Freesurf February 2024

The accounts below are donating $1.00 for every “Mahalo Margarita” sold in 2023 to AccesSurf to support the disabled military veterans and teach them how to Surf. Cuervo Tradicional is matching those donations to AccesSurf.

OAHU

604 Alehouse

Beachhouse by 604

El Ranchero Kapolei & Wahiawa

Kuhio Avenue Food Hall

Lay Low

Mahi'ai Table (Foodland)

Manifest

Margarita's Mekiko Cantina

Princess Kaiulani Hotel

Scratch Kitchen

Suzie Wong's

TJ's Sports Bar

Waikiki Beach Marriott

Westin Moana Surfrider Hotel

BIG ISLAND

Bianelli's Pizza

Hilo Hawaiian Hotel

Lava Shack

Luquin's Mexican

Pineapple's

MAUI

Bobby V's Italian Restaurant

Fleetwood's

KAUAI

Jimmy's Grill

Living Foods Restaurant

Milagro's

FREE PARKING

Every once in a while, an empty, perfect wave at Pipe goes unridden.

Photo Brent Bielmann

EDITORIAL

Editor / Publisher

Mike Latronic

Photo Director

Brian Bielmann

Art Director

John Weaver

Editorial Assistants

Rebecca Parsons, Lowell

Burton

Business Administration

Cora Sanchez (808) 260-9219

Marketing Associate

Andrea Crawley

West Coast Distribution & Sales

Chuck Hendsch (619) 227-9128

Distribution & Advertising Inquiries (808) 260-9219

Staff Shooters

Brent Bielmann, Mike Latronic, Aukai Ng, John Weaver

Contributing Writers

Aukai Ng, Rebecca Parsons, Alexandra Kahn, Daniel Ikaika Ito, Nicole Nason

Contributing Photographers

Alex Heil, Dooma Photos, Dayanidhi Das, Eric Aeder, Jason Kenworthy, Stu Soley, Mark Rodrigues, Aaron Lynton, Kurt Steinmetz, Mike Ito, Nick Gruen, Ryan Miller, Tommy Pierucki, Eric Baeseman, Ryan “Chachi” Craig, Christa Funk, Sarah Lee, Sean Evans, Tai Vandyke, Mitch McEwen

FREESURF MAGAZINE is distributed at most fine surf shops and select specialty stores throughout Hawai‘i and Southern California. Subscribe at freesurfmagazine.com

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E-mail editorial inquiries to info@freesurfmagazine.com

A product of Manulele, Inc. 2024

pang>>>>>

Michael Ho Photo Brian Bielmann

ED NOTE

By Mike Latronic

I have said this before, and I will say it again: The only real constant is change itself.

For nearly four decades, Hawai’i’s “big season” contest-time on ‘Oahu’s North Shore started in November and ended before Christmas. Times have changed. Where the pro surfing circuit used to cap with the Pipeline event at year’s end, the WSL tour now kicks off the New Year with the Pipe Pro event. The whole shebang has migrated from November and December in the past, to present January and February.

Oh gosh, Wait. That’s not entirely true. The whole shebang has actually stretched out a bit, at least from a seasonal viewpoint. The event formerly known as the Pipe Masters was also part of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. Industry leader, Vans, has kept that title but the Triple Crown has all but vanished. Thus, the Pipeline event has reverted back into a specialty, invite event, as was at its original inception. Held late in the calendar year, the Vans Pipe Masters kicks off the winter contest season but not the professional world tour circuit.

Everybody got that? Read it again. Or don’t. Anybody that really digs into Pipeline lore just wants to know when it’s breaking and who is getting the deepest pits. They’re going: to watch or ride, contest or not. This may be somewhat of a grammatical grenade, but it’s nowhere near as explosive compared to the explosive power of the Pipeline itself.

While our media on all platforms is typically filled with great moments at the Pipeline reef, this month in particular we profile one of its best modern surfers, Makana Pang. There’s a visually stunning feast from the Backdoor Shoot Out where Billy Kemper took the individual prize and Team Volcom took the team victory. This month we also profile veteran photographer Erik Aeder. He’s a consummate artist and really has an amazing array of imagery.

Freesurf takes a closer look at West Coast ripper Crosby Colapinto, brother of Griffin and a brand new contender on the WSL Championship circuit. There’s more “Winter Expressions,” as seen through several action packed events including the perennial Hale’iwa International, Red Bull Magnitude, and the inaugural event in Huntington Beach for the brand new US Pro Surf Tour. Enjoy!

Looking more like a Kentucky derby horse jockey than a Banzai beast slayer, 23 year old Makana Pang wields his super powers in waves of consequence not giving one flying F what it looks like or what anybody thinks.

With a mom who surfs and a dad who’s a master shaper and big wave Hellman, this Northshore local is a product of his environment and was bred to shred. Growing up blocks from Pipeline Pang’s shortlist of school buddies and peers include hard chargers Barron Mamiya, Noa Beschen, Kalani Rivero, Koa Rothman and the Florence bros to name just a few. On any given day when the second reef is feathering, Makana Pang may well be the short guy in his group but he’s definitely got no shortage of big balls.

