the year.”

The biggest change is shifting from a points race deciding the World Champion to a playoff system, with the top surfers competing at a specialty event to claim the World Title, according to Hickel. While this leaves many questions, stay tuned to FreesurfMagazine.com for updates on this ongoing story.

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TY SIMPSON-KANE’S FIRST JAWS SESSION AT AGE 13

By Cash Lambert

On Friday, October 27, Ty Simpson-Kane and his father, Chris, took a jetski out to Jaws to watch the rising swell before the start of the 2017 Pe‘ahi Challenge, which began at noon that day. After watching the waves crash into an explosion of whitewater from the channel, Ty, who had been training with big-wave surfing in his mind, felt confident. He grabbed his surfboard, paddled into the lineup, and after some positioning help from his father, he paddled and streaked down his first Jaws wave.

“Paddling into Pe‘ahi has been my dream for as long as I can remember,” Ty said. “There are no words to describe the feeling out there. It’s like scared, psyching, frothing, heart pumping, brain screaming all rolled up together. The rush is absolutely insane.” After the session, icons in the surf community congratulated young Ty: “This is epic!” said twotime Pe‘ahi Challenge winner Paige Alms. “Amazing! Looking forward to surfing with you out there next session!” said waterman Kai Lenny. “Right on Ty! So stoked to see you out there!” said big-wave charger Mark Healey. We called Ty on Halloween to get the details from the session, and also had to ask what he was dressing up as.

He replied, “My role model: Ian Walsh.”

Freesurf: Ty! Talk to us about how your first session at Jaws went down.

Ty Simpson-Kane: It was my first time going out there. My dad (Chris) and I weren’t expecting to surf. We were just going to cruise for the day and watch the contest, but when we showed up, it was a rising swell so there were a couple bombs coming in with only a few guys out. We sat in the channel for a little bit watching it, and we saw a couple sets come in that were really good on the West bowl. A lull came and we went out. My dad positioned me and I waited for some good ones to come. It was super easy cause he helped me look for waves.

What were you feeling?

Nervous? Excited? A little bit of both?

I was very nervous waiting out there because I didn’t know what to expect, just like when you surf a new spot. Jaws was new to me, so you have to get super comfortable with it.

Your first wave: What was that experience like?

When I saw the wave coming, I turned around, started paddling my hardest, and as soon as I felt like I was picking up speed, I stood up, relaxed and held on for the ride.

What were you thinking and feeling after you kicked out of the wave?

I was super psyched! After the wave, I got back on the ski and my dad and I were super pumped. He gave me more advice like sitting deeper,

paddling a little sooner and I went back out, and by that time, everybody was starting to show up for the contest. Uncle Ian Walsh came over and helped position me a little better in the lineup.

What board were you riding?

I was riding Uncle Ian Walsh’s old board, a 9’0.

You had a wipeout as well. Talk us through how it happened.

I was sitting out there with Uncle Makua Rothman, Uncle DJ Walsh and Uncle Mark Healey.

I positioned myself farther in because they were sitting way out the back waiting for the bombs. This wave came right towards me; it swung underneath everyone and peaked right where I was. When I saw it, I turned

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around, put my head down and paddled as hard as I could. I felt it about to pitch so I stood up and went down the line. I finally got to the bottom of the wave and when I started to bottom turn, I looked down the line and there was a nice big open face. I remember looking at everyone in the channel because it was such a nice picture. I’ve dreamed of it so many times. Then I hit chop in the water, lost a lot of speed, and saw the lip coming down. I straightened out and hoped for the best and prayed I wouldn’t hit my head or break my board.

The lip landed behind me and I was ejected out into the flats and I got a super bad whiplash when I was underwater. The leash ripped off under my ankle, so I pulled my vest, which was super helpful because if i didn’t pull it, I would have been under the water for a lot longer. I popped up and the World Surf League guys were right there to pick me up.

(Deep Relief Peak Performance), so I was super confident and Uncle Zane Schweitzer has been helping me with water safety.

Where you shaken up?

I was. It's a powerful wave and you can’t underestimate it.

What can we expect from you during this winter season?

You can expect me back out there! I’m always pushing myself to the max and even if I don’t go out to Jaws and surf, I can get a better feeling for it. You can count on me to catch bigger waves and send it harder!

Did the wipeout – turbulence under the water, the hold down, your leash ripped off – scare you?

I’ve trained for that day for so long, so I was ready to take it on.

I wasn’t too hurt because I’ve trained for it with Deep2Peak

Did you watch the Pe‘ahi Challenge from the cliff, or the channel?

I was sitting in the channel watching everybody charge.

It was cool experience! I was watching where they were sitting and positioning themselves, what the right wave to choose looked like, how to find the bigger wall that will barrel super hard on West bowl, things like that.

How have you been training for big-wave surfing?

I do breath-holding exercises, cardio and stamina in the gym so that I can help with my paddling and last a lot longer in the water.

It’s cool because over time it seems I’ve progressed a lot and there still is so much more knowledge to gain.

Adam Guy

OUR MECCA

BREAKING DOWN THE WONDERS OF THE 7-MILE MIRACLE

By Cash Lambert

Mecca, defined as a center of activity or interest for a certain group of people, is one way to describe the fall and winter seasons on the North Shore of Oahu for the global surf community.

Our Mecca happens to be a 7-mile stretch of tropical land on the northern shore of Oahu.

