Photos by Fish Bowl Diaries
The world title race took some thrilling twists today as several contenders faced elimination, whilst the Maui regulars wowed the crowd with an incredible display of aerial antics at the Aloha Classic Playa Surf CBbC Hotel Grand Final in Hawaii today .
Competitors were greeted with large, clean waves from a north swell, and a light, cross offshore wind.
HAWAIIAN EXPERIENCE PAVES THE WAY FOR PRO WOMEN
Once again, it was Hookipa’s seasoned riders who secured direct spots in the Pro Women’s semi-finals.
Germany’s current world number one, Lina Erpenstein, was sent to the elimination round after facing stiff competition from Spain’s Maria Andres and Guadaloupe’s Coco Fouveau. Erpenstein’s limited practice time—due to her final medical exams—undoubtedly impacted her performance. However, Andres confidently chose solid waves and rode high in the light conditions to maintain her speed, allowing her to execute her trademark power turns.
“I’m super stoked because the conditions are incredibly challenging. Just getting out was crazy. It was hard to choose the right waves too. The bigger ones had a section further down that was closing out, so it was hard to know how to position myself,” she said.
Fouveau looked happy to be back on the water following intermittent breaks due to a concussion. She stayed near the power zone, riding tight in the pocket to secure second place and advance to the semi-finals.
Maui resident, Sarah Hauser (New Caledonia), displayed some of the most critical riding of the women’s division. With powerful bottom turns, she set up sharp, surf-style snaps and confidently hit the lip to take the win in heat two.
“I got a ton of sailing this season and I’m feeling like I’m progressing. It was super fun out here. We got so lucky because the wind kicked in 5 minutes before the start of the heat. I was just trying to hit the lip,” said a fired up Hauser.
Also moving into the semi-final was Maui resident, Shawna Cropas. Cropas ended up on the rocks early in the heat and had to ride unfamiliar gear. But she adapted quickly, selecting smooth, peeling set waves and carving confidently through each turn to secure second place.
French rider Lisa Wermeister had a memorable day, outshining the 2023 World Champion Sarah-Quita Offringa, Riding some of the largest sets, she gained momentum as her turns grew increasingly bold and precise throughout heat three.
Offringa opted for smaller waves, which possibly cost her the win. But she executed powerful turns beneath the lip, stayed tight in the pocket, and threw buckets of spray with her powerful top turns. She advanced to the semi-finals, keeping her pursuit of a third consecutive world title alive.
WORLD TITLE CONTENDERS EXIT IN REDEMPTION ROUND
The big news of the Pro Men’s redemption round was the exit of world numbers three and four, Marino Gil Gheradi from Spain and Germany’s Philip Koster, marking the end of their title hopes. The Japanese duo of Takuma Sugi and rising star Ryu Noguchi were ecstatic to claim the scalp of Koster, whilst American Russ Faurot and French rider Baptiste Cloarec had a hard fought battle to dispose of Gheradi and Hayata Ishii. Returning to competition after his battle with leukemia, Casey Hauser was a crowd favourite , but fell short against Poland’s Adam Warchol and the UK’s Robby Swift. Also advancing from the redemption round were French riders Jules Denel and Julien Flechet.
Maui Riders Seize The Day
Round five kicked off with a rare strategic error by Brazil’s Marcilio Browne who rode his first wave before the heat officially began, with what would have been one of his best waves. But it didn’t really matter. Browne impressed the judges on his next ride, charging vertically into mast-high sections, air-dropping down and executing another aerial for a 7.5. Riding faster and deeper than most, Browne consistently created opportunities, finishing the heat with four waves over the seven-point mark and a heat total of 14.70.
Continuing to impress in Hawaii, Spains Liam Dunkerbeck, the 2024 Pro Junior World Champion, advanced to the quarter finals despite a remarkable aerial display from French rider Jules Denel. Dunkerbeck’s aerials looked effortless, his fin release top turns were radical and he even came close to landing a wave 360 attempt.
In heat two, Maui local Graham Ezzy was on a roll, pushing former Aloha Classic winner, Antoine Martin from Guadaloupe into second place. With light conditions, Ezzy opted for larger gear and focused on finding the waves with the best shape.
“I’ve been doing a lot of coaching and I think about what I say to my students – stay on the power source of the wave, think of it as a dance. I try to remind myself of those. Just be focused on having fun,” he said.
Martin looked relaxed and playful, easily popping two consecutive one-handed aerials with different hands each time, finishing in second with a heat total of 12.10. If feels like he has more in the tank. promising plenty of excitement as he pushes towards even riskier moves.
A confident and flawless Morgan Noireaux is looking unstoppable as he heads towards the quarter finals. Despite the lighter wind, Morgan seemed to gain speed with every turn, enabling him to blow the lip off the top and attack in a vertical manner. His wave selection was impeccable, and he seamlessly combined precision riding with consistent rotations. Almost presciently, he executed two perfect wave 360s, following up one with a flaka, showcasing his ease in the mast high conditions.
“My consistency at Hookipa is pretty darn good. I have a lot of confidence in everything I do. Our heat also got some of the better conditions of the day. I had a blast,” he said with a smile.
Building on his momentum from the redemption round, Julien Flechet put forth one of his best performances in Hawaii, also advancing to the quarter-finals. He consistently pulled off impressive aerials and tackled late sections, including a one-handed cutback and an arching back aerial.
However, the heat of the day was heat four. In the lead up to the event, many top riders had praised Levi Siver (USA) and he didn’t disappoint. Laying down his intent, he immediately attacked a large set wave section and followed it up with more critical turns for a 7.8. The answer back from Japan’s Takara Ishii was even better. He went up into the lip and followed with an aerial and two more aggressive turns for a 7.90.
Takuma Sugi came third in that first exchange, but still had an impressive 7.6 wave score. He was far more patient in the heat than the others and almost looked out of contention for a while. During that time, Siver found a solid set, blasted two vertical lip attacks and followed with a wave 360 to score a 9.1, the best wave of the day. Just when it all seemed to be a battle for second, Sugi found an excellent set, executed a huge aerial and tight snaps to secure a heat total of 15.60 and seem like he could threaten Siver for the lead. Although Ishii didn’t progress to the quarters, his heat total of 13.5 would have advanced him in any other heat.
Inspired by the strong performances, wave maestro Kai Lenny showed his repertoire of hardcore surf riding with impressive aerial tricks. He continued to improve as the heat progressed, breaking the boundaries between surfing and windsurfing. His surf style boards allowed him to get right under the lip for a vertical attack, recovering quickly for tight snaps in the pocket. He miraculously pulled off a wave 360 where he virtually disappeared behind the whitewater, and then pulled one of the most radical goiters ever seen in competition. Approaching the wave from underneath, he blasted through the lip for his second eight of the heat.
American Russ Faurot made his mark with some solid lip hits, wrapping turns and cutbacks, appearing poised to knock out the comeback King, Marc Pare. However, Pare remained patient, and when he finally found the right wave, hit two perfect aerials followed by a tight snap to earn seven points and solidify his progression to the quarter finals.
Three more heats remain in Round 5 and competition looks set to continue tomorrow.
The Aloha Classic Wave Grand Final event is running until 1 November at Hookipa Beach Park in Maui, Hawaii.
