Bank of Hawaii North Shore Tow-In no go for Weds swell

Bank of Hawaii North Shore Tow-In Surf Championship

Outside Avalanche or Puaena Point, North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii
20 December 2008 - 31 March 2009

5th Annual Bank of Hawaii/Atlas Sales North Shore Tow-In Surf Champs a No-Go for Weds/Thurs

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 13 January, 2009 : - - The Fifth Annual Bank of Hawaii/Atlas Sales North Shore Tow-In Surf Championship 08/09 has postponed the event for Wednesday and Thursday, January 14th and 15th. Event organizers are watching a series of incoming large high surf warning outer reef swells.

The 08/09 Tow-In Championship will be held at Outside Avalanche and/or Puaena Point, the two main outer reef big wave surf spots that break way outside of Haleiwa Harbor on Oahu’s North Shore.

This year’s event will also have a paddle-in exhibition heat slated for Avalanche surf break. About ten hard-core big wave riders will attempt to ride the biggest waves ever paddled in to. Invited surfers in the paddle in include Hawaii’s Kealii Mamala, Jamie Sterling, as well as California’s Shane Desmond, Gary Linden and Mike Parsons. South Africa will be represented by Andrew Marr and Grant “Twiggy” Baker. Famous channel paddler Jamie Mitchell will represent Australia.

Forecasters are expecting several large open ocean swells through out the week and many more to come. The official word is that the swell will reach Oahu Wednesday afternoon and is forecasted to be smaller than expected in the 15’ plus range. We should see some 20’ plus waves ( 40 foot faces) by the afternoon but late to start the event.

The forecasted swell consistency is also an issue. Because of the swell direction it should be a relatively inconsistent swell. Contest officials are saying the event could be held on two half days but Hawaii is expected to wake up to 20-35 mph Kona winds and bumpy conditions on Thursday.

The contest site set up will be located on the beach fronting Haleiwa Harbor when the event is called. There will be a mandatory competitors meeting on Tuesday January 13 at Breakers Restaurant at 6PM. Breakers is located in the North Shore Market Place in the center of Haleiwa Town on Oahu’s North Shore.

The event is dedicated to the late Jimmy Hall of Hawaii Shark Encounters. It is also a promotion for KEEP THE OCEAN BLUE, a recently formed grass roots project by Cooke and his network to clean-up Oahu’s near shore waters!

Official Contest Hotline: Alec Cooke 227 2425
Media Coordinator: Betty Depolito 808 781 2535
Official Surf Report: Surf News Network’s 596-Surfline, 596-7873
Official Web Site: www.NorthShoreTowIn.com.
Official Motion Media Company: Alex Reinprecht , Hawaiian Extreme Sports TV 808-256-3993

NORTH SHORE TOW-IN 08/09 INVITE LIST
1)    Eric Fisher + Matt Lozano // Oahu, Hawaii
2)    Cully + Todd Kamisugi // Oahu, Hawaii
3)    Robbie Frangipane + Todd Robertson // Oahu, Hawaii
4)    Dan Moore + Mark Anderson // Oahu, Hawaii
5)    Garrett McNamara + Kealii Mamala // Oahu, Hawaii
6)    John Gangini + Yuri Soledad // Maui, Hawaii
7)    Sylvio Mancusi + Everaldo 'Pato' Texeira // Brazil
8)    Edison DePaulo + Joao Jabour // Brazil
9)    Makua Rothman + Ikaika Kalama // Oahu, Hawaii
10)  Carlos Burle + Eraldo Gueiros // Brazil
11)  Sion Milosky + Dustin Barca // Hawaii
12)  Jamie Sterling + Mark Visser // Hawaii
13)  Grant 'Twiggy' Baker + Greg Long // S. Africa/ California
14)  Mike Parsons + Brad Gerlach // California
15)  Brock Little + Luiz Jardini // Hawaii/Brazil
16)  Clyde Aikau + Brian Keaulana // Oahu, Hawaii
17)  Jamie O'Brien + Troy Alotis // Oahu, Hawaii
18)  Arche Kalepa + Buzzy Kerbox // Maui, Hawaii
19)  Tony Fekete + Victor Marcal // Hungary/Brazil
20)  Titus Kinimaka + Kalani Vierra // Kauai, Hawaii
21)  Izzy Robertson + Piripe   // New Zealand
22)  Adam Replogle + Alistair Craft // N. California
23)  Jeff + Josiah Schmucker // West Australia
24)  Russell + Tyler Smith // Central California
25)  Zack + Jake Wormhoudt // N. California
26)  Jamie Mitchell + Chad Jackson/James Watson // Australia/Hawaii
27)  Koby Abberton + Ryan Hipwood // Australia
28)  Danilo Couto + Rodrigo Resende // Brazil
29)  Alastair Minnie + Andrew Cotton // Ireland
30)  Ross Clarke-Jones + Tony Ray // Australia
31)  Ian Walsh + Shane Dorian // Hawaii
32)  Kanoa Dahlin + Bonga Perkins // Haleiwa, Hawaii

