v15n9

THE

T R AV E L ISSUE

V 1 5

# 9

#stillfree

Keale Chung Photo: Keoki

©2018 Vans, Inc.

VANS.COM/ULTRARANGE

Available at Barnfield’s Raging Isle and HIC

F R E E

P A R K I N G

Wave colors are synonomous to their break, like the Nias green and deep brown decorated by Nathan Florence standing tall. Photo: Keoki

O F

C O N T E N T S

D E P A R T M E N T S

04 Free Parking

26 Travel Pros

10 Editor’s Note

30 Do’s and Don’ts

14 Cover Story

60 Environment

16 Rewind

64 Industry Notes

20 Events

66 Last Look

Rosie Jaffurs Photo: Keoki

Keoki

T A B L E

ENJOY RESPONSIBLY © 2018 Anheuser-Busch, Michelob Ultra® Pure Gold Light Beer, St. Louis, MO | 85 calories, 2.5g carbs, 0.6g protein and 0.0g fat, per 12 oz.

r e n n Ta l e i n a McD

Keoki

F E A T U R E S

36 NIAS

Keoki

Only a select few surfers were in the right mindset to paddle for a four foot wave that would grow into a 12-15 ft. backless monster whose only want was to pull into the dark caves of Nias

46 APERTURE

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

photo by Mark mcdaniel

treat your team right

Rick Briggs

From Nias to Tahiti

54 SHANE DORIAN’S NICARAGUA GROM CAMP The title says it all. Groms get schooled in a far away land.

Editorial Publisher Mike Latronic Managing Editor / Photo Editor Keoki Saguibo Art Director John Weaver Multimedia Director Andrew Oliver Ambassador-at-Large Chris Latronic

V 1 5

# 9

Keale Chung Photo: Keoki #stillfree

Copy Editor Mara Pyzel West Coast Distribution Chuck Hendsch (619) 227-9128 East Coast Distribution Eastern Surf Supply (808) 638-7395 Hawaii Distribution All Islands (808) 638-7395 Staff Photographers Chris Kincaide, Chris Latronic, Mike Latronic, Keoki Saguibo Contributing Writers Kyveli Diener, Daniel Ikaika Ito, Alexandra Kahn, Ben Marcus, Kelia Moniz, Kahi Pacarro, Mara Pyzel, Shannon Reporting Interns Shannon Cavarocchi, Aukai Ng

Contributing Photographers

Erik Aeder, Kirk Lee Aeder, Eric Baeseman (outbluffum.com), Brent Bielmann, Brian Bielmann, Ryan “Chachi” Craig, Dayanidhi Das, Jeff Divine, Dooma, Rick Doyle, Isaac Frazer, Pete Frieden, Dane Grady, Bryce Johnson, Alexandra Kahn, Ha’a Keaulana, Ehitu Keeling, Jason Kenworthy, Laserwolf, Bruno Lemos, Mana, Jake Marote, Ryan Miller, Zak Noyle, Shawn Pila, Nick Ricca, Tahnei Roy, Jim Russi, Daniel Russo, Jason Shibata, Spencer Suitt, Tai Vandyke, Jimmy Wilson Business Development Arthur Lessing (808) 383-8209 Business Administration Cora Sanchez (808) 383-9220

FREESURF MAGAZINE is distributed at all Jamba Juice locations, most fine surf shops and select specialty stores throughout Hawai‘i, Southern California, and the East Coast. Subscribe at freesurfmagazine.com

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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

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TO RREY MEISTER

N O T E

By Keoki Saguibo

Hawaii is known to take a rest from the big wave season during the summer months from June to August. There are still waves that grace our wave magnet islands on the South Shore’s but compared to the winter months, summer is more fun and playful with good conditions thank you to offshore trade wind flow and sunny summer days. For surfers who have a need for adrenaline during the down months and for those where summer means family vacations and time to travel, looking across other oceans becomes an open door to experience new waves and places.

Keoki

E D I T O R ’ S

what emcpoasses a good surf trip. For some lucky groms traveling to Nicaragua with big wave maestro Shane Dorian, coaching and filming, would be considered a dream grom trip. The experiences shared would be the basis of surf travel for their future in surfing and a grounding experience for them.

As for all travels, not necessarily only for surf, we have incorporated some travel do’s and don'ts while planning and during the trip.

Some basics tips from experienced surf travelers as well as the professional travelers alike. Like they say “a little goes a long way,” in this case, knowledge of how/ what to do to prepare and while travelling, will take you farther than trying to figure out the common basics for each destination or mapping out your trip on your own.

You can find these do’s and don'ts scattered throughout this issue so your traveling research starts now.

Tapping into other surf locations during summer is like speaking a new language. Figuring what conditions work for your desired travel retreat, tides, weather, and most importantly swell direction, is a whole new puzzle in itself to have the spots work while being away on vacation. For those looking at summertime as a strike swell mission, like our Nias mission feature in this issue, the pressure of making the right call to travel around the world only for a few days of swell, spending thousands of dollars and copious amount of time planning to hopefully get the best waves with the best conditions.

Planning a strike mission entails being a surfer (first and foremost), part-time travel agent, part-time meteorologist, and to figure out funding, a part-time accountant, all working in unison to make it happen.

Like the waves that bless our islands year in and year out, waves are travelers themselves. Coming from storms thousands miles away to finally crest and break when they hit a reef, bank, seamount,or a beach, they have traveled extensively throughout the ocean with much obstacles maybe even more than what we can fathom. Surfers we only want the goods, which is good waves and clean conditions.