Located in the most remote island chain on the globe, and ideally positioned in the Pacific Ocean to catch the winter swells, the area between the town of Haleiwa and Sunset Beach is a surfer’s paradise unlike any other place on the planet. Nowhere else on earth can you find such a concentrated area of world class surf breaks. The locale is a virtual playground for surfers, littered with one epic surf spot after another and home to some of the most famous waves on

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the planet including the Banzai Pipeline, considered by many to be the most perfect wave on earth. Since the 1950s and 60s, the North Shore has become the gathering place for the majority of the surf world between the months of October and February.

Year after year, this community inundates the small stretch of beach, eagerly waiting for what seems to be an inevitable forecast of perfect waves.

The North Shore is also where history is made in waves of consequence during the illustrious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. If that’s not enough, the North Shore this year also will be the site of the crowning of a world champion at the Billabong Pipe Masters, the last event on the World Surf League Championship Tour.

Winter after winter, the global surfing tribe gathers on the North Shore to experience an incredible run of worldclass swell, a historic contest series and to celebrate the holiday season.

There are multiple factors why the 7-mile miracle is, well, a miracle. This includes a trifecta of ideal winds, uninhibited swell and the perfect slope of a seafloor all culminating in epic, world-class surf. What follows is a breakdown of these elements, combined with other unique aspects including the illustrious lineage of surf contests, the influence of ancient Hawaiian traditions and how the North Shore’s beauty is fiercely protected by its community, showcasing why the North Shore is, and forever will be, our Mecca.

Part I: Location, Location, Location Whether it’s 2 or 20 feet, the North Shore is undoubtedly the most cherished surf zone in the world. Stretched along the 7-mile miracle is the big wave venue of Sunset Beach; high performance breaks such as Rocky Point; sand bottom beach breaks like Ehukai; the massive barrels at Pipeline, Backdoor and Off the Wall; mountains of seawater culminating at Waimea Bay and the outer reefs; long, stacked up lines at Laniakea; colossal walls groomed for power surfing at Haleiwa; fun-size longboard waves at Chun’s and Puena Point.

All of these breaks see consistent high-quality waves throughout the winter season, and it’s all about location.

“Anywhere north of our latitudes is fair game as a breeding ground for swell,” said Pat Caldwell, a liaison for NOAA data centers and National Weather Service surf forecaster who lives on Oahu.

“Anywhere north” includes Japan to California, the Aleutian Islands and everything in between.

Distant storms kick up swell that crosses hundred of miles of open ocean with no land masses to slow its path.

When swell begins to funnel towards Oahu’s northern shore, other factors contribute to the quality of these waves, including the wind.

“We have a dominant trade wind pattern and light variable patterns,” Caldwell said. This produces offshore winds, which delays the breaking of waves, grooming, and allowing them to group into sets.

There’s something else beneath the surface of this special place.

Before striking reefs throughout the North Shore, all of this pumping swell – groomed by quality winds – then meets the seafloor.

“That shapes the surf; that’s what makes the breaks,” Caldwell said.

“With the volcanic geological history, there’s so many variations in the seafloor shape. There’s

When freshwater runoff carved from the shoreline to the bottom of the seafloor, it created a perfect slope that energy - in the form of ocean swells - can ramp up. This, combined with offshore winds, produces the perfect waves seen on the North Shore during the winter season.

founding Surfline.com forecaster once said, “The best surf spots along the North Shore are all located close to a channel in the reef, created by freshwater drainage from shore.”

This runoff cuts and shapes the reef, or rather, volcanic rock.

Reef or coral cannot form where there is an abundance of fresh water runoff. This is significant because over time, the coastal shelf has been carved down from the shoreline to the bottom of the seafloor, much like a perfect slope that the energy can ramp up and that can accept the ocean’s uninhibited energy to the fullest.

That’s where the North Shore’s power comes from, and why a 2 foot wave in the shorebreak can give you twice the beating as a wave in places like California or Florida. It is also why you can stand on the golden shoreline at Pipeline and have a front row seat to the awesome and deadly wave breaking a mere 30 yards from shore. Had there been not as much freshwater runoff, the coastline might have formed upward and out towards the horizon, resembling that of Tahiti or Fiji, with barrier slabs of reef far off shore.

All of these factors, when combined, create the incredible swell seen on the North Shore every winter. Caldwell summed it up best saying, “We are blessed.”

What also makes the location ideal is that the North Shore typically is not in storm tracks.

While big swell barrels towards places like California and Washington, the stormy weather comes along with it. Meanwhile, Hawaii – and Oahu’s North Shore – will often experience the swell, while remaining far away from the storms.

lots of ridges and troughs in the ocean floor that became surf spots – think of every surf spot as a bump on the sea floor – so we’re blessed with that irregular topography of seafloor to give us a variety of wave shapes.”

Besides the volcanic geological history Caldwell alluded to, freshwater runoffs also shapes the reef. The late Sean Collins,

Part II: The Genesis of Historic Surf Contests Besides the 7-mile miracle, the North Shore has also been monikered the proving grounds.

When the buoys reach 10 feet or bigger, it’s as serious as life or death. If a surfer wants to prove himself here, it starts first with surviving the perilous conditions and crowded lineups, followed by handling waves of consequence,

whether it’s navigating the massive tubes at Pipeline or Backdoor, or scratching to get out of the way of a monstrous clean up set at Sunset Beach.