MAKANA PANG

By Mike Latronic Photos Ryan "Chachi" Craig

Standing at only 5 '4’ and weighing in somewhere near featherweight this young man tackles the loftiest, meatiest, craziest banzai bombs he can get.

ML

Tell me about your first experiences in the ocean and riding waves.

MP

I feel like a lot of people say they remember their first wave, but I don't know if that's true or not. For me, I was so young in the ocean, like I don't really remember a specific moment, but I have a general memory of just being down at Ali’i and just going there every day after school with all the friends and all the groms. And I just remember getting pushed in on the inside and boogie boarding the short break every day. And that's kind of the first memories I have of being in the ocean and starting my ocean career.

ML

Do you remember playing other sports or was surfing just it?

MP

I mean growing up we did the soccer deal. I did the t-ball deal. And I mean, I never loved it. I liked it a bit, but I was always like, frick I just wanna go surfing. My parents made me do the team sport deal and I never loved it. There was one specific day I was probably like 10 or something, and my grandma took me down to Ali’i and I was surfing and it was firing. I was having so much fun and I was supposed to go to soccer practice and I just stayed out, skipping soccer practice. My grandma was trying to wave me in on the beach and I just stayed out the whole time.

ML

Did you ever think you'd be a pro surfer back then?

MP

Growing up on the North Shore, and going to Sunset Beach Elementary, I was obviously around the whole surf world. They had the Pipe Masters every year right across the street. I didn't see a future where I was gonna be going

"I feel like I have this ‘title’ of getting outta sticky situations. I've had a lot of scary wipeouts and I've come up pretty unscathed. I've hit my head two or three times out there. I've gone pretty flex out there at Pipe but I've come out pretty well and I feel like I almost have a reputation of getting outta heavy situations. Getting out of heavy situations safely is an art. "

Makana in 2020. Photo Mike Latronic

off to the mainland and going to college, I only saw surfing and I knew that some way I was gonna at least make enough money to keep surfing and not have to go work a nine to five or have to go to college and try to get a corporate job. My mom always asked me, “So what are you gonna do? Are you gonna go to college? You're gonna have to get a real job or something pretty soon.” And, um, I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah. I put it off as long as possible. And then eventually I started making a little bit of money [surfing]. Once I started getting that first little paycheck, I was like, okay, I can do this. I know I got this. I got a couple checks from contests and stuff like that. And then as I got into like 11th, 12th grade, I was like, okay, I need a little more money. So instead of going and working at a restaurant or something, I started doing surf lessons. So I would still be in the water, at least working all summer, save up money, and then surf all winter. I started getting more and more into Pipe and that obviously pushed my career to the next level a bit. I got a lot more exposure and

ML

Your dad, Dennis is a great board shaper and big wave rider himself, and he’s of smaller stature too.

MP

Yeah, my dad was a good role model. Whenever like, anyone said I was too small to go out and ‘can't do this’ or ‘can't do that ‘cause you're tiny’. Instead my dad took me out to 10’ Sunset, me and Moana Jones Wong with her dad, Dawson. They took us out when it was huge and we were getting 10 footers on our heads at 12 years old, you know? So we never, we never held back. My dad never held me back and I never held myself back. I kind of kept pushing and I never let that get to me too much. As I'm getting older, I'm still the small guy out there at Pipe. I feel like my size and weight can be a disadvantage at times just because it can get so windy and stuff and so I'm light and I ride a light small board so I can get caught up pretty easily in the wind there. It's hard to get

now I'm making a fair bit of money and I can get by and that's all I need. As long as I can stay in the water, I don't need to be making a million bucks. As long as I can get by, I can pay for my food, pay for my gas, pay for whatever I need to, to survive, I'm good.

ML

Let's talk about your relationship with the Pipeline. She’s a beast and you have emerged as one of the gladiators out there. Being an athlete of smaller stature, it's almost like the David and Goliath story.

MP

Growing up I was the smallest of the group at all times. I was always getting rousted for being the short kid. I didn't consciously do it, but I feel like I almost used that as my motivation to push myself and go bigger.

down the face sometimes, but being so light and quick and stuff, I feel like my paddle power is honestly, a lot better. Also my maneuverability is a lot better than a lot of people. So I've caught tons of waves where people are like, “how do you even catch that?”, I feel like it might be almost an advantage, being able to position myself and kind of sneak in and out of little situations.

ML

And earning a spot in the line up at Pipe, no easy task?