So to pay tribute to the natural forces that create good waves for our own pleasure, we’ll spend the time and the money to meet them when the waves are at its best. In the end, it's about the experiences that travel brings to us, who were with, and what we score in waves, just adds to our life experience. Aloha

If planning a surf trip consists of you and some of your buddies looking to have a good time and scoring good waves would be the cherry on top, a surf trip sought after by most. Planning for a trip could take longer but the time and experiences spent with others is

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Tyler Newton

COVER STORY

Throughout the morning hours on the biggest day of the swell, hopes were high and so was the crowd on catching the wave of the day. Their have been a handful of great rides but nothing out of the ordinary you would expect to be mind boggling. Yes, it was big and making it out of a barrel was one of the biggest feats hands down.

8ft Classic Shape | 7ft Classic Shape | 6ft Swallow Tail Shape

As the day went on the swell got about three feet bigger (12-15ft on the sets) than then the morning and somewhat wildly. Lots of water moving in and out, cleanup sets every 30 minutes, from shore looked like crumbly beast of a wave, and no one wanted to do anything with it. From the boat where I was shooting, it was very doable but still looked like a monster that was meant to eat surfers. For Keale Chung, it was opportunity to capitalize on the minimal crowds and steady flow of big waves. He paddled out with Kauai native Jesse Johnson to trade off on the sets. Being from Kauai, they have the experience surfing this type of wave. It was the best performance I seen from the whole swell with a bunch of waves caught and ridden not only to survive but to get a barrel of a lifetime. On this wave, Keale took a unusual approach but you could see he had it like he's done it a thousand times before. The wave was so hollow that stalling with your hands would lead to getting sucked over the falls in the lip so the line he took was a small bottom turn to hooking his nose to the beach under the roof of the barrel. He pulled it off with style and not to mention the huge cavern he got only to make it out at the end. The two guys taking notes in the channel watching Keale’s wave was Jesse and and a traveling Peruvian surfer who watched the two get spit out during the lunch hours only to try to get a few himself. It was one of the heaviest moments throughout the swell. Keale later paid some dues by getting a good ole Indonesian tattoo on his face while trying to navigate the dry reef to get to shore. Was it worth it Keale? Im pretty darn sure it was.

KAINEHE HUNT

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KAI LENNY FOILS TO RECORDS ON MOLOKAI CROSSINGS He was already favored to win the foil division of the 22nd running of the Molokai 2 Oahu Paddleboard Championships, but Kai Lenny reminded us he’s the master of the unpredictable and unprecedented when he smashed the existing record for the M2O crossing by over an hour. The unstoppable Maui waterman crossed the 32-miles of the Kaiwi Channel on a hydrofoil SUP in 2 hours, 52 minutes, and 48 seconds, a drastic improvement from Travis Grant’s standing record of 3:59:48 on a traditional SUP. Since this is the first year a foil division has ever been included in the historic downwind paddle race, Lenny is eager to continue shaving time off his latest record as foil technology evolves further. “Foiling is still so new, so there’s still a lot to chase after,” said Lenny in an interview with M2O. “My goal is to come back here next year and smash this record. I think I can do it faster and faster, because this is just the beginning of the sport.” As if the M2O victory wasn’t impressive enough alone, it was actually the second time in July that Lenny had set a record for island-hopping via foil SUP: on July 14, he set a new time record for crossing the 27-mile Pailolo Channel between Maui and Molokai, completing the crossing in 2:17:09 at an average speed of 11 mph.

Heff

JOHN JOHN FLORENCE OUT OF 2018 WORLD TITLE RACE

John John Florence announced in late July that he is officially withdrawing from competition indefinitely -- effectively ending any hope of a 2018 World Title campaign -- due to the amount of competitions missed following a knee injury sustained on a free surf in Indonesia during the Corona Bali Protected, where he’d already been eliminated in Round 3.

Florence withdrew from both the Uluwatu CT in June that decided the victor of the suspended Margaret River Pro, and then also skipped the Jeffrey’s Bay event in South Africa in July. With his most recent update regarding his high grade partial right ACL tear, the reigning to-time World Champ said he did not know when he’d be able to return to competition on the Championship Tour. “I am not sure if it will be 60 days or 120 days, or less or more. When I return I want to know that I can go as fast and as big as I want to without any thought of my knee,” he said via Instagram. “That will be my test before I put a jersey back on.”

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OAHU STEALS JUNIOR, LONGBOARD SPOTLIGHT AT US OPEN

August 4th was a very special day for Hawaii -- particularly the island of Oahu -- at Huntington Beach, CA. The Vans U.S. Open of Surfing was nearing its conclusion and contests recognizing the top performers in junior and women’s longboard surfing were reaching

the critical final rounds, which ended up stacked with Hawaiian talent.

In the exciting women’s junior final, two of the four girls were from the islands and they see-sawed on a commanding lead the whole round. Ultimately, Oahu’s Zoe McDougall edged out Maui’s Summer Macedo in an on-the-sand judging call, and was stoked she could wish her dad, Doug, a happy birthday from the top of the podium.

Next, in the men’s junior final, Barron Mamiya led nearly the entire heat in some of the best waves of the day, and when he returned to the beach victorious he was chaired by fellow North Shore Oahu stars Josh and Seth Moniz. Speaking of the Moniz family, Seth had already made his unforgettable mark in Hawaii’s name on that day: during his Round 5 QS 10,000 battle with Evan Geiselman, the current #2 on the international QS threw a hail-mary no grab rotation that looking like a mid-air cartwheel straight into a whitewater disappearance he miraculously stood up from, advancing into Quarterfinals on the 9.87 ride. As if the Oahu-grown fireworks weren’t dazzling enough already, there was also the final round of the inaugural women’s Duct Tape Invitational, which again featured two wahines from Oahu, who ultimately took first and second place. Honolua Blomfield and Kelis Kaleopaa shared a perfect victory lap return to the beach to climb the podium, paddling into a tandem ride to shore wearing huge smiles.

