surf hawaii september 2015 issue 19 featuring kanoe pelfrey as cover story

Contents

CONTESTS ON THE WAY

3

September Contest Guide

RESTAURANT GUIDE

4

North Shore Oahu's BestRestaurants/Bars

JAMIE O 'BRIEN

5

Surfer Jamie O 'Brien of Hawaii

LATEST SURF MUST HAVES

9

Surf Gear

KANOE PELFREY

16

Surfer Kanoe Pelfreyof Hawaii

KEANU ASING

29

WSL Surfer Keanu Asing of Hawaii

KELIA MONIZ

30

Surfer Kelia Monizof Hawaii

Surf Hawaii September 2015 1.9 Issue


Join the action on September 6th of2015 for another year of the HaleiwaJoe Labor Day Race! Lots of fun tobe had at this great comp and can'twait to see all who make it for thisyears event!

Haleiwa Joe's 26th Annual Labor Day Race

Here at Surf Hawaii, we are gettingexcited about the WSL Hurley Pro inTrestles, California. Lots of surfersfrom Hawaii on tour are going tocompete from September 9th toSeptember 20th of 2015. Watch itLive!

Hawaii Surfing Association will beholding contests on September 12thand September 13th of 2015 atQueens in Waikiki. There will be lotsof action going on and is a greatcomp to go check out!

WSL Hurley Pro

Hawaii Surfing Association

Hawaii's Contests


Always fun events, live music and entertainmentgoing on at Surfer The Bar. Great to go take allyour friends to after a day of surfing.

Wonderful place to take the family after a day atthe beach with good food options to choosefrom. Everybody in your ohana will findsomething they like to eat.

Restaurants + Bars

Turtle Bay Resort: Surfer the Bar

Haleiwa Joe's

Best place to go to relax watching awesomesunsets and having a drink. Good food theretoo! By the pools and nice place to go aftersurfing the bay.

Some what expensive place to take thefamily or your significant other to but hasfantastic food! Nice service and chillrestaurant to go to.

Turtle Bay Resort: The Point

Jamesons by the Sea

NORTH SHORE

Jamie O' BrienNorth Shore Born & Raised


"Jamie O'Brien is apioneer in the field ofprofessionalfreesurfing."

-Red Bull

B

east is how you describeJamie O' Brien! He is one ofthose lucky people for whomsurfing can be too simple. He

has lived his whole life at Pipeline. Hecompetes in The Eddie. When a big swelldemands attention, he responds to thecall in any ocean. Mexico, Fiji, Indonesia,Micronesia. You name it, O'Brien hastamed it. That's why he keeps scanningthe horizon for the next challenge, nextobstacle, next idea, to scratch his itch ofpushing the envelope.


He literally sets things on fire!

What sparked this whole idea?

I got a direct message on Instagram that said itwould be cool if you lit yourself on fire, and Ikinda thought, why not? So I went to Red Bulland said, "Hey, I want to light myself on fire andget barreled at Teahupo'o." They looked at melike, "Are you for real?" and I told them I was andthat I knew the right guy, and that’s when theycalled Riley Harper and his team.

What was going through your mind whenyou finally took off on a wave?

Oh man, this morning — go day — let's see. Thefirst wave I went for, I lit up and someone said,"You're on fire!" I looked to the right and thisflame just wraps around my head and it sunk in.I was like, "Oh my God, I'm on fire for real!"After that I just had to forget about it and surf,y'know? I took off and pulled in and got this nicebarrel and as I kicked out I was wondering if Iwas still on fire. I jumped off the wave and thewater was the perfect extinguisher; the ocean putme out straight away.


What was going through your mindwhen you finally took off on awave?

Oh man, this morning — go day — let'ssee. The first wave I went for, I lit up andsomeone said, "You're on fire!" I looked tothe right and this flame just wraps aroundmy head and it sunk in. I was like, "Oh myGod, I'm on fire for real!" After that I justhad to forget about it and surf, y'know? Itook off and pulled in and got this nicebarrel and as I kicked out I waswondering if I was still on fire. I jumpedoff the wave and the water was the perfectextinguisher; the ocean put me outstraight away.

Let's talk tech. What were youwearing?

I had a thermal setup underneatheverything, then threw a wetsuit on andhad another layer over the top. Then Ihad a hoodie on and a Body Glove wetsuiton top of that, and I was just right thereready for fire! I thought the buoyancywould be a lot worse. They put about 15pounds on me before I was even in thewater, and I knew once I was in the waterthat I’d be even heavier. So there was thatside of it to understand, like, I still reallyneed to float, you know! But the crewworked everything out and we did a testand I was stoked on the buoyancy; I wasreally surprised and that definitely mademe feel a lot more

"I caught the best wave of my life today. It was a dreamwave, and I was on fire. It was the biggest adrenaline rushof my life." -Jamie O'Brien

comfortable.

