NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2021

The Future of Wave Pools in Hawaii

When you think of wave pools and the places that “need” them, you don’t often think of Hawaii. After all, we have one of the best swell windows on the planet, and enjoy consistent, large swells from the north all winter and waves ranging from surfable to epic from the south all summer. Considering how much surf we get naturally, it wouldn’t make any sense to build wave pools here, right?

Not so fast. 

As it turns out, there are four (yes, four!) potential wave pool projects currently in development for Oahu. Some of these have been in the works for years, while others are relatively recent developments. The longest-running project started around 2014, when investors started the ball rolling to get permits and land on which to build The Endless Summer Resort. This resort would be built around a circular wave pool that was originally intended to have a Greg Webber-inspired wave that did laps around the island in the middle of the pool. The design was then changed to use a different type of wave pool technology called PerfectSwell, which is the concept that is currently used at the pools in Waco and Japan. We haven’t heard a lot about The Endless Summer Resort in the past few years, but that doesn’t mean it’s been completely written off.

_{Photo Credit to: Surf City Hui}

In the meantime, the same guy who was originally behind The Endless Summer Resort has acquired permits and licenses to run a Surf Lakes wave pool, which uses the plunger technology that creates concentric waves moving out in all directions and impacting a number of different lineups/setups. The first Surf Lakes pool was built in Yeppoon, Australia, but the concept has now been licensed in numerous locations around the world, including Oahu. A company called Hawaii Surf Lakes, LLC, owns the license and intends to build a pool in Ewa Beach, a short distance from the other planned surf resort.

As if two wave pools weren’t enough, there’s also a project in motion to build a pool that uses the Wavegarden Cove technology. Honokea, the company behind this project, has been laying the foundation for Cove wave pools in the US since 2016. It has been looking at sites in Coachella Valley, California, but also plans to build a pool on Oahu, and has acquired a lease for a tract of land near Barbers Point.

Finally, WaiKai is the only company that has already broken ground on a wave pool facility on Oahu, although technically this facility will be a standing wave (similar to Waimea River) instead of wave pools such as the Surf Ranch and Waco. This surf park is on track to open in 2022, and will feature the world’s largest deep-water, citywave rapid wave pool.

So what does all of this mean for Hawaii? While it could still be a few years before we see any of these pools in operation, by the time the next generation of surfers is in the water, there should be multiple options for flat-day surf sessions, which is pretty convenient, especially when the forecast looks as small as it does for Oahu right now. More importantly, these pools will likely serve as the training ground for Hawaii’s best competitive surfers, who will be able to hone their skills in a controlled environment where they can practice specific tricks over and over.

Of course, there’s no substitute for real waves in a real ocean, and once the north swells start pouring in, it will quickly become clear who has been putting in their time in the saltwater and who has only been surfing in the pool. You definitely don’t want to be like Rick Kane in North Shore, who was the best surfer in his Arizona wave pool but got his butt handed to him when  he came to Hawaii! But that being said, there are definitely some exciting prospects for wave pools in the near future. It will be interesting to see what happens!

Lynne Boyer Surfing World Champion & Hawaii Artist

The other day I was at Kewalos checking the surf, and I was two women painting in the grass. I decided to go over and check out what they were doing, and while I was talking to them I found out that one of them was Lynne Boyer, the 1978 and 1979 surfing world champion!

I ended up talking to both women for a while, and Lynne told me her story, which was really quite interesting!

She moved over to Oahu with her parents when she was 11, as her dad was in the Army and was stationed here. She started surfing immediately, and soon was hooked. Her parents were super supportive, and before long Lynne was competing in the HSA events, where she was quite successful.

Right around this time, the world tour began with the first contest at Sunset, the Smirnoff Pro. The event put one woman in every six-man heat, and then combined the scores of all the women from the different heats to determine the winner. The next year the women had their own event, and by the late 1970s there was a proper world tour. Margo Oberg and Boyer were the two dominant forces in women’s surfing at that time, and traded off world titles in the late 1970s and early 1980s (Oberg won in 1977 and 1980, while Boyer won in 1978 and 1979, making her the first woman to win two world titles).

There wasn’t much money in pro surfing back then, and pretty soon Boyer traded her pro surfing career in for her first love—art. She had been painting since before she even started surfing, but really dove into it after her surfing career ended, and has been painting ever since. She still surfs, but she puts most of her energy into her art. She took some classes at UH, but is mostly self-taught, and really enjoys plein-air painting, which means painting outside. Boyer finds this style of painting to have much in common with surfing. You are outside in nature, have to adapt to the elements, and when you are in the zone, the paint just seems to flow, sort of like waves.

Boyer still lives in Hawaii most of the time, close to the waves that served as the platform for her professional surfing career. But she also travels to Hungary for a few months every year to paint. Meeting her at Kewalos was a great reminder of how lucky we are to have our surfing heroes right here on the beach and in the water with us every day, and also a reminder of how great it is to have more than just one hobby in life. Thanks for the interesting conversation, Lynne!

 Hawaiian South Shore Member of the Month - Kevin Connolly

When and why did you initially get into surfing?
I Started surfing on the east coast of North Carolina when I was around 14 years old. Love for board sports and the ocean is what really sparked it!

Did you have a time period you were laid off from surfing?
Laid off from surfing when I joined the navy back in 2006. My schedule was pretty insane and I didn't always have the ability to paddle out.

If so, when and why did you start back up?
I started back up last year when I moved to Hawaii! Amazing work schedule, world class waves, awesome people and great vibes! Taking a break from surfing due to my career was one of the few things I always regretted.

What is your favorite thing about surfing?
It’s the challenge, healing of the soul, peacefulness, respect for the ocean, passing on a lifestyle to my sons and creating new memories with my family and awesome like minded people.