Congratulations to all the competitors!

Sean Davey

Hawaiian shaper and master-mind of the double winged, swallow tail designs, Ben Aipa, was inducted into the Surf Hall of Fame in Huntington Beach during the annual Vans U.S. Open of Surfing. Born in 1942, on the rise to profesional surfing by age 24, Ben starting shaping in 1966 with iconic riders on his team such as Buttons Kaluhiokalani, Larry Bertlemann, Mark Liddell and Fred Hemmings.

Not to mention a mentor to some of Hawaii’s most influential surfers like Michael Ho, Brad Gerlach, and Kalani Robb. Aipa’s Honor Roll induction earned him a spot alongside other 2018 inductees including Australian world champions Mick Fanning and Stephanie Gilmore, ISA president Fernando Aguerre, and Steve Van Doren of Vans.

Ben Aipa

Keoki

HAWAIIAN LEGENDARY SHAPER BEN AIPA HONORED AT SURF HALL OF FAME

Carissa Moore

CARISSA MOORE WINS SUPERGIRL PRO, DONATES TO ZAF SURF PROGRAM Carissa Moore took home her first Paul Mitchell Supergirl Pro victory in Huntington Beach, California during the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing in July, and decided to use her winnings from the QS 6,000 to show she’s a superhero outside of the water as well. She immediately reached out to South African big wave charger Frank Solomon about donating $2,500 to Sentinel Ocean Alliance, a Waves For Change surf club, fulfilling a hope born from a day of Moore volunteering with the club in Solomon’s hometown of Haut Bay while she was in South Africa competing in the first women’s J-Bay event in almost 20 years. “My plan was if I won Jbay I was going to donate a portion of my winnings to your surf club. I just won the supergirl pro today and you were still on my mind,” Moore said in an Instagram message to Solomon that the stoked South African later shared in his story, thanking her and calling her an “absolute legend.”

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E V E N T S

Sage Tutterow

NSSA at PK’s Story and photos by Mike Latronic Top young surfer athletes from around the state gathered on the south side of Kauai the last weekend of July for the first run National Scholastic Surfing Association’s event of the season.

Coming off a relatively “clean sweep” for Hawaii’s youth at the NSSA Nationals earlier in the summer at Huntington Beach, a batch of talented youngsters were frothing to keep the high pace going. Open’s Men’s National Champ Robert Grilho and Open Women’s National Champ Gabriela Bryant were sadly not on hand to restate their dominance, but there were plenty of other Hawaii competitors to keep the pace.

Consistent 2-3’ surf churned through the PK’s line up creating ample opportunities for Hawaii’s youth to display their talents and battle each other for top honors. The surf break started off as a left hander with a few sections to crack and then typically would reform on the inside to a righthander where the young athletes would stretch their stamina and get busy with multiple cutty’s and a few trick for good measure. There was a good rivalry going between Oahu’s Kai Martin and Kauai’s Sage Tuttero but in the end Tuttero walked away with the first Open Men’s prize of the season.(full results below) Next event is scheduled for LAHAINA HARBOR: Aug 18-19, Alternate dates Aug 25-26.

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E V E N T S

BIKINIS

Kai Martin

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BOYS 1. STONE ABUBO 2. LEGAND GIRLS CHANDLER 1. HAYLEE BOVERMAN 3. KAI MARTIN 4. OLIVER ZIETZ SUPER GIRLS 5. DIEGO FERRI 1. SOPHIA CARLUCCI 6. MAIKAI BURDINE 2. MARINA FONSECA 3. SYDNEY DOI MENEHUNES 4. HAYLEE BOVERMAN 1. RYLAN BEAVERS 2. TIGER ABUBO MINI GROMS 3. MATTEUS 1. TIGER ABUBO SANTOS 2. ZAL COSTA 4. LEGEND 3. MANANALU CHANDLER CHANDLER 4. ZOIE ZIETZ

WOMEN 1. SOPHIA CARLUCCI 2. PARIS ANDERSON 3. GABRIELA BRYAN GIRLS 1. HAYLEE BOVERMAN SUPER GIRLS 1. SOPHIA CARLUCCI 2. SYDNEY DOI 3. MARINA FORSECA 4. HAYLEE BOVERMAN 5. ISLA SEXTON SUPER GROMS 1. MANANALU CHANDLER 2. TIGER ABUBO 3. ZAL COSTA

E V E N T S

2 0 1 8 M A N U L E L E AWA R D S

Photos Keoki

Back by popular demand, Hawaii will have its very own surfer poll! Presented by Restaurant 604 and Hawaiian Telcom, the Manulele Awards will honor the best watermen and women of Hawaii.

Manulele Inc., publisher of Freesurf Magazine and Boardstories TV will employ print, TV and digital media to call out to the public to vote. The first selection will be to name 4 nominees in each of 8 categories and then voting the top of each categoric by the public.

The live event itself will be taped for television complete with musical guests, entertainment, dancers, bikini fashion show and more.

Hosted at Restaurant 604 Hawaii’s best watermen and women will gather at years end to celebrate our beloved sport of surfing and the athletes who make it so rich with color and life.