As someone who's spent a lot oftime getting tubed, how is itdifferent when you're on fire?

The whole barrel lights up fluorescentorange! It's this really crazy feeling.Usually in the barrel everything slowsdown and you don’t hear anything, butthe noise of a flame in the barrel isincredible. You can't really describe it.And I had this flame just wrappingaround my head, which was pretty insane,something totally different than anythingI’ve ever done before. The fire itself is sohot that it burns through the wetsuit andstuff you’re wearing, while you’re in thewave. It’s a lot more intense than youthink it would be. The flame lashed me alittle bit and got like

a quarter of my eyebrow, which I thoughtwas pretty interesting. I thought itwas just slap from the water then Irealized that I actually got burned a littlebit — a singe burn, they call it.


EVAN GIESLMAN

DAKINE SIGNATURE PAD


GARNIER


VISSLAEric Geiselman


Chroma Pop Lens


The Sunset Surfer

Kanoe Nahulu Pelfrey is the first female surfer featured onthe cover with cover story on Surf Hawaii Magazine.

"Kanoe is a driven girlwho will succeed and

people know bywatching her how

much she is in lovewith surfing. It is clearwhen you see her surfthat the love she had

for it as a young childis still the same love

she has today. Thecampers kept telling

her to "Channel YourInner Grom" and thatis the energy that shebrings to her surfing

game. That passionand desire really

inspires other guestpros, campers and allpeople who watch her

surf. It was greathaving her out in

Oahu! We offered hera permanent position

at camp but respecther heavy competition

season in twoboardsports.

Hopefully in the futurewe will have her as a

permanent member ofour team and look

forward to when shecomes back!"

-Liz Nilino

(Camp Director atOahu Surfer Babes

Camp)

S

he has a very incredible story to share withus! A friend of mine when we went up todinner at Haleiwa Joe's told me, "that Ineed to contact this amazing surfer girl."She continued to write down all of Kanoe'scontact information and

show me Kanoe's social media accounts. I couldn't helpbut be drawn in to knowing more about how this girl is notonly a surfer but a snowboarder as well. She has all thisincredible talent in two board sports that I haven't seenanyone have a high level of ability in both surfing andsnowboarding. I went on to send her an email thefollowing day, first thing in the morning. She contacted melater on that day and I asked if I could do an interview withher through Skype. The next day we went on to do a Skypeinterview where I couldn't believe how sure power, will anddetermination got her to be the athlete that she is today.

This is what I learned about Kanoe Pelfrey:

She is an Animal and a Fighter who has such strongpassion. Very devoted and very skilled in surfing. She is atalented snowboarder. A wonderful human being whowants to accomplish the most that she can in her life time.

Athlete Info:Name: Kanoe Nahulu Pelfrey Age: 21 Years Surfing: 17 Years Snowboarding: 3 Homebreak: Banyans Home Mountain: Mt. Hood (Timberline) Sponsors: Monster Army, Mason Surfboards, 808 Surf N’Skate, Von Zipper, FiRE N iCE Apparel, Lifeproof, PolarPro, Indo Boards, Kokonut Kream Bikinis, D&A, Five Star Favorite Surf Board: I love riding Mason Surfboards andprefer my 5’10 short board. Favorite Snowboard: I love riding GNU B-Pro C3 BTX 146cm snowboard.


Kanoe Pelfrey charging down the line atQueens during Summer 2015.

Tell Us More About Your SurfingCareer:

What is your background?

I started surfing at 4 years old and grewup in Kona, Hawaii. My Dad taught mehow to surf and my uncle later oncoached me. I literally lived right next toBanyans and would go there all of thetime. I was homeschooled and spentmost of my time at the beach. If I wasn’tat Banyans I would go to another spotliterally across the street from the housethat I grew up in on Stardust Drive. Iliked going to Kahaluu if I could get a ridedown there too. I like both short and longbut short will always be my favorite. Ilove doing maneuvers like laybacks andfrontside snaps.

View on competitive surfing?

I have done competitions my whole lifeand when I was a grom my uncle told me,"A flower does not think of competingwith the next flower, it just blooms.” Thatquote really stuck with me over the years. I wish that more girls when doingcompetitions would have the attitude ofcompeting against themselves. I thinkthat it is a healthier attitude to have. Itinspires more progression for a surferwhen they do not compare themselves toanother person but focus on their owngame instead.


What was a recentaccomplishment for you?

This summer I was a guest pro atOahu Surfer Babes Camp. I like tocoach kids and help kids become betterat what they love to do. I startedcoaching them in summer 2015. Manyof the kids that I coach are competingin the NSSA Hawaii Conference. Ihope that they will remember that acompetition result doesn't matter butsurfing because they love to is whatmatters most! When I get beginners itis fun to see that joy that you once hadwhen you learned to surf! After thatmoment it's like their whole world ischanged and they develop a passion forit that never goes away.


