Reef Hawaiian Pro: Day 1

CONDITIONS: 4-5 foot and inconsistent but playful
HEATS HELD: Mens Round of 164 and 148
NATURE’S CALL: Solid jabs all week with a few upper cuts thrown in.
PREDICTIONS: Sunny Garcia’s welcome back to the islands includes a Triple Crown Title.

Sunny Garcia wasn’t kidding when he told us a few months back he was in the best shape of his life. From prison he said he wanted to make a comeback. That he could surf at tour level. And while we’ve seen him do a few events in Huntington––a contest here, a contest there––today was his real comeback. In Hawaiian waters. Where he does his finest work. And with a dominating round one win that included a 9.5, he officially proclaimed his return. “I didn’t come here to make an appearance. I came here to win the Vans Triple Crown,” he said after his inspired surf at Haleiwa today. And with the lightning quick and powerful hacks he threw down, everyone in attendance would agree: this guy means business.

Also running today was the first round of the Womens division at the Reef Hawaiian Pro. And leave it to a Kauai girl to get them on their feet. Bethany Hamilton had the crowd roaring for the final heat of the day when the miracle girl pulled out a 7 in the waning moments to move into second and advancing positing just below 9.0-posting Aussie Serena Brooke. The very appreciative crowd at Haleiwa rose to their feet as Bethany cracked two backhand smacks to go ahead into advancing position. What a nice note to end the opening day of the Hawaii season. This year’s already shaping up to be better than last year.

And oh yeah, by the way, we’re in Hawaii. Life’s good. Sexy’s back. And just in time, right? As the East Coast and California start piling on hoodies and rubber, we’re peeling down over here. Bikinis and flip-flops. Trunks and tan lines again. It’s a full on summer scene. Kam Highway’s backed up for miles and there’s a clean 4-5 foot swell in the water, sunny skies, puffy white clouds, and warm, blue water; there isn’t a surfer on Oahu who didn’t paddle out today.vThe lineups were packed. Even the big names were forced to venture out to the edges to get a few. Dane Reynolds, Ry Craike, and Julian Wilson looked like trapeze artists in no man’s land at Ehukai, launching airs so high they disrupt the path of the low-flying Coast Guard helicopters. And as the sun went down under a flurry of neon flashbulbs thanks to the hundreds of surfing paparazzi everything returned to normal. Barbecues lit up. Beers cracked. And another classic day in Hawaii ended. All was quiet on the wild northern front. Well almost.

The power went out at Foodland. And Kam Highway closed at Waimea because of a car accident. So there are quite a few people taking the long way home back to Town tonight. We’ve only been here a few hours and things are already getting good. Today was good but tomorrow is sure to be a doozie. That’s the beauty of Hawaii.

Dusty Payne

Be sure to keep checking back at www.SURFINGMagazine.com because as we settle in we’ll bring you up the minute coverage on all the happenings along the North Shore.

 

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