The professional surfers who wish to stand out must test their fortitude at contests such as the Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa, the Vans World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach and the Billabong Pipe

was already in full swing on Oahu’s west side with the Makaha International Surfing Championships starting in 1954, the first surf contest on the North Shore – the Dick Brewer Surfing Championship – wasn’t until 1963. The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational followed in 1965, taking place at Sunset Beach.

In 1968, with a $1,000 prize up for grabs, the Duke became a professional event.

across the beach.”

In 1983, the Triple Crown of Surfing kicked off, combining these events – the Pipeline Masters, Duke Kahanamoku Classic and World Cup – into the Triple Crown, the format seen today, along with a myriad of other contests from the Hurley Surf Club Pro Junior, to the Wahine Pipe Pro.

surfing’s Mecca before Brewer ran his contest, before the Duke, before the first Masters. It was just a matter of time until we got a contest structure in place to go along with that. Tip your hat to Fred Hemmings, Randy Rarick (the contest director of the Triple Crown until 2012), Kimo McVay (creator of The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational) and Fred Van Dyke (director of the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational)

Nowhere else can you stand on the beach and have a front row seat to the world’s best surfers pulling into barrels at the world's most exciting yet deadly wave - Pipeline - all only 30 yards from shore.

Masters at Pipeline. These three events have become known as the Triple Crown of Surfing.

But a winter season jam packed with contests, including the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, the formerly named Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau and others, hasn’t always been the norm on the North Shore.

While competitive surfing

In 1971, a new contest began at Pipeline: the Hawaiian Masters.

Created by world champion surfer Fred Hemmings, the prize purse was just $1,000. While today’s officials areas are housed inside massive scaffolding, the officials area for the Hawaiian Masters consisted of 10 metal folding chairs and a card table. Also, according to “The Encyclopedia of Surfing,” “fewer than 50 spectators were scattered

“We were going to end up right where we are today, in terms of the whole super-sized competition scene on the North Shore, regardless of when exactly it got started, or who started it,” said Matt Warshaw, former Surfer Magazine editor and the author of “The History of Surfing” and “The Encyclopedia of Surfing,” discussing the evolution of surf contests on the North Shore.

“The North Shore was already

for building the foundation. But take away those four guys, and somebody else would have done it.”

Since then, iterations of the VTCS on the North Shore garnered progressive surfing, more fanfare and far more prize money collectively: The 2017 Vans Triple Crown prize purse is more than $1 million. Today, the Hawaiian Pro and the Vans World Cup of

Thanks to the NSCLT and the North Shore community preserving the natural beauty of the North Shore generation after generation, the North Shore looks relatively the same as it did in 1975 when this aerial photo was taken.

Surfing are the proving grounds for Qualifying Series warriors testing their talents against an international field to boost their ratings and qualify onto the CT, and the Billabong Pipe Masters is the final CT event of the year.

Part III: The Scene The surf world flocking to the North Shore to compete in the world’s best waves every year makes it simply the place to be during the winter season, the site of gatherings and parties. The most notable celebrations took place in the early 2000s, a lawless era known as the “Wild West.”

Since then, times have changed.

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“It’s a lot more serious now than it used to be,” said Dave Riddle, who began surfing the North Shore in the ’70s and serves as a Volcom team manager. “There’s always been seriousness to it, but now it’s refocused into something that is incredibly important to a lot of people on a lot of levels, especially with the Triple Crown.

What I’m seeing now is less of a party atmosphere, and that’s not to say there’s not a party going on because it certainly is. But because the companies have come in and maintained beachfront properties, it’s benefited the athletes.”

This benefit, according to Riddle, is a sense of responsibility.

“Because of that, surfers feel an obligation to do well. Instead of saying ‘I lost my heat and I’m going to party and have fun’ – it used to be more like that back in the day – they’re obligated to get the job done,” he said. “It’s gotten really serious. We’ve got kids in Hawaii that they get these special slots in the contests that they don’t get anywhere else, and it’s a chance to build up points. Everyone wants to take advantage of those situations.”

What adds to the scene is that everyone is watching. With the majority of the traveling surf community living in the small area between surf breaks Log Cabins to Rocky Point, you get

the feeling that whether you get a good wave or a bad one, everyone saw it either in person or on social media. Maui’s up and coming professional surfer Cody Young, 18 years of age, said, “The whole entire industry is here watching as well as guys that have already proven themselves, so you want to get that good wave. Plus we’re all living next to each other here so whether you’re just freesurfing or in a contest it seems like you’re always competing.”

Part IV: “Connections to the Past” Even though the North Shore is the epicenter for the world’s best

of the Priests and the Loko Ea fishpond in Haleiwa, which once helped sustain its community by providing food resources like native fish and seaweed.

Take a stroll through Waimea Valley and you’ll see beautiful trees, free-flowing streams, colorful peacocks and meet Alika Bajo, a cultural practitioner and blood descendent to Waimea

Valley. “You drive along the coastline, and don’t realize that this place used to be this, or that,” he said.

According to Bajo, born in 1960, there is an element that makes the North Shore entirely different from other areas of the world, and even parts Oahu.

surfers riding the world’s best waves and celebrating along the way, there is more to the region than just surfing.

The North Shore is home to many sacred locations associated with Hawaiian cultural practices and historical events. For example, the largest heiau, or place of worship, on the island of Oahu is located on the North Shore: the Pu‘u o Mahuka Heiau, which overlooks Waimea Valley, signifying just how sacred the northern shore of the island was, and is to Native Hawaiians.

