HIC Pro kicks off at Sunset in classic conditions

HIC Pro

ASP 4 Star WQS Mens Event
Sunset Beach, North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii
29 October - 10 November 2012

Live Coverage | Results/Photos/Videos etc

Hawaiian Surf Season Underway as Vans Triple Crown Kicks Off

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 4 November, 2012 : - - The Hawaiian winter pro surf season officially began today with the $95,000 HIC Pro presented by Vans. The event enjoyed excellent 8-12 foot surf at Sunset Beach, setting the stage for a major season that will run from today through February 2013.

The HIC Pro is a 4-star men's ASP rated event, and the final star-rated event of the year. It is a local qualifier for the $1M Vans Triple Crown of Surfing that commences next week Monday, November 12, running through December 20. The opening rounds of the HIC Pro were held today and competition will resume at 8am tomorrow morning in continued good conditions.

Sunset Beach has a tendency to favor the more experienced, seasoned competitor and today was no different. Sunset locals Myles Padaca, 41, and Pancho Sullivan, 39, both former champions of this event, surfed text book heats today to advance. Padaca advanced alongside Kauai's Kamalei Alexander, 34, who has also been a finalist here before.

                                                     Pancho Sullivan © Bernie Baker

"Sunset takes five, six, maybe 10 years to get your feet in place and get on the right boards," said Padaca. "Age and experience are definitely to your advantage out here. I wish I started in the trials today, to tell you the truth. The waves are so epic. It's so clean, there's very little wind on the face, and some big drops, so it was just an all-time session out there."

Kamalei Alexander reveled in the fact that Sunset is a place to demonstrate power and critical carving turns, not the trick maneuvers that smaller, weaker waves can limit you to.  "You're not going to win doing aerials out there," said Alexander. "Like Myles said, the more you surf here the more you understand how it breaks.

"You're just so close to drowning or having the ride of your life here, so to make that first heat of the season is like a monkey off your back. I'm just going to try and have a blast. One of the benefits of not being one of the (highest rated) surfers is that you get to surf more through the earlier rounds."

                                                        Koa Rothman © Bernie Baker

Other standouts today included Charlie Carroll (Waianae), who posted the highest single wave score of the day for a near-flawless tube ride (9.27 points); Makana Eleogram (20, younger brother of Ola, from Maui) who posted the highest two-wave heat score of 15.57 points; and 16-year-old La Jolla, California surfer Skip McCullough.

This is the first of four days of competition for the event and the holding period runs through November 10. (Tuesday, November 6 - Election Day - is a holiday and therefore there will be no competition on that day.) For morning status of the event, please log on to vans.com/hicpro, or call the official Surf News Network Hotline: (808) 586-7873 (596-SURF).

TRIALS FINAL:
Micah Moniz; Ulualoha Napeahi; Mike Latronic; Vaj Lederer

Trials
H1: Mike Latronic; Micah Moniz; Alex Thomson-Corrao; Young Tarring
H2: Vaj Lederer; Ulualoha Napeahi; Will Hunt; CJ Owens

ROUND 1:
H1: Solomon Ortiz; Isaiah Moniz; Kaito Kino; Ivan Florence
H2: Kamalei Alexander; Wade Carmichael (Aus); Levi Gonzales; Britton Galland
H3: Charlie Carroll; Jake Scott (Aus); Joao Marco Maffini; Cam Richards (USA)
H4: Gregg Nakamura; Danny Fuller; Micah Moniz; Rex Flodstrom (Chicago, USA)
H5: Ulualoha Napeahi; Kahea Hart; Keli Everett; Clay Marzo
H6: Ezra Sitt; TJ Barron; Tane Willis (NZ); Mitchell Salazar (Mex)
H7: Keoni Nozaki; Ian Simmons (USA); Kaimana Kinimaka; Andrew Jacobson (USA)
H8: Kawai Lindo; Colton Carlo (USA); Jake Kelley (USA); Jacob  (USA)

ROUND 2:
H1: Makana Eleogram; Solomon Ortiz; Jesse Merle-Jones; Jack Perry (Aus)
H2: Isaiah Moniz; Saxon  (Aus); Ricky Whitlock; Morgan Faulkner
H3: Myles Padaca; Kamalei Alexander; Dean Bowen (Aus); Nick Mita
H4: Pancho Sullivan; Koa Rothman; Landon McNamara; Wade Carmichael (Aus)
H5: Charlie Carroll; Skip McCullough (USA); Trevor Thornton (USA); Yuto Terai (
H6: Mikey Bruneau; Enrique Ariitu (Tahiti); Jake Scott (Aus); Kalani David
H7: Nathan Florence; Gregg Nakamura; Kaimana Jaquias; Eli Olson
H8: Danny Fuller; Tyler Newton; Reo  (Jpn); Bobby Okvist (USA)
Heats 9 through 16 will be held tomorrow morning

Check the Live Coverage

www.vans.com/hicpro
www.aspworldtour.com

Previous reports:
# 1 : HIC Pro starts Monday - Lau to defend title
# 2 : HIC Pro ready, waiting for swell to kick in
# 3 : Coming Soon
# 4 : Coming Soon

About HIC - Hawaiian Island Creations:
Hawaii's biggest and best selection of surf gear - since 1971 HIC has provided Hawaii with quality surfboards, skateboards, clothing and accessories - by surfers, for surfers. Locally owned and operated, the HIC retail chain includes eleven stores across Oahu, Maui and Hawaii and two in Japan. Through a commitment to quality, service and aloha spirit, the brand has built a reputation as an icon of Hawaiian surfing recognized throughout the world. Enjoy the ride!
Official HIC PRO event gear available at HIC stores in Hawaii and hicsurf.com

About Vans Surf:  
Vans supports and promotes surfing and surfers through a full line of footwear and apparel and events such as the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, the ASP 4-Star Vans Pier Classic at Huntington Beach and the ASP 6-Star Vans Pro and Vans Pro Junior at the East Coast Surfing Championships and the progressive longboard Joel Tudor Duct Tape Invitational contests.  The Vans Surf team is led by a talented group of riders including Nathan Fletcher, John Florence, Joel Tudor, Dane Reynolds, Pat, Dane and Tanner Gudauskas, Ivan and Nathan Florence, Alex Knost, Andrew Doheny, Dylan Graves, Kalani Chapman, Wade Goodall and Leila Hurst. For more information on Vans' surf happenings, our team plus our footwear and apparel, visit vanssurf.com and follow us on Twitter @vanssurf.

Source: Ocean Promotion

Author: Jodi Wilmot

Tags: HIC Pro, ASP Star Tour, Vans Triple Crown of Surfing

Stars: Surfersvillage