NAWILIWILI — Laizer Nishimoto thought the surf meet was really great Saturday at Kalapaki Bay. “This is good fun,” Nishimoto said during the boys 11 and under body boarding heat. “I get to surf with my cousins.” Nishimoto was among
NAWILIWILI — Laizer Nishimoto thought the surf meet was really great Saturday at Kalapaki Bay.
“This is good fun,” Nishimoto said during the boys 11 and under body boarding heat. “I get to surf with my cousins.”
Nishimoto was among the field of keiki who took advantage of the Deja Vu 5th annual Free Keiki Surf Contest which unfolded under clear blue skies and a bump of surf. Surf later built up with some very rideable sets to the glee of surfers who advanced through the heats.
“This was really fun,” said Audrey Iglay, surfing in the Menehune, or 11 and under, semifinals. “The waves are perfect now. They started small, but built up.”
Sara Miura, sales director for Deja Vu Surf Hawaii, said the event was limited to the first 80 keiki who signed up for the four surfing divisions and two bodyboarding divisions.
Participants had prizes set aside for them before they even hit the water. Lunch was served to all participants through a donation from Duke’s Canoe Club.
Miura said the purpose of the contest was to give youth exposure to contest format surfing. This kept individuals ranked in the top six in the final rankings for the 2014-15 Hawaii Surfing Federation-Kauai, and National Scholastic Surfing Association seasons from entering the contest.
“We couldn’t do it ourselves,” Miura said. “The judges are volunteers from the NSSA, and Duke’s has been so generous with their lunch donations. Look at that — a Triple Crown of Surfing winner helping the kids. Look at how many families are out on this beautiful day to support their keiki. This is wonderful.”
Tad Miura, a third generation of Mankichi Miura, quietly enjoyed the activity as he watched his sons, Tad Jr. and Eric, work in setting up the prizes for the finals.
Mankichi Miura founded the Miura Store in 1909 which, through the generations, has evolved to become Deja Vu Surf Hawaii, now operated by the fourth-generation members of the Miura family. Deja Vu Surf Hawaii now has three shops: Deja Vue Surf Hawaii in Kapaa, Deja Vu Surf Hawaii in the Kukui Grove Center, and Quiksilver in The Shops at Kukuiula in Poipu.
Full results will appear in a future issue of The Garden Island.