There also is Waimea Valley, which historians believe was first inhabited as early as 1092 AD, and is known as the Valley

“What makes us a jewel is our connection to the past,” he said.

“We have a passion for it, and hold on tightly but also loosely.

You have to have a hard enough grip to retain it, but loose enough to evolve.”

His advice to those who travel here for the winter surf season, echoed by other Native Hawaiians in Waimea Valley, is this: “Please come and enjoy our island, and please be open to knowledge. We embrace all peoples from around the world, and we ask please give us a chance to teach about our culture, heritage and way of life.

We want that desire of wanting to learn so that you can see life through our eyes, how we used to look in our past and how we look in our present, and if you do that, you can truly understand what it’s like to live on the North Shore. Immerse yourself in our culture.”

Part V: “Keep the Country Country” Although change is inevitable, organizations and individuals who had big plans for development on the North Shore have been met with a community insistent on protecting it’s raw and pristine nature.

“Any time an area has this natural

beauty, there’s a lot of pressure to develop it, and there’s always going to be a demand for people to live there and buy properties there,” said Doug Cole, Executive Director of North Shore Community Land Trust, or NSCLT, an organization founded in 1997

by North Shore community members who wanted to be proactive in conserving the place they care the most about.

To date, the NSCLT has played a role in helping raise more than $60 million to conserve more than 4,000 acres within its mission area from Kahuku Point to Ka‘ena, including 1,000 acres at Kawela Bay and Kahuku Point, 1,100 acres in Pupukea Paumalu State Park Reserve and 1,800 acres in Waimea Valley.

Interestingly, the organization conserves these areas by taking the development approach and flipping it. “We work with the landowners and try and help them achieve their goals through conserving their land rather than fighting them when they try and develop it,” Cole said. “It’s less of a fight and more of a partnership.

We’re proud of what we have achieved, but there’s still tens of thousands of acres to go. We go to community meetings, present ideas for conservation and vision and gain support.”

While the NSCLT has played and continues to play a major part in preserving the North Shore, the community as a whole is to thank as well. “Everybody is brought together by a shared appreciation for the place and the beauty of it and the experiences they have in the ocean,” Cole said. “I think that it brings our community together, unifies us in the desire to protect

the place and keep it relatively undeveloped. For the same reasons as community members that love it, people all over the island have come to love having a place like the North Shore, and it’s not just people who live here that care. It’s also people that care from all over the world.

Everyone can instantly appreciate the North Shore, and can quickly get behind the effort to protect and preserve it.”

Our Mecca The waves, the contest action, the parties, the culture and history and community protecting all of it: whether you call it the 7-mile miracle or the proving grounds, there is no other experience like spending the winter season on the North Shore. That’s why it is, and forever will be, our Mecca, a pilgrimage worth making every year. pau

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Mason Ho / Rocky Point Photo: Tony Heff

John John Florence / Pua`ena Point Photo: Laserwolf

Albee Layer / Ho`okipa Photo: Dayanidhi Das

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brothers, Mikala Jones, Torrey Barron, Dayton Segundo, Rory Parker, and Ninoa Sarrat were all in the same age range as well. I had a passion for both surfing and traveling, and that was fulfilled. There comes a time as an aspiring athlete where you realize that there is a percentage of people who are going to get to the most elite level, and you are going to be outside that percentage. I realized at 15 or 16 that Andy and Bruce for sure had something that almost no one else from that generation had, which was that potential to be elite in the world. I had to adjust my surfing goals since I wasn’t going to be on the Championship Tour. In 2001, I got an invite to surf in the Pipe Masters when it was a specialty event. I was invited to participate in 5 more qualifiers for the Pipe Masters.

Surfing in that contest was the peak of my competitive career.

ROCKY CANON

By Chris Latronic

If there is one voice that knows how to Talk Story, that voice belongs to the North Shore local boy, multi-talented tradesman and MC announcer Rocky Canon. He’s been the voice of surf contests on the North Shore of Oahu, calling the coveted Vans Triple Crown of Surfing events for almost a decade. With close ties to the North Shore and its rich surfing history, his insight and charismatic approach to surf announcing has opened up the doors to a world of fruitful opportunities that have changed his life for the better. Still living on the North Shore to this day, you can trace Rocky’s origin to his birthplace at Kahuku Medical Center and an early childhood in Haleiwa.

Freesurf: What was your first experience in the ocean?

Rocky Canon: The first wave I ever caught and rode was at Ali’i Beach on a boogie board. The weightlessness and sensation of almost flying in the water was the most incredible feeling. You get up and you want to do that a million times over and over again until the sun goes down.

My mom was the biggest and earliest influence in surfing in my life, and she made it part of my DNA from when I was little. She would yell ‘stand up’ and once I stood, it was a whole new feeling being on your feet.

How did your surfing progress from there to competing?

I started competing at a young age. When I was 7, my mom entered me in the Menehune Surfing Championships for the first time. I won my first heat in the 7-9 year old division. In the next heat, I surfed against Kalani Robb, who at the time was a child phenom, and a couple other guys who were North Shore surfers. I didn’t make it past that heat, so it gave me a lot of motivation to keep at it. The next year, I made the Finals and received a trophy. After that, the competition side really started to take hold of me. I began competing regularly and avidly at age 10 in the amateur circuit in Hawaii, meeting a lot of good friends. Guys like the Irons 60

When did you start announcing? How did that come to fruition?