Award Categories Ambassador of Aloha Standout Male Standout Female Most Progressive / Innovative

Special mahalo also goes to Pacifico Beer and Jack Daniels for their support of our sport!

Best Big Wave Performance All Around Waterman

Vote Online!

Web Surfer

www.freesurfmagazine.com Underdog of the Year

2018

MANULELE AWARDS Celebrating Hawaii’s Top Water Men and Women

Vote Online! www.freesurfmagazine.com

P re s e n te d b y a nd Awa rds Ceremony hosted a t

Media Partners

Contact Mike Latronic @ (808) 638-7395 today for sponsorship opportunities

P R O S

Frederico Vano

T R A V E L

Sean Murphy

Sean Murphy Waterways Travel

WaterWays Travel was established in 1994 with the mission statement: “ We take the gamble and guess work out of your surf travel holiday while at the same time providing the best service and value for your travel dollar.” Now almost 25 years later this mission remains the central focus of our business model. We do the leg work for each destination making certain we represent the most professional operation in each location. We look at all aspects of service provide such as accommodations, infrastructure, boats, vehicles, guides, safety, transfers and communications.

There is nothing worse than arriving into an unfamiliar airport where you may not speak the language and not having your representative waiting for you upon arrival; this may seem a small factor, but it may also set the stage for the remainder of your holiday. Our agents have been to each location to which they specialize so they can confidently relay specific details, compare and contrast options and allow our customers to feel confident in their decisions in regards to both location and timing.

While we do our best to take out the “Gamble and Guess Work”, epic surf is never a guarantee. We can do our best to get you on location during prime season, and even do strategic strike missions based upon prevailing swell models, but unfortunately mother nature is in command and good surf can never be a guarantee. I did a trip

to Tahiti around a swell last February and at the last minute a low developed in the West Pacific resulting in a week straight of solid rain and N wind, the surf was terrible but the trip unforgettable. Going into a trip with the right attitude should result in a great experience. We can control the food, comfort levels and other activities, so with the right attitude a great cultural experience filled with fun and activities making new friends can still be had. It is important to remember, a successful surf adventure is not only about the surf!

I am fortunate to be able to take 4-6 surf trips a year generally including Indonesia, Maldives, Fiji, Samoa and shorter trips to Mexico or South/ Central America. I live for surf trips, absolutely love it!

Returning to certain destinations year after year or scouting new locations is a lifelong passion. I really enjoy traveling with people new to surf travel, seeing things fresh through their eyes. It also seems that the last surf trip was the best one ever; certainly because it’s most fresh in my mind, but like all surfers I love reliving certain visions keeping me psyched for the next trip. I did a trip to the Banyaks off N Sumatra this past May with a group of old and new friends, and while the surf was not the best ever; there were moments that will last forever both in and out of the water.

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We are in business for the long run, not the one time deal. Our customer base is predominantly repeat passengers and referrals. Sure we do a lot of marketing to promote our brand and attract new customers, but keeping passengers returning year after year and spreading the good word about our service is our primary goal. Another benefit is that we all really enjoy our team, our surf travel perks and our client base. Over all these years nothing is as satisfying as having a customer call or email upon returning from a trip and spending 20+ minutes enthusiastically recounting their “life changing” travel experience and the details of the best waves of their life. This is something we get to enjoy every day, and it is so fun. We are not Dr’s healing people, but our clients do generally return so happy and rejuvenated there must be some long term health benefits from this level of stoke.

People often ask when planning a trip, “If it were you, where would you go?” Even for me the answer to this question is not easy, so I ask a few basic questions: What time of year do you want to travel?

How long a window of time do you have to travel? 5 days, 10 days, 14+?

How far are you willing to travel?

Is there a specific type of surf you desire?

Rights, lefts, reefs, points etc – or just good surf?

How many people in your group?

Are there non surfers or children in your group?

What level of accommodations/ facilities do you desire/require? Is clean and comfortable sufficient, or are you looking for full resort or high end?

With the answer to these questions we can present options, compare contrast those options and work toward an informed decision. From that point we work our best to meet or surpass expectations.

What are the top destinations?

What are the best destinations?

Like with most questions, the true answer is: “It depends”.

T R A V E L

P R O S

Sean Walker

Sean Walker World Surfaris

Sean Walker, owner and operator of Word Surfaris USA, has been involved in the Surf Travel Industry since 2000. He spent 7 years at another surf travel agency before opening the US franchise for World Surfaris in Australia. He has traveled all over the world to places such as South Africa, the Maldives, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Samoa, Tahiti, Fiji, Hawaii, Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Bahamas. He also worked as the on-site surf guide at the Hudhuranfushi Resort in the Maldives.

Sean earned his BA and MA in Business at the University of California, Santa Barbara. During that time, he was Captain of the surf team, becoming State, West Coast, and National Champion.

Throughout this time, Sean traveled extensively while pursuing the goal of being a professional surfer.

Are good surf trips a guarantee? What can aspiring surf trippers do to increase their odds of finding good surf and an overall good travel experience?

Surf trips are never “guaranteed” with swell and weather being unpredictable at times, so the best thing to do is plan trips in the right time of year for swell to give you the best chances at good conditions. In the Indian Ocean and South Pacific the most consistent surf is from March through October, but good swells can come at any time of year. You can also plan it last-minute when you know a swell as already forecasted and on the way. Just call us at World Surfaris USA to set up your next dream trip.