MP

Earning your spot at Pipe, it's kind of become a lost art. The crowds are getting heavier. There's a lot more people that are showing up that don't really know what they're doing, and they're getting their confidence from social media and saying, “oh, I can do that too.” Growing up I was still in the heavy days. There were still the gnarliest guys out there when I first

started. Andy Irons was still out there when I was watching Pipeline. Guys like Kai Henry, Ty Van Dyke, fricking Jamie O, even Tamayo Perry, all these guys were still out there every single session. And those were the heaviest guys. And if you were outta line, they'd let you know right away. They'll put you in your place fast. And growing up, I knew that I was still watching guys get beat down on the beach when I first started going out there. So I knew I had to stay in line and show my respect. But nowadays it's getting a little more crowded, a little more outta control. A lot of cameras are around so people aren't getting properly put in their place, like how it used to be. It comes and goes. For me, I [had] put in so much time. I knew that's how you had to do it. You had to put in the hours out there to get the respect, and then after you put in a certain amount of time, some of the boys would be like, “oh, come out a little bit. You can sit out here now,” and you have more chances at more waves. And then you show that you can– you can make the drops and make the waves. And they say, “okay, let's get you a bigger one.” Nathan Florence guys especially, they're kind of the group above me, Nathan, his brother Ivan, Koa Rothman, they kind of always helped my group to advance and get better in heavier situations. They’ve always kind of been our mentors.

ML

So Those guys are “giving” you waves?

MP (Chuckles) They've helped us a lot and pushed us, but by no means have they ever “given” us waves. Still to this day, the last swell at Pipe, I was out and I was sitting behind Nate and I was like, “Oh, I'm in the spot I'm going.” And Nate looked at me, turned around, and I was like “He might let me go.” And he didn't look back one second and he was going straight for the burn. And I was like, “Alright, it's still like that. Pull it back.” He’d paddle it back out. And he was like, “You really thought I was gonna give that to you?” I was like, “Frick, I had to try.” He was like, “Nope, never gonna happen.”

ML

Tell us about getting that all important invite to the Vans Pipe Masters?

MP

I've been in a few Pipe contests in my life. I've been in the Backdoor Shootout a few times. I won a Junior Pro out there back in 2018. I did a Volcom Pipe Pro and when I got the call for the Vans Pipe Masters, I was so blown away and stoked. You know, I feel like the time I put in out there finally paid off and it just felt so good.

ML

There was a round in that event where the waves were tough and dicey. Talk about that.

MP

It was honestly looking to me like, “Okay, I'm gonna have the worst heat of the day. It has morning sickness and it's just gonna get better and better for everybody else.” And you're not competing against the people when you're here. You're competing against the conditions and the opportunities that everybody else gets. So I was like, “Okay, then I'm gonna have a rough one for sure.” I got a couple waves in the beginning, You don't have priorities so you can go as much, and as many, many times as you want. So I got a couple little foamy ones. I got one decent little ride and they didn't score too high. So they're [the judges] still setting the scale. And then towards the middle of the heat, this one came in and it was kind of feathering outside, so I paddled out to it but I went a little too far and I spun around, scratched into it and I was like, about to miss it. And I was like, “I'm in the Pipe Masters, I have to freaking try as hard as I can.” I stood up and I got stuck at the top a

bit and I was like, about to jump over. I was like, I'm not making it. But I was like, “Pipe Masters, Pipe Masters, you gotta at least try.” I put my head down, pushed my front foot and it barely let me in. I air-dropped, caught my rail and somehow made it under and it was kind of foamy too, so it was a real sketchy one. Somehow I made it under, then made like two sections and came out and I was like, “Hey, that was a pretty good one.” And they scored me pretty high. I couldn't believe it. It felt so good to have one of those clutch moments. I [had] never really had one of those in my career yet.

ML

You got to love the clutch moment. You ended up runner up for the title! Speaking of clutch moments it seems EVERY session at big Pipe is clutch.

MP

I mean every time I'm paddling out the Pipe, I'm always thinking about the risk. I feel like a lot of people are good at clearing their mind in heavy situations. Like all these big wave surfers look for someone like Nathan Florence or Tory Meister. Those guys go out and they look like they're not even thinking, They're just going. They're going off

Makana, Kalani Rivero and Dwight Pastrana

instinct and they're both calculated, you know? But I feel like my mind runs a little wild and I think about the risk a lot actually. But once I get my first wave out there I feel like it washes away and the nerves settle a bit. But there's definitely a lot of skill and knowledge that comes into it and coming in safely and getting out of the bad situations the right way. Our crew grew up at Keiki Shorebreak, going there every single day. So we were pulling into huge closeouts on super shallow sand. You know, luckily it was sand 'cause we've gotten really smoked out there . But we kind of use that as almost our training, eating it over and over and over again. We learned how to fall properly. We learned how to get out of a super square wave that's gonna crush and how to get out the back of it. We learned how to fall correctly and get right out the back every time. It's a fine line between the safe and the unsafe.

reputation of getting outta heavy situations. Getting out of heavy situations safely is an art. And it takes specific skills. It really does. Some people go out to Pipe and they fall on heavy waves that they don't really know how to react in situations- and it shows -with a lot of foreigners getting hurt.

ML

But Pipe is Pipe. She really does not discriminate.

MP

Right! It doesn't matter sometimes. Pipeline is Pipeline and she'll show you who's boss if she needs to.

ML

Best advice to anybody showing up to tackle Pipeline?

MP

ML

But you put yourself in some pretty wild, very dangerous situations?

MP

I feel like I have this ‘title’ of getting outta sticky situations. I've had a lot of scary wipeouts and I've come up pretty unscathed. I've hit my head two or three times out there. I have gone pretty flexed out there at Pipe but I have come out pretty well and [so i do] feel like I almost have earned a

Know your place and don't jump the gun. Sit out there. Learn the wave by watching, not by going and getting in the way and putting other people at risk. Take the time to learn and take the time to learn who the boys are and show respect.

