LIHU‘E — Shifting, hefty conditions divided the field at the $85,000 HIC Pro Thursday, favoring veteran Sunset Beach surfers who are highly experienced with interpreting the fickle nuances that the venue presents on stormy days at Haleiwa.
The second day of competition was held in very technical and unpredictable surf that reached up to 20 feet, states a release from the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
The afternoon high tide took it up another notch, delivering a lot of wide west swells and even a couple closeouts.
Among those locals who set the pace were Myles Padaca, Pancho Sullivan, Billy Kemper and Marcus Hickman. Sullivan and Padaca are the gate keepers at Sunset with a combined total of six pro tour victories here.
Padaca, one of the most experienced competitors at 39, and the current leader of the ASP Hawai‘i regional pro rankings, posted the highest wave score of the day with a 9.0 late in the afternoon. After Padaca, Hickman was the standout with the highest two-wave heat total of 14.5 points.
But for so many others the story was more along the lines of what could have been. Kauai’s Kaipo Jaquias, 38, a two-time champion at Haleiwa, found his way into one of the most gaping barrels of the day and came within inches of a perfect score.
But a last second warble from the wave sent him into one of the more punishing spin cycles of his 20-year career.
“I almost made it out,” said Jaquias. “I went over the falls twice after it shut down on me. It was a pretty heavy wipeout, but you expect that in this kind of situation. Total washing machine. It keeps you on the top in the turbulence for a while, but at the end of it drags you down deep. I’m kind of comfortable with getting doughnuts, though.”
With one round to go before the quarterfinals and only 32 surfers remaining, there’s a lot more than money riding on the outcome. The HIC Pro is the final ASP Hawaii regional event of 2010 and the final standings will determine which local pro surfers win a golden ticket into the upcoming Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
Just one day of competition remains and organizers are eyeing today or a new swell early next week for the final rounds.
The HIC Pro has until Nov. 10 to finalize, with the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing set to pick up right after at Haleiwa on November 12. The final day of action will be webcast live around the world and broadcast live on television around Hawai‘i on Oceanic Time Warner Cable channels 250 & HD 1250.
Round of 64 results:
Surfers all from Hawai‘i unless noted otherwise.
Surfers listed in order of 1st through 4th. 1st & 2nd in each heat advance.
H1: Anthony Walsh (Aus); Levi Gonzales; Kamalei Alexander; Drew Pringle
H2: Pancho Sullivan; Jason Shibata; Matt Mohagen; Kaupena Miranda
H3: Kaimana Jaquias; Jesse Merle-Jones; Nainoa Surratt; Cheyne Willis
H4: Kevin Sullivan; Alex Smith; Keoni Nozaki; Ezekiel Lau
H5: Evan Valiere; Jack Perry; Albee Layer; Sunny Garcia
H6: Gavin Gillette; Kalani Chapman; Perth Standlick (Aus); Britton Galland (USA)
H7: Tyler Newton (USA); Danny Fuller; Keli Everett; Michael O’Shaughnessy
H8: Marcus Hickman; Kiron Jabour; Kaipo Jaquias; Kekoa Cazimero
H9: Billy Kemper; Joel Centeio; Chris Foster; Adam Crawford
H10: Liam McNamara; Keanu Asing; Dege O’Connell; Sean Moody
H11: Conner Coffin (USA); Makai McNamara; Teppei Tajima (Jpn); Dylan Goodale
H12: Myles Padaca; Hank Gaskell; Love Hodel; Dustin Cuizon
H13: Solomon Ortiz; Gregg Nakamura; Ezra Sitt; Casey Brown
H14: Matt Pagan (USA); Clay Marzo; Vaj Lederer; Gavin Sutherland
Heats 15&16 to be held on the final day of competition.
Please continue to send any photos, stories or memories of Andy Irons to sports writer David Simon at dsimon@thegardenisland.com