Kawika Foster has been as important to me and as influential as my mom, dad and brother. He mentored me, taking me under his wing as a trainee for Hawaiian Water Patrol when I came back from college after my freshman year. From then on, I was invited to work at all the events through the winter, including some Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau events. After that, I received an invite from the ASP Hawaii to do some commentating at the Xcel Pro at Sunset, but I had to turn it down because I was already working and surfing the event.

In 2009, I asked for another opportunity and announced with Kaipo Guerrero at the Xcel Pro and all three Vans Triple Crown events.

When did you first announce by yourself?

It was in the early 2000s at the Haleiwa International Open. Whoever was supposed to announce didn’t show, so we needed someone. I called the first heat, cracked a few jokes and rolled on from there.

You also lead Talk Story events at Surfer the Bar. How did that start?

In the rebranding process of Turtle Bay in 2011, Jodi Wilmott was instrumental in merging Surfer with The Old Bay Club at Turtle Bay to create Surfer the Bar. I was able to be a part of the launch of the open mic nights as the resident MC. Jodi handled the Talk Story side at first, and then she recommended me as the fill in if she was busy.

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Besides surfing, announcing, and working with the Hawaiian Water Patrol, what other job roles do you maintain?

These days, it seems like you need multiple incomes, especially living on the North Shore. In 2006, I received a Bachelor's degree at UH in Public Administration. I became interested in purchasing property for myself. There was a lot of affordable land on the Big Island, which is where I bought my first piece of property. Leading up to that purchase, I wanted to know more about the process than a realtor would have told me. I felt that with my education background, I could take a real estate class over the summer, so I learned a lot about being a realtor in Hawaii and about the purchasing process as well. I went into the first purchase soon after: a 3-acre property on the Big Island. A friend later introduced me to a broker, and I’m still very active in the real estate business.

You also have another business as well. Tell us about Hawaii Surf Dogs.

In 2011, I saw something that I could bring to the table that I have always enjoyed: being an ocean lover and a dog lover. I first started by throwing a rashguard on my dog and surfing every Tuesday at 4 at Turtle Bay. After the surf, I would walk up to the Pool Bar and everyone wanted to meet the dog. I realized this could go somewhere when a lady ordered the dog his own chicken tenders and fries and fed them to the dog one at a time. The same woman, in her late 60s, booked a SUP lesson with me. We went to Kawela Bay and she sat on the SUP with the dog - named Pulu - on the board. The woman couldn’t stand up and paddle, but just being on the water was therapeutic for her.

We have taken over 300 people over the last few years with Hawaii Surf Dogs.

What’s next for Rocky Canon?

Going into 2018, I mostly want to focus on my family. Besides that, I’m looking to branch out a little bit more with my MC abilities. 2018 and beyond is taking what I’m doing and pursuing it at a higher level.

R E P O R T

SAGE TUTTEROW

Rock

J U N I O R

By Kyveli Diener Hometown: Haena, Kauai DOB: August 27, 2002 Sponsors: Rip Curl, Famous, Leus, Akamai Juice Company, Hanalei Surf Company

16 in the prestigious USA Surfing Championships, and at the kickoff of the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) season late this summer on his home island of Kauai, the 15-year-old took first place in four divisions straight out of the gate.

Next to the word surfer in the dictionary, go ahead and put a picture of young Sage Tutterow. What’s his first memory on a wave? He doesn't have one, because his earliest memories are that of being a surfer. What’s his favorite non-surfing activity? None — he surfs (usually with close friend and fellow grom on the rise Sammy Gray). He trains to surf better and he listens to music, presumably to give a soundtrack to the nonstop mindsurfing inside his head.

All of those wins were leading up to a crowning achievement of his early career and the longest journey he’s ever been on: through rigorous tryouts, Sage qualified to join Team Hawaii at the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Junior Surfing Championships in Japan in September, where the team of shining stars from Hawaii brought home a silver medal. To have his name included in the same breath as the esteemed young athletes and to be granted the opportunity to train under such legends as Rainos Hayes and Jason Shibata proves that this Rip Curl GromSearch Champion has carved out his well-deserved spot in Hawaii’s unstoppable future crew.

Thanks to his frothing surfer parents, the sport is as interlaced in his lifestyle as breathing (or, maybe more appropriately, holding his breath), and his contest performances have shown that. He started his summer at Lower Trestles in June with a top five finish for boys under

R E P O R T

Freesurf: What’s the best part of being from Kauai, and what makes surfers from Kauai unique?

Sage Tutterow: It’s pretty low key, and I love that. There are some incredible waves with nobody around. The swells get pretty nuts, and I think surfers from here benefit from that a lot. You get comfortable in some sketchy surf and that’s something really special about the surfers that come out of here. There’s also beach breaks and all kinds of spots around so that keeps you sharp in everything for sure.

Where are your favorite spots to surf?

Probably the zones I surf at home in Haena. I haven’t been out of Hawaii a lot, but you can’t not love Lowers.

Where's your favorite place you've traveled to and where are you hoping to go to?

Japan had a sick vibe, but as far as waves go Kauai is where it’s at.

Mentawais with the boys doesn’t sound bad at all.

You're good friends with Sammy Gray -- how do you guys push each other in your surfing and what other mischief do you get into?

