On a beautiful summer day at Ala Moana Bowls on Oahu’s South Shore, competitors in the Oakley Surf Shop Challenge Hawaii qualifier were greeted with clean conditions, offshore winds, and 2-3ft waves for stop five of the national touring series. Round one saw ten teams battle it out for the five coveted spots in the finals. The final round consisted of squads from HIC Kailua #1, Hi-Tech Surf Sports, T&C Surf, MuCully Bicycle & Sporting Goods, and T&C Surfboards. Hi-Tech Surf Sports and HIC Kailua #1 were consistent as the clear standouts through the entire day, finishing with the top team scores in round one and carrying their momentum to the finals where they jockeyed for top honors. Early in the final round, team rider Imaikalani Devault from Hi-Tech whammied the highest wave score of the day, a 9.77 (total wave score 19.54) that proved a critical strategic decision towards their total point tally. With the final heat coming to close, HIC Kailua #1 was unable to secure a 4.45 to take the lead, losing by a heartbreaking 0.07 and crowning Hi-Tech Surf Sports as the champion. Flying in on the morning of the event, Maui based Hi-Tech Surf Sports was the only team representing a shop from an island other than Oahu. “We just stuck to our original plan which was to have fun and go out there and do our best,” explains Hi-Tech’s final surfer Keoni Perkins on their general approach to the event. “We’re so stoked!” Congratulations to Hi-Tech Surf Sports team members John Chiu, Imaikalani Devault, Cody Young, and Keoni Perkins! Up next is the Mid-Atlantic regional qualifier at Nags Head on the Outer Banks in North Carolina. An official call has yet to be made for competition during the August 14-15 waiting period. Here is the full #SURFSHOPCHALLENGE 2018 schedule & waiting period: 2018 Oakley Surf Shop Challenge Schedule • May 16 – Southeast – New Smyrna Beach Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, FL o WINNER: Sunrise Surf Shop • May 22 – Southwest – Seaside Reef, Cardiff, CA o WINNER: Surf Ride Oceanside • May 24 – Northwest – Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz, CA o WINNER: Berdels • June 8 – West – 54th or 56th Street, Newport Beach, CA o WINNER: Huntington Surf & Sport • July 12 – Hawaii – Ala Moana Bowls, South Shore, HI o WIINER: Hi-Tech Surf Sports • August 14/15 – Mid-Atlantic – Outer Banks, Nags Head, NC • October 22-26 – National Championship – Playa Colorado, Rivas, Nicaragua