ERIK AEDER

Pioneer of surf photography

By Brian Bielmann

Erik was one of the pioneers of early explorations in places like Indonesia. He's been living on maui since the mid-'70s and has been shooting the early years of many popular modern ocean sports such as windsurfing, the first era of tow surfing at jaws, kite surfing, and stand up paddle. He still has some of the most iconic photos of surfing's past and is still breaking boundaries with his underwater images. Erik has been one of my photography heros and it doesn't seem as though he will be slowing down anytime soon. He is still producing gold. It is time to showcase some of his finest moments.

Kai High Line at Pe'ahi: Kai is a phenomenal athlete and artist on the wave at Pe'ahi. His spontaneity demands 100 percent attention to photograph him, so you don't miss those special moments. This day, the waves were groomed to perfection by a sweet wind, and Kai put the pedal to the metal and broke the sound barrier.

Brock at Waimea: Brock, RIP, and his famous airdrop in 1990? It was the first time I had shot the Bay really well, as I was always at Honolua. This was such a special day with so many heroes of the time going ballistic. This started my infatuation with big surf, and the opening day at Pe'ahi was just around the corner.

Ian Gentil:

I've had the privilege of working with Ian Gentil since he was a grom. It was fantastic to see him realize his dreams of being on the WCT tour last year and I hope he has huge success this year. His fluid but radical style goes so well with his humble reserved nature, but the spark in his eye tells so much about the depth of his character. This shot was taken during the Honolua Surf "Legends of the Bay '' in 2018 which Ian has won in roping barrels at the cave.

Nias 1978: The trip of a lifetime. Being at the end of the Indo season (we had just spent 3 months in Bali and gone to Singapore to renew visas), my friend Mark Oswin and I got to Nias, and one of the village boys told me the last few surfers had left 3 days before. Mark hurt his knee the first day, and I surfed by myself with only the fisherman in the canoe watching for a few days. I walked a very thin line in publishing those images at the time, as Nias had only been discovered 3 years before I went there. Even if you don't name a place, word travels fast, especially if there is an idyllic background in the photo like this.

Marlin Rodeo: Ruthie Stone and Danielle Kierz obliged me to work as models for an ambitious shoot. Hang an artistic glass-covered marlin from a small crane (yes, I photoshopped the ropes out) off an older torpedo tender anchored off Lahaina. Have them swim down and pretend to ride the fish like a bronco. Hope the ropes don't break in the surge or I'm gonna owe a lot of money. One did, and Captain Dave showed quick thinking and jumped in with another line to tie around the bill so that it doesn't sink into the blue depths.

Anna Fry Hookipa: There was about a decade that whenever the wind was light (not often on Maui) and small swell with clear water, I would hit up one of the surfer girls (good swimmers) to float around with me in the lineup at Hookipa. The surfers would look and try to figure out what was going on. Anna Fry was one of several favorite models and has the best toe point and fluid grace around. I would ask them "wear this and wrap this around you and by the way don't drown."

Reickert

a charger. She will stand up foil race across channels, prone paddle foil for waves, wing foil, and boost big graceful airs, and then, just for fun, tow or paddle into some gnarly waves at Pe'ahi. Of course, I like to photograph her.

Annie

foil: Annie Reickert is

Molokai reef: I've been shooting the M2M race since its beginning, and one of the first years I was put in a helicopter by Clare Mawae, the race organizer. Such a beautiful day, people were riding all kinds of craft across the channel and over the reefs on the south shore of Molokai, and I had been given the best seat in the house. Thank you, Clair!

Laird at Pe'ahi: It was about 1993. Laird had towed at Pe'ahi several times and was getting very comfortable in his element. His tow partner was bringing him back out to the lineup when Laird spotted this wave, gave a circling motion with his hand, and got whipped up and over the back of the wave and jumped off the cornice and flew down the face. No PFDs or padded wetsuits or inflatable vests, just trunks. He landed smooth and glided out of the wave like it was just another day.

Jace and Conner tandem: Before he was a master videographer, Jace Panebianco windsurfed a lot. Before he was the winningest SUP racer in the world, Conner Baxter windsurfed a lot too. They decided one day to go for a little sail together and asked me to shoot them. Well, ok.

heavy

DSLRs and radio

of the most talented multi-sport athletes I've had the

and

We put the housing on the nose of his tow-board, and he did "sky

I was amazed that nothing on the camera or him was broken.

Rush Randle: Back before Go-Pros, there were big

housings with

receivers in them. Rush Randle is one

pleasure to work with

a good friend.

flings" at Mudflats.

Bigfoot toy: Archie Kalepa likes to give his friends a thrill ride. My boat captain, Keith Baxter, asked if I wanted to go on the ski to shoot canoe and tow-toys one day. I said, "Oh hell yes, that sounds fun!" Hawaiian waterman extraordinaire, Archie Kalepa, first paddled his canoe and crew into some 8-foot waves then said now for the real fun because he could steer by his flippers.

