Orchid Land Surfboards shop owner Stan Lawrence was occupied with some paperwork at the store counter on April 21 when a customer asked about the waves at Honolii Beach Park that day. ADVERTISING Orchid Land Surfboards shop owner Stan Lawrence
Orchid Land Surfboards shop owner Stan Lawrence was occupied with some paperwork at the store counter on April 21 when a customer asked about the waves at Honolii Beach Park that day.
His head down and reading glasses low on his nose, Lawrence looked up above the lens and smiled wryly.
“It was good, I was there,” Lawrence said, at first downplaying the epic conditions. “Almost double-overhead, lining up. Slight offshore winds. Some of the guys were saying it was the best it’s been in years.”
Lawrence and other Hawaii Island surfers can only hope for similar days at Honolii later this month when the holding period begins for the 31st annual Quiksilver-Big Island Toyota Pro-Am Surfing Trials.
The contest dates are May 23-24 through Sept. 26-27, with competition on weekends only. Aug. 22-23 and 29-30 are blackout dates. If there are no waves on contest dates, the waiting period will be extended.
Lawrence has been organizing the contest from the beginning. He and other volunteers are dedicated to giving the Big Island’s best young surfers the opportunity to compete on Oahu’s North Shore, the biggest stage in professional surfing.
According to the contest rules, the event is restricted to Hawaii Island residents only who will compete in four divisions: men’s open, women’s open, open longboard (9 feet and longer, Hawaii Longboard Surfing Association specifications) and open bodyboard. The contest is limited to 80 entries.
The $60 entry fee is nonrefundable, and includes a contest T-shirt. Entry fee after the May 22 deadline is $70.
The contest format will be six-man, 20-minute heats, two waves scored, and the top three surfers in each heat advance.
“Last year we had some 8s and 9s,” Lawrence said about some of the wave scores. “The high scores were for getting barreled, coming out, big top to bottom turns. The size of the wave is important, and maneuvers are important.”
All contestants will call contest headquarters, Orchid Land Surfboards, each Friday morning during the holding period to check on surf conditions.
At stake will be eight round trips from Hawaii Island to Oahu, plus eight entries to a pro-am event on the North Shore of Oahu. The number of trips and entries will be awarded proportionally to winners in each division depending on the number of entries in each group.
Lawrence said unless the contestants are rated in the WSL (World Surf League) Hawaii System, men’s open trips will go to the top finishers of 18 years or younger.
“We do it for the youth,” Lawrence told the Tribune-Herald. “The whole idea of this contest is to springboard our top Big Island surfers to Oahu and give them a chance to compete with the best surfers in the world and in the best surf in the world, the North Shore.”
The trips are valid October 2015 through March 2016. In all, the contest will award more than $3,000 in prizes.
Lawrence isn’t sure if 2014 winners Theo Landt (men’s), Shruti Greenwood (women’s), Puna Moller (longboard), and Sean Harvey (bodyboard), will return to defend their crowns.
Lawrence said some of the Big Island’s talented young surfers to watch for are Forrest Elmer of Kohala, Jimmy “Ulu Boy” Napeahi of Puna, and Kahanu Delovia of Kailua-Kona, one of the rising women stars.
Napeahi gained notoriety in August 2013 when the Puna Surf Team member was attacked by what was believed to be an 8-foot shark at Pohoiki Bay. Napeahi suffered numerous bites and had 188 stitches. He surfed at the same spot two months later and continues to take his surfing to the next level.
Although Quiksilver and Big Island Toyota are the title sponsors, a long list of contributors, including Orchid Land Surfboards, volunteer their time, energy and products to make it all happen.
Entry forms are available at Orchid Land Surfboards, and in the coming days will be online at www.orchidlandsurf.com. For more information, contact Lawrence at 935-1533 or email
stan@orchidlandsurf.com. To view photo galleries of previous contests, go to www.orchidlandsurf.com.
Tribune-Herald Sports Reporter Kevin Jakahi contributed to this story. Email Richard Couch at rcouch@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