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Sammy’s pretty nuts, especially in big waves. If I see him get a sick wave, it definitely pumps me up to get one too. We mostly surf.

We’re always rousting each other about something.

Who are your favorite surfers, and who inspires your style the most?

I love Noa Deane and Gabriel Medina. I used to be super into Mick [Fanning], but now I try to do my own thing with my style.

What are your favorite maneuvers?

Backside tail blows are kind of my thing, and I’m trying to get into airs a little. I still haven’t figured it out…

Congratulations on the silver medal finish at the ISA World Juniors in Japan! Tell us about that trip.

Thanks! The waves were super fun and I mostly enjoyed cruising with the team. Our crew was pretty sick and everyone psyched each other up for whatever it was that we were doing. It was awesome to get to surf with all the other guys from Hawaii and just see what they’re doing to learn from them and feed off of their energy. We all pushed each other and cheered each other

on. It’s a sick feeling. I’m psyched I got to be a part of that. The kids from other countries have game too, and they all got some really talented guys. It was cool to make some new friends from all over.

What are your plans for this winter?

Hopefully I’ll make my way back up to Oahu later in the winter season. Home is always fun, so I’m not too worried about missing out on the scene. For contests, I’m working on going over to Australia for the QS in the beginning of the season. I’m super pumped to go over there and hopefully get some results.

Which other groms really inspire or motivate you right now?

Just all my close friends I see at the comps. Kade [Matson]’s been killing it, we’re boys and he’s always amping to surf.

All my friends push me to get better, they’re a huge source of motivation.

If you weren’t a pro surfer, what would you be?

I’m super into clothes, shoes and stuff like that, so I’d probably go to business school and art school and try to start my own brand and design clothes. I plan on doing that later anyways, but surfing’s my priority for sure.

What are your favorite activities outside of the water?

Training? [laughs] All I do is surf. I listen to a lot of music.

What are your goals as a surfer?

World Titles, lots of them.

Last words for the Freesurf audience?

Snap @sagexmakan!

Rock

J U N I O R

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By Kyveli Diener

Hometown: Huahine, French Polynesia DOB: December 2, 1999 Sponsors: Roxy, Air Tahiti Nui, Channel Islands Surfboards, Dakine, Raimana World, Jeewin Sunscreen Vahine Fierro is more than a surfer. She is human sunlight, radiating a magnetic energy that has drawn support and attention from some of the biggest names in the industry. She lives with aloha, sharing kindness to everyone she comes in contact with and approaching everything in her life with positivity and a motivation to perform with dignity and prowess. Her name represents womanhood and femininity, which this Roxy girl embraces while still competing on a level that would make any man thankful he doesn’t have to worry about pulling her in a heat draw. Her graciousness masks her ferocious tenacity until it’s time to rip a wave open and drain it of every point she seeks, which is how she got her second place finish at the Wahine Pipe Pro at the beginning of the year and a smashing recent victory at the Turtle Bay Resort Pro. She has her eyes set on the World Surf League Championship Tour, but her heart is with her family — she still rides surfboards shaped by her father, even after being picked up recently by Al Merrick to incorporate his Channel Islands shapes into her quiver — and her community, a tiny island 30 minutes from Tahiti by plane, a place whose praises she cannot sing loudly enough.

Freesurf: What was it like growing up in Tahiti?

Vahine Fierro: Tahiti is special, but Huahine is even more special. We have perfect waves with literally nobody out. It’s warm, the people are so friendly and the food is so healthy! When I travel to Hawaii or other places, it makes me appreciate home even more because Hawaii is pretty crowded in the water, and in other places it gets cold and you have to put your wetsuit on. In Huahine, I wake up early with my family, go down the hill, turn my boat on, drive for three minutes, and I get to choose if I want to go right or left. I can never decide because both are perfect with no one out, and then I do the same thing in the evening! There is no words to describe it. I love how everything is connected with nature.

What are your favorite breaks in Tahiti and in Hawaii?

On my island, I will keep it a secret, but in Tahiti my favorite places to

surf are on the south side towards Teahupo’o. There’s good lefts and rights. I do surf Teahupo’o. It’s a very impressive wave. In Hawaii, my favorite wave is Pipeline.

What’s it like being a Roxy girl and who are you closest with on the team?

Being a Roxy girl has always been my dream. I got picked up two years ago and a surfer from Tahiti matches perfect with Roxy because we are island girls. Roxy takes such good care of me! My sister Heimiti got picked up by Roxy too, so obviously her but Leila Riccubuano as well.

How did you start surfing?

My dad started teaching me when I was five. I learned at a reef break because we do not have any beach breaks on my island. On my

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R I P S

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first wave, my dad was on the back on the surfboard and I stood up because he couldn’t push me. It was the best feeling ever.

Talk to us about your victory at the Turtle Bay Resort Pro. Winning Turtle Bay was so cool because I lost in the semifinals in the Pro Juniors, so I was thinking there is no way I’m losing in the QS too.

My favorite memory is my Tahitian crew throwing me in the pool when I won — they carried me from the beach and threw me in the pool in front of everybody.

Your name literally means “woman” and you’re one of three sisters — what do you think is most important for girls and women living in today’s world to remember in order to succeed?

Yes we are three sisters! It’s funny because we look like girls, always wearing a bikini, but in the water we act like boys. We want to surf like boys and I think it’s good when girls show that yes, they can catch big waves or they can do what boys do, because usually people would say that’s for the boys but no girls can do it too!