Erik Aeder is represented by Morrison Hotel Galleries.

APERTURE

Taichi Wakita Photo Brent Bielmann

Honolua Photo Brian Bielmann

Levi Slawson Photo Brian Bielmann

Mikey February Photo Brian Bielmann

Photo Brian Bielmann

Reef McIntosh

Photo Brian Bielmann

Jackson Bunch

Photo Brent Bielmann

Josie May Prendergast

Photo Brent Bielmann

Photo Brent Bielmann

Photo Brent Bielmann

MICHAEL HO MUSIC VIBES

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole- Facing Future

I love to chill with this one, and it takes me back to my Waimanalo Days and all the memories.

Gabby Pahanui Hawaiian Band

Brings back my youth and all my relatives, basically my life as a young boy in Hawaii – all this comes back when I listen to Gabby.

The Doors - Best Of

I love the obvious things –incredible music and energy, but what I truly dig are the lyrics.

Santana - Abraxas

I used to listen to Santana when I was young to get pumped up before surfing. I remember seeing them at the early Crater festivals in Honolulu.

Hendrix - Electric Ladyland

I love everything Hendrix, but this one is the most creative.

Bob MarleyLegend

I saw him at the Shell back in '78. Mystifying.

Photo Brian Bielmann

CROSBY COLAPINTO

By Rebecca Parsons

Joins His Brother on the Championship Tour

At 21 years old, Crosby Colapinto’s lifelong dream of qualifying for the Championship Tour has finally to fruition. Since they were kids, Griffin (24) and Crosby (21) Colapinto dreamed of becoming pro surfers and qualifying for the CT together.

Photo Mike Latronic

Born and raised in San Clemente, California, the Colapinto brothers come from a line of serious watermen. Their father, Mitch, and both their uncles surfed and worked as lifeguards at San Clemente State Beach. In 1998, Mitch and their mother, Camile, opened Coal’s Surf Camp at Cole Beach, which is where Crosby and Griffin first learned to surf.

“Pretty much all of the Colapinto blood surfs,” says their Uncle Matt Colapinto. “Our wives surf, our kids surf, and our sister surfs. We all enjoy going to the beach.

Living near San Onofre really made a huge difference. We would drive down, set up the RV, and hang out all day-the water was warm and there were always little waves. We thought it was a really cool lifestyle and our kids saw it too.”

The Colapinto brothers grew up at the beach, and essentially surfed all day, every day. At first, Crosby was simply following in his father’s and his brother’s footsteps, doing what they did. He started competing in local contests when he was eight, but it wasn’t until he was fourteen that he started taking it really seriously.

As the Colapinto brothers began experiencing success at the junior level, they realized they had a real shot of becoming professional surfers and set a goal of competing on the Championship Tour together someday. In 2018, Griffin, the eldest by three years, qualified for the tour and quickly found success at the pro level. In 2023, he rounded out the season in the top five.

“It was super cool to watch Griffin in the finals and to see how he handled the pressure of everyone in our town supporting him was amazing,” Crosby says of watching his brother compete in the WSL finals at Lower Trestles. “His success really drives me.”

A few weeks prior, Crosbyolidified his 2024 spot on the Championship Tour after a successful finish on the Challenger Series. After years of hard work, countless hours on the water, and big dreams, the Colapinto brothers would finally be competing together on the Dream Tour.

Photo Brian Bielmann

“I felt like a lifelong goal was achieved,” says Crosby. “The first people I called was my family and they were all so happy for me. I’m really excited to do the tour with a lot of my good friends and especially my brother.”

Although Crosby is just 21, he already has a serious surfing resume. Career highlights so far include winning the digital Pipe Masters, making the final at the U.S. Open of Surfing, and of course, qualifying for the Championship Tour.

Heading into the CT, a little bit of nerves is only natural, but Crosby is mostly excited. He’s eager to compete alongside his brother and anxious for the opportunity to surf Pipeline with just a few other guys in the water.

Although Crosby travels a lot, he resides in San Clemente, California and has the privilege of calling world famous Lower Trestles his homebreak.

“It’s the best wave to grow up with because you can work on every type of surfing besides barrel riding,” says Crosby. “On top of that, you learn how to navigate in crowds pretty well too.”

During a typical week at home, Crosby surfs and trains daily. He typically paddles out with Kade Cole, his brother Griffin, Jett, and his coach, Tom Whitaker. In addition to logging time on the water and in the gym, Crosby enjoys golfing with his friends and spends his additional free time catching up on emails.

Since he began seriously competing at the age of fourteen, Crosby’s skills have progressed rapidly and his competition results have showcased his progress. Some of his biggest strengths include his rail game, barrel riding, and front side airs. Something he will forever continue to work on his wave knowledge.

In 2024, as he travels and trains for the Championship Tour, Crosby will undoubtedly add some new stamps to his passport. His current dream surf destinations are Cloudbreak in Fiji and Tahiti. But more than anything, he’s excited to just be on tour and compete alongside his brother.

“[Griffin and I] grew up surfing together, but he was always a little bit older, and obviously shot up onto tour pretty early,” says Crosby. “But when I started getting older, we really started hitting it hard together and that’s when we started to realize that we could both be on tour together. It was a dream of ours since we were young.”

