Hopefully you’ve been staying safe but still taking in the sizable surf that has been pounding the North Shore. Monster swells prompted many “when in doubt, don’t go out” warnings, but it created the necessary conditions for the Peahi Challenge
Hopefully you’ve been staying safe but still taking in the sizable surf that has been pounding the North Shore. Monster swells prompted many “when in doubt, don’t go out” warnings, but it created the necessary conditions for the Peahi Challenge to get going on Maui. After the initial men’s heats Friday, a pair of worthy and experienced champions were crowned on Saturday.
Better known as “Jaws” for its unpredictability and danger, Peahi has become one of the most prestigious big-wave events in the world. Now with both men’s and women’s divisions, it’s proven to be one of the most progressive and inclusive of any stop on the big-wave circuit.
The local talent proved worthy of calling Maui home as both Ian Walsh and Paige Alms took the top prizes during Saturday’s final heats. In these stacked fields of specialists, it’s always difficult to consider one or two surfers the favorites, but Walsh and Alms would have been in that discussion prior to the event. Each has a keen knowledge of the wave, as well as unquestioned ability and heart.
The men’s final sent a who’s who into the ominous lineup. Kai Lenny, Greg Long, Makuakai Rothman, Billy Kemper and Ryan Hipwood joined Walsh to attempt to tame the untamable. With the big-wave scoring greatly rewarding the best single wave of the heat, it’s really hard to beat whoever comes up with that top ride. So it’s no surprise that Walsh earned the highest single-wave score with a clean and quick barrel ride on a bomb of a wave.
He made the treacherous drop and got safely to the bottom, coasting back up into the pit and enjoying what must be the heaviest shower imaginable as the wave formed a thick crescent shape around his upright frame. He came out clean and scooted back toward the channel for a 7.67 score on his second attempt.
Not quite as fortunate was Billy Kemper, who rode the very next wave and got absolutely blasted by its force as he unsuccessfully attempted to outrun its ferocity. But Kemper ended up taking second place in this all-time lineup, followed by Rothman, Lenny, Long and Hipwood.
The women’s final had the feel of a two-woman showdown and that proved accurate. Maui’s Alms and Kauai’s Keala Kennelly seemed like the most capable candidates for the victory and despite a game effort for Keala, it was Alms earning the top prize for the second straight year. She wasn’t able to get barreled, but a late drop showed enough commitment as she managed to reach the bottom and then dive back through the face out of harm’s way. It received a 7.70, moving Alms ahead of Kennelly at that stage and she kept that position the rest of the way.
For Kennelly, she looked to be unfazed by the wave that injured her a year ago. She was the first of the heat to drop into a wave and grabbed the lead in the opening minutes with a 7.17 score. It came at the expense of her surfboard, which was chopped in half by the sheer power of Jaws. Her best backup left her just shy of Alms’s lead, but it was another great day for one of the most respected chargers of any gender.
IMPORTANT RESULT FOR COCO: Starting off outside the qualification boundaries in both the Championship Tour and Qualifying Series, Coco Ho changed that Saturday with a win at the White Buffalo Women’s Pro in Chiba, Japan. The win netted her 3,000 QS points and propels her from seventh to second on the QS leaderboard.
It could be enough to secure a spot on the 2018 CT, especially with Sage Erickson and possibly Tatiana Weston-Webb being able to use their CT ranking.
The victory came in a final heat against Bianca Buitendag, who still has a lot of word to do in order to re-qualify after losing her CT spot last season.
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David Simon can be reached at dsimon@thegardenisland.com.