What recent competition did youwin?

North Shore Hawaiian Pro-Am 2015, Itook first and was pleased with myresults!

What does your career look likeafter surfing?

I hope someday in the future that Ican shape surfboards and join the veryfew female shapers out there. I likegoing as a guest pro to many surfcamps and would like to go to surfdestinations I've never been to before. Continue modeling for companies asmuch as possible until I grow tired ofit.

What is your nickname?

Pineapple Princess because my Dad'snickname was pineapple and I likedpineapples a lot! Sometimes peoplecall me "KP" because it is shorter thansaying "Kanoe."


Tell Us More About Your Sicknessin High School:

Many years ago when I was a teenager, Iwas very sick for 2 years. We had no ideawhat was going wrong and all thespecialists I saw during the time had noclue either. My Mom had a binder full oflogs of when I was sick to informationthat the specialists provided us with andlists of doctors to see in the future withplans of getting me better. We had noidea what would help me during the timeand saw over 10 specialists in one year.We always had our suspicions that itmight have been side effects fromvaccinations doctors wanted me to haveas a teenager. I am truly blessed that I gotanother shot to live life to become

the person that I know I can be. At thattime of my life we thought that I wasgoing to die. I couldn't imagine how mymom, dad, sisters and family felt duringthat time. All I knew was that I wasterrified and it made me really value lifeso much more!

How did high school go when beingsick during that time?

I missed so many days of school duringthat time period which was very hard onme. During my high school career I took10 advanced placement courses. I went toa school that has been on the U.S. Newsand World Report best high schools listranked as number two on the list duringthe time period that I

"I was heart broken at the time because there were manythings that I wanted to do and be an athlete but I wasn'table to. It was hard being a sick kid." -Kanoe Pelfrey

graduated from there. My parents wouldgo to my high school and pick up myhomework from my teachers religiously. Iwould lay very sick in bed and at timesdidn't have the ability to do homework. Itwas a very miserable time of my life forsomeone that was so active beforebecoming sick to not be able at times toeven take a shower without someone likemy sister present to watch me. With mycondition I would dry heave constantly,with acid rushing up my nose andsometimes would even pass out. Since, Iwould pass out there were many thingsthat I wasn't allowed to do during thosetwo years that I was sick. I was on VarsitySwim Team as a freshman and wasn'table to do it my sophomore year or junioryear. I was very heart broken becausethere were many things that I wanted todo and be an athlete but wasn't able to. Imissed out on surfing, dancing,swimming and

many other activities. It was hardbecause at times I would have momentswhere I would be back to normal until thecondition appeared maybe a few dayslater, a few weeks later, or few months.

When did you get your health backand what happened after that?

During my senior year of high school, Iwas no longer sick during this time. Myhealth had come back and I had goodhealth. It was a miracle!!! I had managedto no longer have this condition and fromthen on out had no issues of it ever since!I graduated from high school on timewith my classmates having a 3.61 GPA.


Even when I was in pain, I worked ashard as I could on my school work andmanaged to graduate with good grades.That was the last thing that my family andI ever expected was that happening.

How is your health now?

It's amazing that I have great health nowand that my body is performing like italways did! Actually it is performingbetter! I could remember making a list ofall the things that I wanted to accomplishduring the time that I had poor health. Ikept fighting and now live my life withmore appreciation! I'm determined tonever look at that list again but know I'mdoing much more than what is on thatlist!

Tell Us More About Snowboarding:

After I graduated I took a gap year. Thesummer of 2012 is when I learned how tosnowboard and during my gap yearpracticed snowboarding as much as Icould. My parents and I lived in Portland,Oregon where I had the ability to enjoyyear round snowboarding and wentsnowboarding the following summer in2013 at Mt. Hood. I went on to beaccepted into University of Colorado atBoulder's Leeds School of BusinessManagement Program as a freshman forfall 2013. At that time I was 19 years old.After a semester in Boulder, I realizedthat I wanted to be at a place where Ididn't have to commute

"My health is perfect now and my body is performingbetter than before." -Kanoe Pelfrey

back and forth to the mountain. I left to come back to Mt. Hood, Oregon and livedin Welches during the time. I became astudent at Oregon State University'sOnline Business Program for the 2014winter season and then on out everyquarter after that. I will graduate collegein 2017 with a business degree.

For the 2014 season I stayed in Welchesto be close to Mt. Hood. During the 2015season I spent most of my time flying outfor snowboarding competitions andsurfing competitions. I was alwayspacking my bags not for just one sport buttwo sports. I had a job as a snowboardinstructor at Mt. Hood Meadows forwinter 2015. Due to lack of snow, I didn'tget as many work days as planned for theseason. It was awesome introducing kidsto snowboarding at Mt. Hood Meadowsand privately coaching

a few kids at Timberline.