Photo Mike Latronic

Billy Kemper & Team Volcom win Da Hui Backdoor Shootout

The 2024 Da Hui Backdoor Shootout in Memory of Duke Kahanamoku delivered three exhilarating days of Banzai and Backdoor Pipeline. Out of those three, two stand out as particularly memorable, concluding with an interruption due to unfavorable Kona winds for a week.

Billy Kemper, 1st Place. Photo Ryan "Chachi" Craig

Seth Moniz, 2nd Place. Photo Brian Bielmann

Jamie O'Brien, 3rdPlace. Photo Brian Bielmann

1st. Volcom (Balaram Stack, Makana Pang, Moana Wong, Makai Burdine, Noa Deane)

2nd. Snapt 5 (Benji Brand, Clay Marzo, Josh Moniz, Mason Ho, Parker Coffin, Seth Moniz)

3rd. New Earth Project (Kai Lenny, Jamie O’Brien, Carissa Moore, Koa Smith, Shayden Pacarro, Matahi Drollet)

Photos Brent Bielmann

US PRO SURF TOUR EVENT #1

Story & Photos Aukai Ng

The US Pro Surf Tour kicked off its inaugural event in Huntington Beach California this January 13-14 on the south side of the pier.

With open divisions for men and women mixed in with juniors and masters this new tour series for the USA brought together a solid mixed bag of performers and performances. Both days of competition saw very clean, small conditions with athletes slicing and dicing fun 1-3’ sandbar peaks. After two solid days of competition, the results were in. Winners for this inaugural event battled their way to well deserved victories–and paychecks!

One lucky winner, Jimmy Hogan, even walked away with a brand new electric bike compliments of HB Rad Powerbikes.

You can catch a full wrap up of this event televised on @ oc16tv while @getspectrum subscribers nationwide have streaming access.

Open Men's Champion, Wesley Santos

Ella McCaffray

Roran Mullen

Jim Hogan Titus Santucci

US PRO SURF TOUR EVENT #1 FINAL RESULTS

Open Men's Champion

1- Wesley Santos

2- Kei Kobayashi

3- Kyan Yang

4- Kai Kushner

Open Women’s Champion

1-Ella McCafray

2- Bailey Turner

3- Ava Wagester

4- Ellie Brown

Junior Men’s Champion

1- Titus Santucci

2- Hudson Jay Saunders

3- Elias Smith

4- Makai Bray

Master’s Champion

1- Jim Hogan

2- David Giddings

3- Jason Haughey

4- Noah Budroe

Big mahalo to sponsors Canyon Inn, HB Rad Power Bikes, Gravity Surf Co and to event director Jerry Lehman and his hardworking crew! For full results and events schedule visit usprosurftour.com

Open Women’s Champion s

Master’s Champions

Junior Men’s Champions

Junior Men’s Champions

GERRY LOPEZ MR. PIPELINE

FOR THE LONG RIDE...

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Hale’iwa is considered one of the best performance waves on the North Shore of ‘Oahu. The location is highly contested, featuring numerous surfing events throughout the year with conditions ranging from 2-12’. Many surfers see it as a wave to really put their reps in and attempt to master it. The North Shore community puts together a massive amateur event at this world class wave with the Hale’iwa International Open. The HIO is a four-day contest consisting of men and women of all different age divisions: for shortboarders and longboarders.

Story & Photos by Aukai Ng

Shion Crawford

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Since it is an international event, competitors from around the world also had an opportunity to compete. This year’s HIO was the 52nd annual, making it one of the longest-running contests in the world. With a solid swell forecast for the entire week, boy, did it have some excitement. The first two days of the event had waves showing 8-10’ faces, a little bigger than some of these competitors are used to for Hale’iwa, but that didn’t stop them. With double-overhead sets, competitors had a lot of opportunity to perform power maneuvers. Some of the standouts were North Shore locals Shion Crawford and Luke Tema. Both guys are seasoned competitors,usually picking the right waves to draw excellent carves on the open face. Even the 14-and-15-year-old boys paddled out in these heavier conditions and charged bigger waves than what they had been used to. It was big ,bouncy, and treacherous at times, but the kids made it look good!

Atwood Trapnell

Ben Creagh

Mateus Herdy

Mike Dodd

Ruby Berry

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The final day of the competition still consisted of doubleoverhead sets, but it was time for the women and longboarders to wax up. The longboarders showed some exciting heat as they charged these big sets and made critical sections. However, with a lot of power in the wave, there were naturally plenty of broken boards. For the women,the majority of competitors were charging heavy sets and making excellent maneuvers. Many of the ‘Oahu girls performed well, like Skai Suitt and Chesney Guinotte. However, some of the most surprising performances came from the international competitors, including Mirai Ikeda from Japan and Ruby Berry from Australia. There were a lot of challenging and scary conditions for this event, but when you have epic Hale’iwa to yourself with only five other people, it’s very hard to resist paddling out. This year’s HIO really challenged the surfers to build up their confidence in surfing this high performance wave. Mahalo to main sponsors Matsumoto’s, Surf N Sea, Florence and Machu Picchu as well as the veteran surfers, Joel Centeio, Sean Moody and Freddy Patacchia for putting it on, and giving all the surfers an opportunity in epic Hale’iwa.