ALTERNATES
1)    TJ Barron + Ron Barron // Oahu, Hawaii
2)    Peter Mel + Anthony Tashnick // California
3)    Ramon Navarro + Danny Fry // Chile
4)    Coco Nogales + Dan Curry // Mexico/California
5)    Myles Padaca + Felipe Espiritu/Pancho Sullivan // Hawaii
6)    Diego Medina + Cristobal Gonsalves // Chile
7)    Kaleo Amadeo + Nalu Wallace // Maui, Hawaii
8)    Alfy Cater + Taj Burrow/Martin Paradisis // Australia
9)    Kalani Chapman + Ezra Sitt // Hawaii
10)  Harold Ambrosio + Jorge Pacelli // Brazil
11)  Robbie Seiger + Cheyne Horan/TBD // Germany/Australia
12)  Pete Cabrinha + Rush Randle /// Maui, Hawaii
13)  Campbell Farrell + Doug Young // Hawaii/New Zealand
14)  Terry Chun + Gui Terry // Kauai, Hawaii
15)  Paul Orem + Rama Deodato // Oahu, Hawaii
16)  Gregg Quinn + Eric Tema // Oahu, Hawaii
17)  Mark Mathews + TBD /// Australia
18)  Mike Schlebach + Andrew Marr // S. Africa
19)  Dylan Longbottom + Laurie Towner // Australia
20)  Ollie Richardson + Dan Hasselschwert // Oregon
21)  Tim West + Ion Banner // N. California
22)  Jeremy Rasmussen + Tom Miller // Oregon
23)  Pete + Troy Johnson // Oahu, Hawaii
24)  Kelly Slater + TBD // Florida, USA
25)  Tom Carroll + TBD // Australia
26)  Darrick Doerner + TBD // Waialua, Hawaii
27)  Marvin Foster + TBD //Haleiwa, Hawaii
28)  Brendon Shea + Guy Pere // N.Shore Oahu Lifeguards
29)  Raimana Van Bastolear + Manoa Drollet // Tahiti
30)  Tyler Fox + Shane Desmond //N. California
31)  Darryl 'Flea' Virotsko + Shawn 'Barney' Barron // N, California
32)  Chuck Patterson + Scott Chandler // California

PADDLE-IN SURF EXHIBITION HEAT
1)    Kealii Mamala   //Hawaii
2)    Jamie Mitchell //Australia
3)    Shane Desmond //N. California
4)    Mike Parsons //S. California
5)    Gary Linden // S. California
6)    Jamie Sterling // Oahu, Hawaii
7)    Garrett McNamara Oahu, Hawaii
8)    Andrew Marr // S. Africa
9)    Marvin Foster //Haleiwa, Hawaii
10)  Greg Long // California
11)  Grant 'Twiggy' Baker //S. Africa

Information:
Alec Cooke, Executive Director, 808-227-2425, acecool47@hotmail.com
Betty Depolito, Co-Director, 808-781-2535, banzaib@hawaii.rr.com
Hot Line: 808-596-7873
Official Web Site: www.northshoretowin.com
Sponsors:
Bank of Hawaii
Atlas Sales
Xcel
One Love Surf Shop
North Shore Soap Factory
Skydive Hawaii
Napa Auto Parts
Surf News Network 596-7873
Breakers Restaurant
Barron
Cholos Restaurant
Wave Riding Vehicles
Third Stone
Banzai Productions
Hawaiian Xtreme Sports Television
North Shore News
High Surf Accessories
Six Days In Paradise the Movie
High Surf Warning
Hawaiian Chopper Magazine
WahineBlueTV.com
KeeptheOceanBlue.com