How many languages do you speak?

I speak Tahitian, French, English, and Spanish because my dad is half American/Mexican and my mom is Tahitian.

You’re a very talented Tahitian dancer — how does that add to your life and your surfing?

My mom made sure we speak our language and dance because nowadays, the teenagers don’t speak Tahitian! Dancing is so fun, it’s another kind of surfing for me. You have to dance with grace and I love it, and I think it’s related to my surfing too. When there’s parties or we go to people’s houses, we will always do a little show with my sisters.

What are your goals in surfing?

My goal is to qualify for the CT. Last words for the Freesurf audience?

Always have fun, be kind, and always go hard because we only live once.

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A R T

FRESH PERSPECTIVES Surf Artist Christie Shinn

By Tiffany Foyle

me into waves on the board,” she remembers. “He’d tell me stories about places like Waimea Bay where the waves are the size of a house. Thinking back, it might have planted a seed.”

Christie didn’t get the opportunity to surf in the ocean until her early 20s. She was travelling in England, making her way up to Scotland when she heard there was a place on the southwest coast that had surf.

She abandoned her travel plans and caught an all-night bus for the coast.

“I took my first surf lesson the morning I arrived and stayed to surf the rest of the season,” she says. “Thankfully I landed myself in a boarding house full of Aussies who showed me the ropes and didn’t let me make too much of a kook of myself.”

When artist Christie Shinn arrives at the beach, she doesn’t see what we all see. It’s almost as if her eyes are magnifying glasses or moment-specific binoculars that zoom in on a little detail or element that might be emblematic of a larger experience. For example, a trash can full of broken boards at the beach access could be an interesting way to describe the winter surf.

What she sees in the palms swaying in the trades, in the lineup or in the discarded dreams along the sands of the infamous seven-mile miracle translate into colors and shapes on a page.

“I'm not sure if I see the beauty of Hawaii with different 'eyes' than anyone else,” the North Shore resident and Canadian native says. “I think it's just the

72

nature of an artist to keep their eyes open and scanning for inspiration.”

Shinn’s pieces are easy to spot: bright colors, clean shapes and graphic lines. She uses a special acrylic that is flat instead of building texture, which gives a lot of flexibility. Like any radical artist, she is self-taught.

“I’m glad I taught myself, because I’m sure a teacher would have told me that the mediums I use shouldn’t be mixed,” she says with a laugh. She has been drawing since she was a kid.

Over the years, she picked up techniques and insights from library books, friends and Bob Ross TV shows.

“I learned composition from a photography teacher and my grandmother showed me brush techniques that I still use today,” she recalls. “I experimented

with different mediums and I made a lot of crappy paintings that nobody ever saw. I’d draw everything: garbage cans, telephone poles, friends, strangers…. I just really liked the challenge of translating the world around me onto the page.”

The 37-year-old first visited Hawaii in 2005, mostly to see the mythical North Shore she had read so much about in surf magazines. She only meant to stay a week but was so enamoured that she extended my trip. By the end of that same year, she started calling Haleiwa home. “It’s been 13 years and I’m still in love,” she says.

Shinn actually learned to surf in the Great Lakes - specifically Lake Huron - where her family had a cottage. “My dad had a big 80s windsurfer, but as a kid, the sail was too big for me to lift out of the water so he would just push

Fully bitten by the surf bug, it’s no wonder Shinn soon landed on the North Shore of Oahu.

It’s not easy to make a living in Hawaii though, and she had to go through the transition all surf artists eventually have to gather the courage to make. “I decided that I needed to commit to living for a year on art jobs alone, which meant I’d have to scale back my lifestyle and be flexible about what I considered an art job,” she says.

She did every odd job that came her way, as long as it was primarily art or design. There were logos, tshirt designs, some very silly marketing giveaways, pet paintings and even a few custom zombie portraits. Each one gave her the opportunity to learn, grow and pick up new skills. There were some difficult moments and more than a little financial strain, but as the year went on, the jobs got more

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exciting and the rent got covered a bit easier. Not long after, she got the big, exciting, scary opportunity that changed everything.

Shinn was chosen by Randy Rarick and Vans to develop the 2013 Vans Triple Crown poster and apparel line. Working with the Vans Triple Crown opened a lot of doors in the years that followed. Her commercial work has made its way onto signature merchandise for LeSportsac, Vans shoes, North Shore Soap Factory, Surfer Towel, and Haviannas. Her paintings are sold at many local galleries, including Rocky Point Collective, Polu Gallery, North Shore Surf Shop, North Shore WaterShed (Turtle Bay Resort), Greenroom Gallery and Global Village.

Shinn’s artistic philosophy is that there’s always a new way to describe something familiar; it’s just about finding it. She has been on some great hikes lately and thinks her next few paintings will be inspired by the beautiful plants and birds of Hawaii.

“Maybe it’s because I’m self-taught but I still consider myself an artist in training,” she says. “It might sound cheesy but every painting feels like a fresh chance to do better.”

To see Christie Shinn’s art, visit Shinnstudio.com.

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E N V I R O N M E N T

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Parley for the Oceans, Sustainable Surf, Surfdome, and all the Shapers and Glassers.

There’s still room on the team if you’re interested.

Our next challenge was getting the materials on island. Lack of supply forced us to ship blanks and resin in from the mainland. We’re encouraging Fiberglass Hawaii to prepare for the increase in demand and blank manufacturers are already preparing.

