C4 invitational at the Duke's Oceanfest

[HaleiwaBill]

As you weave through traffic in the concrete jungle of Waikiki in search of the elusive parking spot you almost forget that this is where modern day surfing got its start. The feeling gets worse as you are reminded that the secret parking spots you knew oh so well 20 years ago are gone. Sure there are still a few to be found but they were all taken in the early morning hours. I give up my search and dodging Japanese tourists jaywalking while taking photos of well, everything, I pull into a paid parking lot. I fork over my 9 bucks to yet another machine and start my journey to the beach.

As I approach the world famous Waikiki beach and the Duke statue I instantly feel at peace. The banners for the Duke’s Oceanfest come into focus and the water, despite being crowded, looks beautiful and inviting. The surf is a respectable 2 to 3 feet and the tandem event is underway. As I walk on the sand, the spirit of Aloha, the one that Duke so proudly and unselfishly shared with the world, permeates the humid Hawaiian air. Smiles, aloha’s and howzit’s are heard with every step.

The Duke’s Oceanfest is always a special event, but today marks a first for the devotees of SUP surfing. The founders of C4 have sponsored a 24 man invitational to showcase the advancements of SUP surfing to the rest of the surfing world. They invited some of the world’s very best SUP riders from Hawaii and the mainland and once in the water they did not disappoint.

The format, like SUP surfing itself, is a hybrid of other surf contests. According to Dave Parmenter the first two rounds are fashioned after the Eddie Aikau big wave format. They divide the 24 surfers into 4 heats of six surfers. No one is eliminated in the first round, as everyone surfs in the first two rounds. The points for each surfer are totaled from both heats, with the top 12 surfers advancing to the semi finals. The semi finals and then go back to a traditional contest format where the top 3 surfers advance to the finals on Saturday.

The crowd watched and cheered as the SUP surfers made it look easy. Bonga made big beautiful sweeping turns look effortless; Dave Parmenter’s reminded me of his dominance in prone contest surfing 25 year ago (do these guys ever age?) and my personal favorite Titus Kinimaka flat out ripped. Also surfing exceptionally well and making the finals on Saturday were Alika Willis, Noah Shimabukuro and Kalani Vierra.

However, the big winner today was SUP surfing itself. The heats were simply a “state of the art” showcase for SUP surfing. These guys were laughing and having a blast out there and showed us that SUP surfing has no limits. It was wonderful to see old friends taking SUP surfing to new heights. I have no doubt that somewhere above, Bobby Ah Choy and the Duke are smiling. 






Finals Lineup:
Dave Parmenter (Oahu)
Alika Willis (Oahu)
Noah Shimabukuro (Maui)
Kalani Vierra (Kauai)
Bonga Perkins (Oahu)
Titus Kinimaka (Kauai)

Semi-Final results (top three from each heat to the final):
Heat 1: Dave Parmenter (Oahu); Alika Willis (Oahu); Kalani Vierra (Kauai); Archie Kalepa (Molokai); Cito DeSoto (Oahu); Kamaki Worthington (Oahu)
Heat 2: Bonga Perkins (Oahu); Noah Shimabukuro (Maui); Titus Kinimaka (Kauai); Leleo Kinimaka (Big Island); Ekolu Kalama (Molokai); Mel Puu (Oahu)

Standings after combined rounds 1 & 2 (Top 12 to semi-finals)
1. Dave Parmenter, Oahu - 137 points; 2. Bonga Perkins, Oahu - 97.5; 3. Mel Puu, Oahu - 94; 4. Kalani Vierra, Kauai - 86.5; 5. Alika Willis, Oahu - 86; =6. Leleo Kinimaka, Big Island - 85; =6. Titus Kinimaka, Kauai - 85; 8. Cito Desoto, Oahu - 81; 9. Kamaki Worthington, Oahu - 79.5; =10. Noah Shimabukuro, Maui - 79; =10. Ekolu Kalama, Molokai - 79; 12. Archie Kalepa,Molokai - 77; 13. Duane DeSoto, Oahu - 71.5; =14. Nolan Keaulana, Oahu - 64.5; =14. Todd Bradley, Oahu - 64.5; 16. John Kaleopaa, Oahu - 62.5; 17. Bunky Bakutis, Oahu - 61; 18. Brian Keaulana, Oahu - 60; 19. Scott Bass, California - 55; 20. Sam Pai, Oahu - 49.15; 21. Igor Lumertz, Brazil - 47; 22. Kimo Miranda, Oahu - 44; 23. Tiare Lawrence, Oahu - 43; 24. Rocky McKinnin, CA – 21

The finals are on Saturday. I hope to see ya there!

[Chan]

Hi Bill,
Thanks for the play by play; it's the next best thing to actually being there.  We just returned to Maui a few hours ago, stopped by Haiku Market, where Eddie advised we should get our asses over to the south shore immediately. I am too tired today, but tomorrow morning —dawn patrol.  Let us know how the finals go, and hopefully you will have the opportunity to catch a few waves yourself.