The heat was on in so many ways on Saturday, September 24, at the first HSF contest of the year, held at PK’s in Po’ipu.
HSF director Nelson Togioka had to make sure things started promptly because of the huge turnout in all divisions for this, the first bodyboard and surf contest of the new surf season.
And the heat was on. No wind, plus warm air currents that lingered from some passing tropical disturbances made the temperature both in and out of the water on our south shore far more than tepid, as surfers went all out in the four foot high faces that mostly broke midway between Smokies and the inside right along the rock wall.
The secret at PK’s is to catch an initial left breaking wave and then ride it through into the right inside reform. And Mother Nature cooperated most of the day, providing enough of such waves for most surfers to reach far more than their needed quota in any given heat, with some exceptionally high scores registered.
Some standouts throughout the day included surfers we are all most familiar with. In the bodyboard divisions Travis Smith, Etienne Trillo, Kyle Mira and James Gilleran once again displayed radical bodyboard
moves and angles that only the best can accomplish.
In the surfing divisions, there were a few upsets, a few additions and a few foregone conclusions. The finals of the Menehune 11-and-under division this year might repeat itself over and over again as the year unfolds, with Koa Smith garnering first-place after a highly successful summer of national competition on the mainland.
But he mustn’t take it all for granted because displaying some immense talent and desire were the following surfers who improved greatly over the past few months.
These include tiny Keola Carerra, the colorful Kaikea Elias, the speedy Mana Medeiros, the mature style of Christian Graham as well as the hard charging Kalen Galtes. On any given day, any one of the these surfers will win a final.
In the boys 12-14 year old division Dylan Goodale was primarily challenged by kids who chose to move up in age divisions. His primary challengers over this year will be Kyle Galtes, and Pomaikai Kealoha, with Kaimana Jaquias, Koa Smith and Kaikea Elias stepping up to try and take Goodale down. He has won two contests in two consecutive weeks, so the kid is on a roll.
In the Juniors 15-17, the surfing was aggressive, quick and strong, with Nathan Rex, Alex Smith, Tyler Newton Keale Chung, Dylan Melamed and Aaron Swanson separated by just a few points.
The division is displaying deeper gauging turns, and radical board positioning in the most critical part of the wave creating some high scores on just a single maneuver.
The competition in this division is hot and heavy with paddle battles, strategies and positioning playing an important role in the results. When all was said and done, Nathan Rex edged out the competition.
In the men’s division, Nathan Rex also took home first-place honors.
In the girls’ 17-and-under division, once again the competition was fierce with Alana Blanchard throwing spray and paddling away with first-place honors, leaving Erika Steiner, Leila Hurst, Nage Melamed, Andrianna Mendivil and Gabby Cope picking up the rest of the pieces.
In the 4-A Open GIB pro division, more than just money is at stake. Top finishers at the end of the season will earn the right to compete in the highly heralded Xcel Pro at Sunset Beach.
And at this event, the top four finishers who have their sights on Sunset Beach along with the prize purse include Dustin Barca who was so smooth he blended with the ocean, Ruben Balmores whose power sprays were most refreshing, Milo Murguia who knows the spot like the back of his hand and Dylan Melamed, a young upstart who has set some high goals for himself after a year of recuperation. Finally, in the senior men’s division, it was Australia’s Russel Lewis capturing first-place with Dwayne Akau in second-palce followed by Craig Balmores, Charlie Smith, Les Tabuchi, and Kitty Cabral.
This was the first of five contests scheduled for this season, with Kaua‘i’s wave riders taking their best three contests to try and qualify for State Championships at Ala Moana Bowls, followed by United States Championships held in 2006 at Oceanside.
The sponsors of the day’s meet included the YMCA, Billabong, Progessive Expressions with a huge mahalo to the Beach House Restaurant, and Kaua‘i Water Patrol Services for providing the proper water safety.
Special recognition for the day should go out to Nathan Rex, whose two first-place finishes earned him a bonus. A brand new surfboard was presented to Nathan complements of Opu Ka’a Snack Bar and Lunch Wagon at the conclusion of the day.
The next HSF Kaua‘i event is scheduled for November 19 at Pine Trees in Hanalei.
Full results of the contest can be found in the scoreboard on page B2.
- Andy Melamed is an avid surfer and a big supporter of surfing and bodyboarding on the island.
