Kewalos

Where modern surfing began: Honolulu | NO CONTEST: OFF TOUR

While Hawaii’s Oahu is widely recognised as the home of modern surfing, the incredible waves at the famed venues of Pipeline and Waimea Bay can often overshadow the spiritual home of what the Hawaiians refer to as the Sport Of Kings. Honolulu, or “Town” to those living on the famed North Shore, is where it all began for the beach boys at Waikiki, situated between the Ala Moana Beach Park to the west, and the iconic Diamond Head to the east.

With perfect, long, warm water waves lapping onto the sands of Waikiki year-round the environment is perfect for humans of all shapes, sizes and abilities to try their hand at wave riding. while for the local community surfing has proven not only to be a form of employment but a way of life, and a means to achieve international success and fame..

In this episode of No Contest host Ashton Goggans shares waves at Waikiki, and roams the streets of Honolulu with everyone from Pipe Master Jamie O’Brien to world long boarding champions Kai Sallas and Kelia Moniz, and gets an insight into how one of the world’s busiest bucket list tourist destinations manages to maintain its appeal to travellers and locals alike. Beyond Waikiki's ribbon of white sand Ashton samples some of the South Shore’s heavier waves and catches up with the family behind one of surfing’s most famous brands, the Sugiharas from Town & Country.

Still need more? Ashton gets a tattoo, Jamie gets an amazing barrel, and a whole heap of groms get stoked at the annual Local Motion Surf Into Summer contest. What’s not to love! We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed pulling it together.

#nocontest #honolulu #hawaii #waikiki

Rip Curl GromSearch North America Series | Stop 2, Kewalos, Oahu 2024.

The Rip Curl GromSearch, presented by Banzai Bowls, made its second stop at Kewalos July 13-14, 2024 on the beautiful island of Oahu.

With surf conditions pumping in the 8-12ft range, the groms showcased their incredible talent, drawing in a global audience of over 8,000 viewers via the Couch Surfing Show livestream.

The event was nothing short of spectacular, with young surfers from across the globe putting their skills to the test amidst challenging waves. Here’s a rundown of the winners who triumphed in their respective categories:

Under 14 Girls: Zoe Panettiere from Pacific Beach, San Diego, emerged victorious with her exceptional performance in the powerful surf.

Under 14 Boys: Merrik Mochkatel, representing North Shore, Oahu, claimed the top spot with his mastery of the waves and impressive maneuvers.

Under 16 Girls: Bailey Turner hailing from Huntington Beach, CA, demonstrated her prowess and took home the title in a tightly contested division.

Under 16 Boys: Reef Isono, representing Oahu, HI, dominated his category with remarkable skill and wave selection.

These talented surfers have now earned their spots in the prestigious Rip Curl GromSearch National Final, scheduled to take place at Palm Springs Surf Club on October 5th. This final showdown promises to be an electrifying event where the best young surfers in the country will battle it out for the ultimate prize.

Explore more from Rip Curl:
https://www.ripcurl.com

GromSearch USA Highlights | Stop 2, Kewalo Basin, Hawaii 2023.

Though the Surfline forecast shone a woeful spotlight on prospective surf quality heading into the second stop of the Rip Curl GromSearch season in Hawaii, Kewalos delivered surprising, wave-pool-like left handers, and provided perfect canvases for the island’s best young upstarts to fight for qualifying slots on the Path to the Pool.

#RipCurl #GromSearch

Path To The Pool: The 2023 North America Rip Curl GromSearch Is Coming

With stops landing in Huntington Beach, Kewalos Basin in Hawaii and New Smyrna Beach in Florida, the 2023 North America Rip Curl GromSearch culminate in the first-ever surf contest in the brand new Palm Springs Surf Club. With tomorrow’s stars from around the United States frothing to pull on the jersey and earn a trip to Palm Springs, this summer is going to be a scorcher.

#RipCurl #GromSearch

Rip Curl USA 2022 GromSearch Stop 2 ~ Kewalos, HI | Race To The Ranch | Rip Curl

In what may have been the greatest score in Rip Curl GromSearch history, Stop #2 of the 'Race to the Ranch' saw some of the heaviest surf Oahu's South Shore has experienced in decades. Stepping up and embracing the conditions, this year's field of rising stars absolutely charged. With a ticket to the 2022 Rip Curl GromSearch National Finals at the Surf Ranch in Lemoore, California on the line, here's how it all went down.

Explore more of the Rip Curl USA 2022 GromSearch:
https://www.ripcurl.com/us/explore/events/rip-curl-gromsearch-series.html

#gromsearch #RipCurl #GromSearch2022

GromSearch National Final | Race To The Ranch

The Rip Curl GromSearch returns for its 22nd Season this June, and yet again, we have an action-packed schedule with regional qualifying stops in California, Hawaii and Florida. In a very exciting new edition to this year’s GromSearch Series, Rip Curl has aligned with Kelly Slater Wave Co. to present “Race to the Ranch”, the site of this year’s National Final where we will crown our North American GromSearch Champions in December!

All four division winners (16 & under boys, 16 & under girls, 14 & under boys, and 12 & under boys) from each regional qualifying event, will be making their way to Lemoore, CA to compete for a chance to claim the Rip Curl GromSearch National Final Crown.

The 2022 GromSearch season would not be possible without the tremendous support of its amazing sponsors. Special thanks to Banzai Bowls, Flexfit, YETI, Sun Bum, GoPro, FCS, Lost Surfboards, Oakley, Softech Surfboards and Wahoos!

Hawaii Junior Surf Team Practice at Kewalos

Freesurf Magazine is Hawai'i's premiere surf publication, keeping you up-to-date with the latest in beach lifestyle and board sports. Located on the North Shore of Oahu and in conjunction with Billabong Surf TV and Board Stories TV, the magazine is directly connected to the source of the action, as well as the athletes and industry players who set the trends.

Rip Curl GromSearch 2021 | Stop 2 Recap | Kewalos, HI

An unexpected east-swell groomed by moderate trade winds graced the basin, providing the perfect setting for the second stop of the Rip Curl GromSearch season.

With the gorgeous weather and idyllic surf conditions on offer, it was a welcome change of pace to the Covid-induced competitive sabbatical endured in the islands of late. The groms and parents alike were thrilled for competition for the first time since the 2019 Pipeline Masters.

Next stop: New Smyrna Beach, FL | August 14 - 15

A huge thank you to all our series sponsors for making this event possible: Banzai Bowls, Flexfit, GoPro, Sun Bum, Lost Surfboards, FCS Surf, Softech Softboards, Wahoos Fish Taco!

The Best Cam Rewinds of August

A visual recap of swell and storms – as captured by our cams last month.

September already? Dang. Guess all things – even summer – have to come to an end. But at least the last full (official) month of the season in the northern hemisphere came with plenty of swell. There were hurricanes on the east coast, fun swell on the west, a few days of glory south of the border, (nearly) empty lineups in the Pacific, and more, all captured by our cams. So, hit play above and enjoy a visual review of August. Now, who’s ready for fall?

2019 Rip Curl GromSearch Event 2 - Kewalos, Oahu, HI

Stop 2 of the Rip Curl GromSearch presented by Banzai Bowls rolled into the Kewalo Basin last weekend, July 13th - 14th, for an epic two days of competition along the South Shore of Oahu. After 60 action-packed heats, 16 competitors locked in their spot at the GromSearch National Final taking place at the BSR Surf Resort in Waco, TX. The National Final will go down as the first junior organized contest at the pool, offering the perfect stage for the nation’s best groms to put on a show.