Sean has been fortunate enough to integrate his business background with his passion for surfing. Beginning from his days of traveling the California coast every weekend for amateur surf contests, his love of travel and surfing new places expanding to wanting to see as much of the world as possible. Utilizing help from sponsors such as Billabong and Eric Zucker Surfboards, he traveled as much as possible while attending college and realized his true passion of visiting other countries and experiencing different cultures. By the time he first met the founders of World Surfaris on a surf-filled charter in the Mentawai Islands off Sumatra in Indonesia, he knew that he found his calling.

How often do you surf trip?? and where did you go last?

I usually get a chance to go on surf trips 1-2 times per year, with a few short snowboard trips as well. My last surf trips were to Nicaragua & Costa Rica a year ago last summer with some great hollow beach breaks in both locations.

We all know catching waves brings joy... Do you derive pleasure when you know your clients are catching good waves when you book travel?

Getting good waves on a trip is a great and setting up trips for others and knowing they had a good time with good waves makes it all worthwhile. Whether its pro surfers scoring the best swell of the season in Indo or Africa, or the average surfer just getting some fun waves and a break from work, it is very fulfilling to help make that happen and put a smile on someone’s face.

What are the 5 top locations visited by your records?

Based on the locations we have surf packages to I’d say the top 5 destinations in order are the Maldives, Indonesia, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, & Costa Rica.

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T R A V E L

Travel Do’s & Don’ts

Heff

Some great insight seems to come in handy when your traveling or stuck in a unfamiliar place. We asked some experienced surf travelers some tips and do’s/ dont’s when it comes to your next travel destination.

Jason Shibata

Heff

Do your research and fly and airline that is surfer friendly.

Board bag and luggages fees add up quickly.

Do respect the locals and the unspoken rules of each surf break Respect the culture and religion of the people of where you are traveling too. You don’t have to agree or believe in it personally, but always respect others, their space and understand it and them.

Don’t disrespect the locals.

Eli Olson

Keoki

“I go on trips to explore the world and make new friends.I also really believe traveling has made me a better person. Traveling puts you in situations where you have to adapt to overcome things while teaching me patience. Most of all it makes me appreciate home so much and it always reminds me how blessed I am to call North Shore, Oahu my home.”

Ola Eleogram “Getting skunked can change how you look at the place as a whole. Could cause bad vibes for the place and you might never want to go again even though it’s probably a rad place.”

“Do bring your, wax, stoke, and aloha! Don’t bring bad vibes, a bad attitude, and always remember to respect the locals!”

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D O ’ S

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D O N ’ T S

“Traveling in general is good for the soul, enlightens you to the rest of the world and makes you a better person. Surf trips allow you to experience other locales and appreciate how good we have it here in Hawaii.”

“Where ever you go, make sure you’ll get some surf! Nothing worse than “chancing” a trip and then getting skunked!”

Matt Chinovsky

Heff

T R A V E L

Josh Moniz Some do’s for a trip is definitely try get in touch with the local boys in the area. Also it’s good to learn how swells, winds, and tides work in the area so you can get the best waves possible when you are on a trip. And dont shy away from a big mission to get waves thats my favorite thing to do on a trip.

The biggest dont i can tell you not to do is show up to a place over aggressive in the line ups. Show up early before a swell and just take it easy and eventually you’ll get your own waves.

Dan Norkunas

SURFBOARD BAG AIRLINE PRICES Korean Air - Free Included as checked baggage. Total length size must be less than 109” and under 50 lbs. If over 62 lbs, on Domestic flights only charges are up to $200.

Virgin Atlantic - Free/Varies Counts as part of your baggage allowance (one bag for Economy tickets). Oversize board bags above 75” is an additional $100.

Air New Zealand - Free/Varies Counts as a standard bag if it’s 6’5” or under. Otherwise excess charges apply depending on your trip. Prepay online to save than paying the double rate at the airport One boardbag may have multiple boards in it.

Qantas Airlines -Free-$7 Accepted as one checked bag allowance, but addtional bags are $75.

Alaska – $25-$75 Under 50 lbs and less than 63-115”in length is $25, but anything larger, $75.

Hawaiian Airlines – $100 One-way, per bag. Max height 9’5” except for travel within Hawaii, board can be 11” and max weight of 50 lbs.. Goes up to $150 for international travel. For flights to Australia or New Zealand from USA, the board can be part of your free allowance.

Air Canada – $100-$315 Space is limited. Each board counts as one piece of checked baggage.

If you exceed the checked baggage allowance, above 50lbs and 115” in length fees range from $100-$265 in addition to the $50 handling fee each way.

Allegiant Airlines- $150 Under 100lbs and length less than 80” American Airlines – $150 One board bag under 70 lbs is $150 when traveling domestically. Max size is 126 lbs based on airplane size and load factors.

Delta – $150 Limit 2 boards per bag. Must be under 70 lbs or pay additional fees. No boards over 115” allowed. Between Honolulu and Maui, it’s $20.

United – $150 North America flights are $150 each way between the U.S., Canada, PR and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and $200 each way for all other travel. Max of 99 lbs. & 9’5”.

Fiji Airways-$150-$170 One way with weight up to 50lbs and additional $70 per bag over 66lbs.

Japan Airlines – $200 The fee is $200 per board bag (two boards max) for flights between Japan, Asia, India, Oceania and Hawaii, North/Central/South America, Europe, Middle East, Africa.

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Indonesia’s mega swell slammed into Nias opening up wide for an intense two days of 12ft+ surf in over a decade.