IGNITE ECOBOARD ADOPTION: A PROTEST UPDATE

By Kahi Pacarro Photos Jake Marote

Two months ago, I introduced the ProTest to Freesurf Magazine readers. It’s a double entendre on the word Protest: It’s a protest against the conventional surfboard and an opportunity for the Pro’s to Test a quiver of ecoboards we are creating in collaboration with the world's best shapers. The best part is that you, too, will get a chance to ride these same boards. Also, a prize purse of $10,000 is up for grabs for the best ride of the winter on an ecoboard plus $1,000 for the team that submits the video. The competition will run until February 28, 2018.

Now, the ProTest is in full swing and the entries have been rolling in. At the end of the winter, someone is walking away with a 76

cool $10,000 for ripping on an ecoboard. But getting this project off the ground was not as easy as you’d expect.

Our first challenge was getting support.

With a goal of 30 ecoboards available on Oahu along with raising enough money for the winning surfer and submission team, finding $25,000 to fund the overall cost of this unprecedented project without any compensation for Cliff Kapono or Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii was a huge hurdle. In similar fashion to their forward thinking as it relates to sustainability, Vans stepped up to the plate first to financially support the project. Others continue to follow and we want to send a mahalo to Surfer Magazine,

Next, the shapers. Ecoboards have been among the lexicon of our community for a few years with mixed connotations, primarily negative. Yellow boards and soft glass were just a few of the bad opinions being thrown around. But the materials have come a long way and are now as good – if not better – than the status quo.

Stepping into the room where our craftsmen have been shaping the vehicles that keep our batteries charged creates an uncomfortableness similar to when meeting your heroes.

Imagine trying to encourage them to take a risk and change the way they make boards to be a part of something you believe to be the future. More than one shaper told me, “This whole green movement is a bunch of BS.” The ProTest’s response below brought them onboard.

Let’s get to the crux of this project. We’re not saying the ecoboard quiver we are creating is the solution. We are the first to say these boards are not perfect. They’re still toxic, but they are less toxic than the status quo: 25

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percent less toxic for most of our quiver. If we continue to justify our use of 100 percent toxic boards because there isn’t a 0 percent toxic option that performs as good, when will we ever reach a point where we can surf less hypocritically? We need to ignite ecoboard adoption in order to push the supply and accompanying eco-innovation needed to get us to a more sustainable future for surfing.

As a consumer, you can be a part of this movement. Simply ask for a board that is less impactful on our environment. Your shaper doesn’t want to do it? Well, all the shapers within The ProTest are and we have some of the best including Bret Marumoto, Carl Olsen, Carl Schaper, Daniel Jones, Drew Sparrow, Eric Arakawa, Glenn Pang, Jeff Bushman, John Pyzel, Kamalei Alexander, Kerry Tokoro, Kyle Bernhardt, Matty Raynor, Mike Mattison, Nat Woolley, Owl Chapman, Robin Johnston and Wade Tokoro.

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Since November 1, The ProTest submission period for best performance of the winter on an ecoboard has been open. Anyone can submit an edit of an individual male or female surfer featuring them absolutely annihilating lips, soaring above them, or threading throaty beasts, but you must include what makes the board an ecoboard into the video. Starting April 1, the video submission ends and voting begins. Based on the most likes, the top 10 will be selected and then voted upon by our judges.

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Our ecoboard quiver – 30 boards in total – has been available to World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) and Qualifying Series (QS) competitors and the world’s best freesurfers since November 1, but starting March 1, the surviving ecoboard quiver will be available to anyone. We’ll be bringing the boards down to a North Shore beach for you to try. Next month we’ll start talking more about the public offering. Be sure to pick up the next issue of Freesurf Magazine and visit surfer.com/theprotest to see the submissions thus far.

Kahi Pacarro is the Executive Director of Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii.

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For the majority of surfers today, their surfing life began while surfing in the prone position or riding a boogie board. The man who made this possible, Tom Morey, who has also contributed numerous ideas and innovations in the industry, has succumbed to deteriorating health conditions and is in a financial need. “Tom has lost his sight, and is not in the best financial situation,” said 9-time World Champion bodyboarder Mike Stewart in a video raising awareness for Tom's needs. “When I was a kid, I did start surfing by bodyboarding,” Kelly Slater said.

“He’s having a hard time, and if you can help him out, especially someone who has affected the whole industry.” “So what can we do for Tom? Straight up, he needs money,” said 8-time DropKnee World Champion Dave Hubbard. To donate, visit https://www.youcaring. com/tommorey-929933, and for more information on Tom, visit Freesurfmagazine.com.

In November, Vissla presented it’s newest episode of Shop Talks, talking story with T&C Surf Shop founder Craig Sugihara, to learn more on the birth and evolution of the T&C Surf stoke. “Craig, a master shop owner, is one of the few exceptions in surfing culture who not only surfs, but who is also a creator and shaper of his own equipment,” Vissla said. “As his surfing skills improved, his interest in the anatomy of the surfboard and its impact on performance increased. This infatuation grew, and after much experimentation, Craig became one of the most noteworthy board shapers in Hawaii.” Visit FreesurfMagazine.com to see the full edit.

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With the surf community’s attention focused on the North Shore throughout the winter season, Koa Rothman showcases his talent and mettle by pulling into this Pipeline pit.

Photo: Keoki