Edher Reis

Luke Tema

ree paths forged by a love of sur ng

NATE TYLER > CONNER COFFIN < GREYSON FLETCHER

SURF EXPO

By Dre Crawley

Surf Expo is the USA’s premiere surf, beach, and water sports trade show. Held this January at Orlando's Orange County Convention Center in Florida, per usual it was quite the experience! With buyers and exhibitors waiting at the entrance on day one, we were all greeted by a red carpet when the doors opened. You can’t miss the giant Sun Bum Monkey and a myriad of various brands’ colorful hanging banners.

Everyone had smiles on their faces and the energy was great as we entered, a mixed media partner for the 6th year. The floor was buzzing with the surf brands showcasing Spring apparel, boards, swimwear, sunwear, footwear and accessories for the beach. Freesurf Magazine had a kiosk stationed in the heart of the floor. Kala Brand Ukulele was nearby and it was nice to catch the sweet sounds as their ambassadors played Hawai’ian-style music.

Transporting us back to the 90’s, the trend for spring was neon surf vibes with loud prints, fanny packs and visor shades. We dropped in to many booths like Sunburn Drink who had innovative vitamin products for sunburn prevention. Board brands like Local Motion, Channel Islands, Town and Country, Medina’s and Rusty were there to name just a few. And lets not forget the almighty softops like Storm Blade!

Flojos flip flops were at their annual spot with the latest in beach wear styles. 40cean was showcasing ways to use plastic from the ocean to make recycled bracelets. Our local friends, Project Reef, a sunscreen company from Maui, were present with their new line of eco-friendly sunscreens. Sun Bum was jamming out at their picnic table area and reggae

dj spinning near a game of “whack-a-mole” style beats for cancer prevention.

Happy Hour commenced like clockwork at almost every booth, Smith eyewear made hand printed logo t-shirts, Reef apparel was giving out neon hats with a solo cup full of your favorite brew for mingling as people stood in the crowded walkways catching up with friends in the industry.

The Florida Shape off Contest drew a big crowd to see who could shape off Honoree Bill Frierson of Wave Riding Vehicles (WRV) Board. Jordan Brazie took 1st, Brett Prinz 2nd, Scott Busbey 3rd, along with Lynn Shell, Jeremy McMahon, Nick Halleran and Ryan Harris competeted. Many spectators watched to see who was the best to shape off the legend!

In addition, the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame Class of ‘24 Induction Ceremony was held and ten new inductees were recognized. Surf Expo’s own Roy Turner received the Cecil Lear President’s Award for his industry leadership throughout his career.

Freesurf as the annual media partner for the Surf Expo wandered the aisles handing out our Holiday Edition: a special issue with a collection of vendors featured as advertisers including Sun Bum, Smith, Havaianas, Dragon, Simbi, and Volcom. We will return in September ‘24 for the next Surf Expo in Orlando. For anyone interested in the next addition circulating in September feel free to email info@ freesurmgazine.com for any and all advertising inquiries. To see a list of exhibitors and attendees, please go to www. surfexpo.com.

At the end of day two, the Industry Party was a hit with a live rock and roll band Karalyn and the Dawn Patrol. Attendees gathered in the Surf Expo Concourse to grab a drink and executives let loose on the dance floor to Love Shack. A great end to the show …until next time, freesurfers!

Treat yourself

Red Bull Magnitude Welcomes 24 International Competitors for Its 4th Year

The premiere digital contest for big wave surfers returns for another big wave season, amidst a highly anticipated El Niño winter. Competitors have traveled from across the globe to compete in this year’s Red Bull Magnitude. In partnership with the official swell forecaster, Surfline; this year’s contest window will begin on January 1, 2024, and run until February 29, 2024. Ensuring competitors have ample time to capture their best waves of the season for a chance to win in eight award categories for a total of $50,000 in purse prizes.

This year’s competitor field comprises 24 athletes - including big wave icon Paige Alms, all-around water woman Izzi Gomez, and Red Bull Magnitude 2023 ‘Breakthrough Performer’ Felicity Palmateer. International competitors Laura Coviella (Canary Islands) and Dominique (Domi) Charrier (Chile), along with Hawaii-based Chelsea Mihm and Corrie Gray, are the four new athletes joining the ranks on this year’s competitor list.

The Overall Champion Award carries a $20,000 purse and will be given to the surfer with the highest cumulative score. Each ride will be scored from 0-10. Scoring is determined using the following criteria: size of the wave; degree of difficulty; criticalness of the drop; performance; technique; style, and completion of the ride. This year, competitors are required to submit wave clips from two of the three designated breaks to be considered for the Top Overall Performer category.

In addition to determining the ‘Overall Winner’; the judges panel will convene starting on March 1, 2024, to determine eight additional awards: 2nd - 5th place overall performance, Best Ride (Paddle only), Best Tow, Breakthrough Performer. All other awards carry their respective purse prizes. All awards will be announced during a closing ceremony early in March at a date to be later announced.