T R A V E L

NIAS Story and photos by Keoki Saguibo

It’s 10 pm in Hawai`i and rumor of a black and purple swell blob is spreading throughout the surfing worlds media feeds. I do my research and check out what’s in store for this monster of swell and where its aimed to make itself noticed . I scour through a few trusty weather sites and make a few phone calls to make sure I’m not fashioning something out of a wild dream as I keep pinching myself to see if I’m still in reality. I go into attack mode, book my flights, and set up accommodations. It’s

now 2am, my head and heart are both pumping to a beat I can’t fall asleep too. My flight is in eight hours and counting; bags are semi-packed and I'm heading into Indonesia’s biggest swell in over 12 years. Back to the place that once almost took my life but I know I’m coming with a different mentality and dealing with a whole new monster. I’m throwing myself into the fire with some of the world’s best big wave surfers as we head into Indonesia for a strike mission to Nias.

Ola Eleogram spreading the aloha vibe by gifting two boards to two groms.

The hype around the swell can't get any more real when calls and direct messages flow into my phone, draining my battery for a good cause. Where are you going? When are you coming? What’re your plans?

These questions are on repeat like the automatic software update on my computer. I flow through them to get a hold of who is surfing where, a common practice as everyone is heading to the same place I have in mind.

Watching the swell charts through hours of layovers, the thought of missing the brunt of the swell and arriving a day

Ola Eleogram shows what good karma looks like in a Nias barrel

late plagues my mind. I waited too long to make a move and missing the day is creeping close to the front of my mind.

The majority of the surfers are already at the spot but their own version of bad luck has crept up on them: Koa Rothman, Nathan Florence, Eli Olson, and Billy Kemper are sitting, watching the swell build but with no boards in hand. It would take a good part of the day for them to get their traveling quiver under their feet. The lucky ones were Ola Eleogram who arrived a day later with bags in tow and Ezra Sitt who did some Indonesian deals to make sure his board bags got their with him. What seemed like luck or a bad omen, waves arrived and so has the bad weather. Howling 30 mph winds onshore winds with rain funnelling in sideways. Was this historical swell what we were waiting for?

What had been thought of as a write-off for the swell, waves dropped but the conditions were improving. Watching the forecast to get a hold of what’s coming, the big swell was upgraded but moved back to a day later. The morning of the first big day we awoke to waves breaking against our camp wall and flowing into the yard. We knew it was big but how big it would get was still a question

Exploring the other watering holes Nias has to offer

Ezra Sitt, downtime from barrel hunting in Nias considers taking off a few lips in the playful lineup.

mark as we gazed at the ocean in the early morning darkness.

You could feel the energy swarming in and out with every set and the boys were getting the mental game in check to be ready for what the Indian Ocean had to throw at them. When the light appeared we had a solid feel for what were getting ourselves into.

The rides that went down on Day One were nothing but mind blowing. Paddling for a wave was intense in and of itself because the amount of water

Mark Healey

Bringing bigger boards than the rest of the surfers to this swell, Mark Healey swung into a few lurchy sets and caught a few memorable rides of the swell.

behind these behemoths were backless and straight vertical on the drops. The bigger the waves the more intense the whole issue would get. Only a select few surfers were in the right mindset to paddle for a four foot wave that would grow into a 12-15 ft. backless monster whose only want was to pull into the dark caves of Nias - a feat that almost took Koa Smith's life on the first swell when he pulled into a big backhand barrel, got sucked up the face, and cheese-grated his back and got a small concussion

while underwater during the wipeout. It may not have been the biggest wave - though one of the thickest maybe - ridden

by Koa but was up there as one of the most violent beatings he's gone through.

Kauai charger and cover boy Keale Chung, along with Kauai native Jesse Johnson, charged the peak of the swell in the middle of the day with only the two of them out. Unfortunately, on the way in Keale got a reef facial, dressing his face with a coat of red after the charged

session. He's okay, with the best spirits on tap. The boys had a fair share of trade-offs into some of these monsters with views groomed for their eyes only.

I can only imagine what they looking out from the barrel; to feel the spit shoot out as hard as a commercial size power washer.

To add to the chaos of the day, a boat that was anchored safely away from the break was dislodged by the nonstop march of 12 ft. sets throughout the day. The boat drifted close to the lineup, clearing surfers from the proper take-off spot before

getting consumed by a midsized “triple double� wave.

The waves stayed around for two days which was long enough, through strong currents, wipeouts, and pure anxiety from the energy of the swell, surfers were greatly relieved to have a down day. Not to mention, I was glad myself to have a rest from those two days of intense action

to heal my open-fin blisters from over-swimming and long days on the boat. It was a great time to reflect and plan the next move to see what was left for the Indian Ocean.

The last time Indonesia got to this size with such powerful waves was in 2004 after the deadly tsunami hit the archipelago. This historical

Curious locals joining the crew.

Billy Kemper dealing with sea level problems before paddling out into the below sea level arena.

swell made itself known to Western Australia by being too big to surf, according to some locals from the area. Continuing to march through Indonesia, Uluwatu was a tow-in wave with famous Padang Padang Beach connecting to Impossibles, continuing through Bingin, Dreamworld, and around the corner at Balangan Beach. Kuta

Beach was swept away, with beach chairs and umbrellas getting consumed by the Indian Ocean’s power. Nias wasn't a tsunami like they have experienced but it was close enough to be a historical swell for the Indian Ocean.