Where does college fit into the mixof competitions?

Each quarter I take 15 to 18 creditsthrough Oregon State University forBusiness. For the 2015 winter quarter, Itook 18 credits while competing in bothsnowboarding and surfing.

What has snowboarding been likefor you lately?

I managed to take 2nd in Halfpipe atUSASA Nationals 2015 (U.S.Snowboarding Nationals) and 11th inSlopestyle. This was my first yearcompeting in snowboarding and I wasvery excited to go up against girls whomany have been doing it since they werefive years old. It was wild to me because


I had only snowboarded for two and ahalf years when I took 2nd place inHalfpipe at Nationals. At that time, I hadonly been riding Halfpipe for a smallamount of time. Before Nationals, I wentto Pre-Nationals Training Camp where Iworked hard to progress to perform wellat Nationals. It was a big accomplishmentfor me to be able to have done well atnationals. After Nationals, I went to anInternational Progression Camp to focuson my snowboarding even more. I wenton to compete in other competitions forthe rest of the year taking the podium ateach comp after that. For not onlysnowboarding but surfing. This past yearall of my time has been spent traveling, atan airport, in a hotel room,

on the mountain, on the beach or doinghomework.

Tell Us About Balancing BothWorlds with Homework:

I have many years of competing leftbecause I am only 21 years old. For the2015-2016 Surf and Snowboard Season, Iam training for World Surf LeagueQualifiers Series and TTR WorldSnowboard Tour Competitions. I leave forNorth Shore Oahu in early October andNew Zealand for a few weeks in October. Iwill be packing for both surfing andsnowboarding. I will return to Oregonwith a few days to pack before making mymove to Colorado. For the

"I support great foundations like Make-A-Wish andlucky to be apart of it!" -Kanoe Pelfrey

2015-2016 Winter and Spring Season Iwill be in Breckenridge, Colorado fortraining in snowboarding. I will be flyingout to other states and countries forsnowboarding competitions during winterand spring. I will fly out to North Shore,Oahu and Kona when I have competitionsduring the winter there. I will be doing allof this while taking 15 to 18 credits eachquarter. I'm not sure what I will be doingafter the month of April 2016. Though itwill involve a board and books.

What do you support?

The hardest time in my life was being sickand it has made me a stronger personbecause I know what it is like to want todo things but not be able to do them. I amfortunate that I got another

shot in life and I have a lot more goalsthat I need to achieve. I wanted to sharemy story with others to inspire them thatthere is always hope for a strong future.Being a sick kid really hits home to mebecause I was that kid. Even withsetbacks that were unexpected and thingsthat interrupted your plans, you canadjust. You will find a way to go afterwhat you want. You just have to continuebeing patient, persistent, tenacious andgoal driven. I like to volunteer with Make-A-Wish Foundation and raise money forthem. It is a great organization where Ihave the ability to tell other kids my storyand help them reach their dream. I knowthat these kids will succeed at whateverthey do and think that it is awesome howdetermined they are!


"My little girl is raising the bar. She is showing girls and other women that if you arepersistent and have patience, then you can accomplish what your goals are. I am very

proud of how she wants more variety in her surfing and wants to switch it up constantly. This year she has really focused surfing fakie more and I think that she will continue to do

well. She will at some point go to competitions surfing fakie. I amblessed that

I have my healthy little girl back. She is a very humble Hawaiian surfer with great style. I'm lucky to have a daughter that no matter what she does in life has such strong passionfor it. She has this natural curiosity to always try new things and play around with things

that she has done religiously since she was a kid. I think you will see another side of Kanoewhen she surfs fakie more. Aside from surfing, I do not know anything about

snowboarding because I am a skier. Though I am proud that in the very little time mydaughter has done snowboarding that she is turning into a successful snowboarder. She

will always be a unique girl that balances being a tom boy and girly type of chick at thesame time. I am happy that she doesn't pick one or the other but has embraced who she isand has a strong sense of balance in her life. Her Aumakua (Hawaiian Guardian Angel) is

mano (sharks), she is a powerful like mano. I just want her to always go after everythingthat she wants and continue to have that fighting spirit." -Henry Pelfrey


NEFFSURF


DEUCEBRAND


KEANU ASING

"It’s cool beingHawaiian becausethere are not manyout there anymore,and Hawaiians startedsurfing. I representHawai‘i by havingAloha and respect." -Keanu Asing


KELIA MONIZ

"Hawaiian beauty whomakes longboardinglook like the world’smost elegant andenjoyable sport!"

-Tony Moniz


surf hawaii september 2015 issue 19 featuring kanoe pelfrey as cover story

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