HONOLULU — The official holding period of the QuiksilverEdition Ku Ikaika Challenge, presented by C4 Waterman and Red Bull, started yesterday and will run through Feb. 29. The QuiksilverEdition Ku Ikaika Challenge is the world’s first big-wave stand-up paddle surfing event and will be held at Makaha Point, on O‘ahu’s West Side.
The QuiksilverEdition Ku Ikaika Challenge will be held on one day when wave face heights reach 20 feet.
In the spirit of community, as opposed to competition, the event will be a benefit for the West Side’s Junior Lifeguard Foundation, with $4,000 of the $15,200 prize purse being donated to the JLF on behalf of the event winner. The remaining $11,200 will be equally split among the 32 surfers in the main event with each rider to receive $350. The main event will consist of 24 invited surfers plus eight surfers who advance from 16-man trials.
Among the invited surfers are Kelly Slater, Jamie Sterling, Dave Kalama and Kaua‘i’s Titus Kinimaka.
The concept for this year’s event was developed by C4 Waterman co-founder Brian Keaulana, who wanted to showcase SUP surfing at the historic venue of Makaha while also giving back to the local community.
It was embraced as a natural fit for QuiksilverEdition, a brand built upon adventure, commitment, endurance and style — key components of SUP surfing and the waterman’s lifestyle.
Stand-up paddle surfing first surfaced on the shores of Waikiki back in the 1940s and ‘50s. The original Waikiki Beachboys blended their favorite sports of outrigger canoe paddling and surfing, utilizing a canoe paddle to both paddle and surf while standing. It was an adaptation made for convenience as it afforded the Beachboys a better view of the Waikiki surf lineup where they assisted tourists in learning to surf and took their photos while doing so.
The sport has enjoyed a rebirth in recent years and has been given a high-energy, modern-day spin: big-wave riding. Utilizing a paddle that is specifically designed for SUP, surfers maintain an upright position while paddling out to the lineup, paddling into the waves, and then surfing them to shore. The paddle is not only a tool for navigating the lineup, but is also critically employed throughout the surfer’s maneuvers on the wave.
“Stand up paddle surfing has brought the biggest injection of energy to the surf industry in at least 15 years,” Glen Moncata, Vice President of Quiksilver for Hawaii and the Pacific Basin, said in a release. “It’s not just surfing with a paddle. It’s about embracing the sport’s origins and that authentic spirit of adventure that has long drawn man to the ocean, and that’s what makes it a great fit for QuiksilverEdition.”
“Makaha is where it all began,” said Brian Keaulana, of C4 Waterman. “From the Makaha International that opened surfing to the world 50 years ago, to the first ever stand up competition — here at my father’s (Buffalo Keaulana) contest four years ago. This is where all ocean activities exist, so it’s full circle back to Makaha.”