Photo Christa Funk

128 Daily Inter-Island Flights!

128 Daily Inter-Island Flights!

Mokulele Surf Team Rider

Zal Costa

Photo Mike Latronic

Two-time longboard world champion Kelia Moniz announced her split from Roxy after an 18-year partnership. The Hawai’ian first signed with the brand when she was 13-years-old. Moniz publicly announced the end to the sponsorship after the brand was acquired by Authentic Brands Group and offered her a 90% pay cut, which she denied.

Billy Kemper ended his sponsorship with RVCA after the brand was acquired by Authentic Brands Group. He shared a video on Instagram of himself removing his stickers from his board.

Clay Marzo signed with Album Surf. Album has plans to work with Clay on a signature model surfboard.

Vans ended their contract with the Gudauskas brothers. The three brothers rode for the brand for nearly two decades.

SkullCandy reentered the surf scene and signed Griffin Colapinto, Caitlin Simmers, and Crosby Colapinto.

Zoe McDougall, Kirra Pinkerton, and Reef Heazlewood parted ways with Hurley

Billy Kemper

Zoe McDougal

The Gudauskas brothers

Kelia Moniz

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INDUSTRY NOTES

Becky Fleischauer Jewell was named CEO for USA Surfing for the Olympic Games by the federation’s board of directors. Fleishauer ran the marketing and communications campaign for USA Surfing for the Tokyo 2020 Games.

During the Da Hui Backdoor Shootout, Kai Lenny was injured while competing in the SUP division. He cracked his helmet and was sent to the hospital with a concussion and some bleeding out of his left ear. It was his first time wearing a helmet at Pipeline and he thinks it may have saved his life.

The SAMBAZON World Junior Championships ran from January 9th to January 14th in Oceanside, California. The top two men and women from the WSL seven regions (along with 10 wildcards) competed, with the winners earning spots on the 2024 Challenger Series.

Sierra Kerr and Jett Schilling Photo Kenny Morris/WSL

TSUNAMI BURGER WITH FRIES

Hale Kope (Coffee Shop) 730am - 430pm

Kikoni (Bar) 10am - 430pm, Thursday's Till 6pm

Wahi Aina (Grill) 10am - 430pm

Wailele (Shave Ice and Local Snack Shop) 10am - 4pm

Open Kitchen is Located in Waimea Valley, a Branch of Ke Nui Kitchen

Kama'aina Discounts | Pau Hana Thursday's Hale Kope Loyalty Card, Purchase 7 Coffees Get One Free

INDUSTRY NOTES

Richard Thornton, a 1980 Olympian and Bay Area swim coach, died while stepping into the water for a surf at the Hook in Santa Cruz in early January. The cause of death is unknown; he was 65. RIP.

On January 5, Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, California hosted its first ever USA Bodysurfing contest Frank Musso and Scotti Shafer took the win for the men and women, respectively.

39-year-old Jason Carter from Haiku, Maui died from a shark encounter while surfing at Paia Bay. Lifeguards removed him from the water, and he was transported to Maui Memorial Medical Center where he later passed. RIP.

On January 1st, Red Bull Magnitude opened its two-month holding period. Red Bull Magnitude is an all-women’s digital big wave surf contest with $50,000 of prize money on the line. Categories include Overall Champion, Best Ride (paddle only), Best Tow, and Breakthrough Performer.

Koa Rothman had a massive wipeout while surfing Pipeline in late December. He was rescued by Luke Shepardson and another person on a jet ski and is currently on the mend. Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Koa!

The WSL announced the 2024 Challenger Series schedule: Snapper Rocks, Gold Coast (April 27-May 4), North Narrabeen, Sydney (May 9-16), Ballito (July 1-8), Huntington Beach (August 3-11), Ericeira (September 29-October 6), and Saquarema (October 12-20).

Maldives

Tanner Gudauskas released a new film entitled Sunburn, an “independent surf film made by friends.” The film features Bobby Martinez, Tanner Gudauskas, Patrick Gudauskas, Yadin Nicol, Chris Ward, Eithan Osbourne, Dylan Graves, and Andrew Jacobson surfing in California and Hawai’i.

After a lot of debate, Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics Organizing Committee, announced that the judging tower at Teahupo’o will be built.

Tahitian surfer Eimeo Czermak was hospitalized after a wipeout at the Vans Pipe Masters. Czermak took off on a wave and dove head-first into the reef but seems to be recovery. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

From December 26-29, Carissa Moore’s non-profit, Moore Aloha, hosted its first-ever Japan-U.S. global exchange on ‘Oahu. The exchange was inspired by the love Carissa felt during the Tokyo Olympics, and her dream to grow a global community of strong, compassionate, and fearless females.

California and Hawai’i received massive El Niño swells during the winter holidays.

Patagonia has launched a revolutionary wetsuit recycling program. At the end of your wetsuit’s life, you can send it to Patagonia to be recycled into black dyes for Patagonia wetsuits and packs. The program took over six years to develop.

LASTLOOK

Billy Kemper, winter expression. Photo Brent Bielmann