No wifi needed. Photo: Craig

A

Eli Olson, Nias. Photo: Keoki

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Mikey O’Shaugnessy, Tahiti. Photo: Ben Thouard

Koa Rothman, Nias. Photo: Ryan “Chachi” Craig

John John Florence, Keramas Photo: Pete Frieden

Shayden Pacarro, Tahiti Photo: Armando Goedgedrag

G R O M S

SHANE DORIAN’S NICARAGUA GROM CAMP

By Kyveli Diener Photos Shane Dorian and Rick Briggs

Big Island is a stunning place and home to some of the world’s best surfers, but one of the island’s greatest waveriders, Shane Dorian, has always believed in the importance of local groms leaving the island of Hawai’i to enhance their skills in bigger surf and sandy beach breaks. On top of the technical education, traveling on international surf trips broadens young minds as they learn the languages, customs, and values of other cultures while still representing the aloha spirit they carry worldwide. And for the seven young Big Island surf stars Dorian selected to join him on a trip to Nicaragua in early June -- Brodi Sale, Luke Heflin, Jake Maki, Kaiden Lieto, Sophi Carlucci, Diesel Storm Butts, and son Jackson Dorian -- it’s great practice for all the travel they hope to do one day on the world tour.

“I wanted it to be to a foreign country so the kids could be exposed to a totally different culture, waves, food and local people. I wanted to go somewhere that had consistent quality surf, and a variety of types of surf breaks and sizes,” Dorian said about why Nicaragua was the perfect location. “I wanted the kids to be able to

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surf as much as they wanted, to provide coaching and filming every session, for the kids to be able to train for the upcoming summer competitions they had planned, and just have fun on a surf trip as a group.”

The parents of the groms, which included attending chaperons Dorian and Chris Lieto, kept an eye on the country’s civil unrest for weeks ahead of the trip and took all necessary measures to avoid the chaos and violence mostly centered in the capital city of Managua. Once the group had safely reached their destination near Popoyo arranged through Surfari Charters (who Dorian credits with the trip’s success), the only thing left to do was explore new breaks, score all the gems, and make new memories.

“My favorite memory from the trip would probably have to be watching Diesel pack a barrel

Brodi Sale

Big Island for all the groms we talked to -- proved to be the perfect spot to pay up on a lost bet. Both 14-year-old Kohala native Jake Maki and 12-yearold Sophi Carlucci from Kona said one of the best memories of the trip was when Brodi and Jake lost a game of corn hole to Kaiden Lieto and Luke Heflin, both 14 from Kona, and as a punishment they had to surf a maxed out sandbar in front of the house.

and then come up smiling and saying, “HOOO, DAT WAS DA LONGEST ONE I EVER DID TRAVEL IN!’,” recalled Kona’s 15-year-old Brodi Sale of Hilo up-and-comer Diesel Storm Butts, 12.

“We surfed a cobblestone wave that was similar to Trestles [that I won’t name],” Dorian secretively recalled when asked about the best surf of the trip. “It was super

consistent and good on all tides, had both rights and lefts and was uncrowded. The kids were able to stack up tons of waves.

We actually surfed over different 10 spots…point breaks, reefs, wedges, beach breaks, small waves, pumping waves, a little of everything.”

And one of those sandy shore breaks -- the biggest and most welcome difference from reefy

“It ended up being one of my best sessions of the trip,” Maki recalled.

While Jake and Brodi both learned a lot from the trip, it was an extra eye-opening experience for Sophi, who was one of the youngest members of the group on her first-ever international trip. Not only did she gain newfound confidence in her surfing by challenging herself big, barreling waves, her

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eyes were opened to a completely different world from what she knew on Hawai’i, from the wildlife to the way of life.

“I saw lots of things that I don’t see in Hawaii like monkeys, tons of iguanas and people using cows and wagons to get around instead of cars, and the community was really small,” she recalled. “The kids in Nicaragua made me realize that I don’t need everything that I thought I did to be happy. I saw kids trying to surf with a surfboard that was broken in half, yet they were having the time of their lives.”

The trip was an unforgettable success for everyone involved, and the groms are already frothing for more travel. Brodi’s hoping to find some lefthand drainers in Fiji next, Jake can’t wait to surf European swells in France and Portugal, and Sophi is dreaming of making it to the Maldives someday. Lucky for them, Uncle Shane is ready and just as excited for the next one.

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E N V I R O N M E N T

UNALAU BAY

By Kahi Pacarro Strategically choosing the side of the plane this time was not to scope the surf setup but rather for reconnaissance on an upcoming plastic pollution mission. On final approach to Lihue Airport, those on the left hand side of the plane see Unalau Bay bombarded with plastic pollution. It has remained like this for over a decade and despite the hard work of groups like Niumalu Canoe Club and the Surfrider Foundation the eyesore remained because the debris was too copious and too difficult to remove.

For Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, seeing the job through to the end is integral to our mission. When our plan to remove the debris from the coastline and transport it back to the harbor during or Unalau Bay cleanup in January was deemed too dangerous, we were crushed. We can’t thank the Adopt Na Pali Crew and the other epic locals enough for the kokua, but that day the ocean had a different idea. The swell was way too big and it quickly became apparent that using the jet skis and boats for beach removal would be impossible.

As we departed Kauai in January after cleaning with 250 volunteers and amassing 50 super sacks still remaining on the coastline, we knew our job was not done. When Timbers Resort Hokuala Kauai and Jack Harter Helicopters offered to assist in the costs to remove the debris, we jumped on the next plane to see the job to the end. It had been six months since we cleaned the bay but we were back to finish the job.

The first morning greeted us with cloudy skies, howling Tradewinds, and intermittent downpours. To get to Unalau Bay you cross the channel at Nawiliwili Harbor then hike in a mile. Once there you’re blessed with false seclusion until you notice the obvious evidence of humanity and the hourly Hawaiian Air flyby. Twice daily, the ocean delivers another load of plastic pollution made up of everyday household items and the detritus of the commercial fishing industry. The Bay acts as a catcher's mitt for pollution as the Trade Winds sweep across the surface of the ocean with a direct perpendicular angle to the boulder lined coastline.

With the rain coming down, our rides across Nawiliwili Harbor to the other side began falling through. The Coast Guard refused, favors were being called in, and a suggestion to use the 60

local Harbor troll or legend (depends on who you ask) became a real option. For a few bucks and beer he might be able to take us across, but would he ever show up to bring us back? Luckily a favor came through and the Kauai Yacht Club let us use their spare dinghy.

With a tiny engine and questionable watertight hull, we attacked an onslaught of brown colored onshore chop at full throttle.

With our landing spot in sight and the water level inside the boat rising, we imagined the Coast Guard looking on through their binoculars giggling and shaking their heads.

Any thoughts of making it across dry quickly dissipated and the next thoughts were more about just making it across at all. Survival wasn’t the issue, but we had been just lent this boat and would have felt terrible if it sunk. The Coast Guard would have saved us, but the boat made it across.

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Bushwhacking from where we left the boat to Unalau Bay could have been easier, but we forgot the machetes on the dock at the Yacht Club. The sea spray stung as it penetrated the barely visible slices from the head high California grass we were forced to trod through.

Out of the grass and into the Bay, our destination had been reached.

Over the next few hours we bagged up the rest of the debris washed ashore since our cleanup in January and then daisy chained them with the remaining super sacks in pairs of five.

Returning back to civilization was pretty easy. A track had been trodden, the wind was now at our backs and the waves were no longer lapping over the bow. Without the need to buy the Yacht Club a new boat and the ability to use it again the next day, we considered the day a huge success. Arriving back up to Hokuala Kauai, we cracked a few beers and enjoyed the unique resort perched on the edge of the cliff at Kalapaki Bay. Legitimately beyond our financial capability to stay at this resort, the gratitude we felt of getting to experience it was only matched by the gratitude of the staff in appreciation for what we were there to do.

The next day, Jack Harter Helicopters donated a full hour of their time, equivalent to thousands of dollars, to remove the debris from Unalau Bay to the Hokuala Kauai property. From there, our partners from Surfrider Kauai, Jillian Wenderlich aka @jillyfish, Hokuala staff, and our crew loaded up the trucks. Ocean plastics were saved for our recycling program and the remainder was prepared to be burnt for energy on Oahu. None of the debris was going to burden Kauai ever again. The job was done, until the next high tide.

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I N D USTRY NOTES

HARD CHARGING KAUAI LOCAL JESSE JOHNSON JOINS THE VOLCOM TEAM. From a good run of solid Backdoor waves last season, Jesse also charged hard during the mega swell in Nias and scoring the peak of the swell with cover boy Keale Chung.

SURF GIDGET THE PUG HAS TAKES THE 2018 WORLD DOG SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS Around 50 talented canines traveled to the Northern California coast to hang ten and win trophies. The third annual surf dog competition also raised funds for two local animal shelters.

TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC SURFING SCHEDULE RELEASED Features two-week waiting period; four days needed to complete event The full schedule for the 2020 summer Olympic Games in Tokyo was released in late July, and there was some confusion about why surfing’s first showing on the Olympic stage was precisely scheduled for four specific days (July 26-29, which an awards ceremony planned for the 29th) out of the Games’ run period of July 22 - August 8, a window that mirrors the average length of opportunity given to events on the World Championship Tour. Luckily, ISA’s Fernando Aguerre clarified that the noted dates were just placeholders marking the four days needed to complete the competition.

“This is one of difficulties in having a competition in the ocean,” Aguerre said. “They need initial competition dates to put some pins on the wall to start selling tickets. And if we have a good swell, we’ll run then — but if not, we have all the way through August 9th to run. They do the same thing in sailing — if there’s no wind, they can’t run, but they need to have dates on the board.”

The competition was intense, the waves variable, the playing dolphins in the background a bit distracting, and thousands of fans the sport enjoyed the event, which brought together many of the best local and international dog surfing stars.

The overall winner - Surf Gidget The Pug - loves doing 360s, and turning the surfboard down the line. But this year, the organization also announced three new Special Achievement Awards.

According to Surfline’s Chief of Forecasting, Mark Willis, swell is likely to peak at the back end of the Olympic Games window as August typhoons arrive, but recent trends look premising. “The last few years, however, there has been an abundance of swell…it looks like 2018 will continue that trend, with almost every model showing abundant tropical activity just offshore leading to plentiful swell for Shidashita. Some days will likely have unfavorable winds though, which is common and makes us hope that there is some flexibility in when they can run in 2020.”

The contest will be run at Shidashita Beach on the Chiba coastline, and the ISA alone will get to make the call on whether or not the comp is on each day. Regardless of contest days, the Olympic Surfing and Beach Festival, with music, art, surf culture, etc, will be held July 26-August 2. The fixed competition dates on the official schedule had people nervous that the first-ever Olympic surfing contest would cut the ocean’s key role out and be held in a wave pool, but Aguerre has been adamant that the premiere Olympic contest will be held in ocean waves. However, he says the door is open to wave pools in the future.

“For future games, there will be man-made waves at play,” he said. “Then we could run in two days, because there’ll be no need to run heats. Everyone will do runs and get scored on their runs, like a half pipe in the winter Games. In the ocean, you need heats for people to progress because the scoring potential changes throughout the day as conditions change.”

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Indo Mega swell defining moment when mans possesions meets mother nature’s blessing. Photo: Keoki