Where is your favorite place to eat after surfing?
Steak out

What is your favorite item on the menu?
11 ounce steak, white rice and a salad.

What other hobbies do you have besides surfing?
Fishing, woodworking and riding motorcycles.

What type of work do you do?
I’m a rescue swimmer for the Navy. I currently train, evaluate and certify rescue swimmers and Naval ships in search and rescue operations.

Tell us about the board you recently purchased from us. What model and size is it, and how do you like its performance?

Recently brought the 7’4 Harley ingleby Moe. Running the HI XL quads. The board is fast, loose and has a pretty wide range of conditions to rip on. Sweet spot would probably be around the 2-5 ft range but I have had it out on 6-8ft days and I didn’t have any issues.

The board holds, paddles amazingly and is smooth. I Ordered the HIHP carbon a couple of months ago and I am stoked! December can’t come
quick enough!

Do you have any additional comments?
Yea big shout out to Hawaiian south shore for showing me the Aloha and making me feel like family! The amount of knowledge and care these guys have is unmatched! And thanks for the guidance on the right boards it has definitely made a big difference on my progression and stoked out level out on the water! 🤙

CUSTOMER REVIEWS

Joshua S. about JS Monsta Box 2020 5'7 Swallow Tail FCS2 

 

Exactly the quality design and craftsmanship I expected from JS, board works amazing and does exactly what you want. I never hesitate to grab a JS off the rack because I know it'll work.

Thanks Hawaiian South Shore and staff for bringing them in and making the purchase process easy and enjoyable!

Len about JS MONSTA BOX 2020 Squash Tail HYFI 6'0 V32.7 FUTURES

Love this board!! This board quickly became my daily driver. I would ride it anywhere on the south shore or when the north shore was less than head high. I’m a heavier guy so having the lightness of the epoxy for quicker speed generation in smaller surf is everything. When the waves turned on I would go back to my PU boards for the extra weight and stability. It was my first JS board and will definitely be buying another from their lineup

Stew808 about Kai Sallas WAIKIKI QUEENS 9'6 V77.2 Pink 

It's a beautiful board, not only the color but it surfs really nice, fast, smooth and it's not HEAVY which is awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zach O. about Kai Sallas Waikiki 9'6 V77.2 Blue

Love the shape and how light and responsive the board is while still being stable enough to comfortably noseride!

WHAT'S NEW AT HAWAIIAN SOUTH SHORE

HSS High-Performance Center Fin

The Great Supply Chain Disruption and How It Is Affecting Retail

^{Photo credit to NYTIMES.COM}

You may have noticed that there are shortages of a number of products at the moment—including surf gear. The global supply chain has been hit by a number of interconnected crises over the past 18 months that have combined to cause a huge backlog in production and delivery.

Obviously this has affected Hawaiian South Shore, where it has been difficult to keep up with our customers’ demand for new boards and other hardware. But it is also affecting retailers throughout the economy. In order to better understand what we are dealing with and how long it will last, I recently read an article in The New York Times about these product shortages.

Essentially, what we are looking at is a multi-pronged crisis that involves both shipping and production, and that is exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Suez Canal crisis earlier this year, and the fact that a lot of companies have gone to lean production to cut costs and overhead. Lean production, also known as “just-in-time supply,” is essentially the practice of shifting away from keeping large stocks of excess materials on hand, and instead having parts and materials delivered only when they are needed. This greatly reduces costs for producers, as they no longer have to deal with storing large amounts of material. But the problem with lean production is that it depends almost entirely on an efficient and undisrupted supply chain—something we have come to take for granted over the past few decades.

Unfortunately, starting in early 2020, our supply chain began to break down. Overseas factories had to close their doors during COVID-19 lockdowns, which means a shortage of parts and supplies. Likewise, the shipping industry was disrupted by the fact that numerous stevedores were either sick with COVID-19 or actively quarantining after exposure. With not enough employees to manage docks and unload cargo containers, ships were forced to queue up out at sea for weeks at a time, which further delayed deliveries of goods that were already in short supply.

The fiasco in the Suez Canal only made matters worse, essentially shutting down global shipping for over a week and causing a huge backlog in delivery. Meanwhile, consumers were rapidly changing their purchasing behavior. Since many of our normal forms of entertainment were no longer available during the pandemic (theaters, restaurants, clubs, gyms, etc.), people started stocking up on home entertainment equipment—TVs, bikes, surfboards, and the like. At the same time, shifting economic factors (such as the fact that tourism completely stopped here in Hawaii for a number of months) caused further disruptions in the supply chain.

For instance, because there were no tourists coming to Hawaii, rental car companies sold all of their cars, anticipating that they could buy new ones once tourism restarted. But with car manufacturers cutting production by nearly 40 percent due to a lack of parts, the market for both new and used cars has tightened considerably, with diminished stock and increased prices. Once tourists started coming back to Hawaii, there was a huge shortage of rental cars, which put further pressure on the car market.

As you can imagine, these sorts of scenarios have played out across the board, in virtually every industry and sector. As mentioned earlier, surf equipment has seen a huge surge in popularity during the pandemic, as more people gravitated to the outdoors, since that was one place they could still engage in exercise and entertainment during lockdowns. But it has been virtually impossible to keep up with demand in the sporting goods industry, due to the huge global supply shortage in virtually everything!

The big question at the moment is how long this “Great Supply Chain Disruption” is going to last. As of now, it’s pretty difficult to make any concrete predictions, since we are obviously still in the midst of a huge pandemic that seems to be surging past all previous records. Obviously we all hope that things will return to normal soon, but until it does, we are all going to have to find ways to adapt and make the best of the current situation.

For more information about this issue, feel free to check out the article in The New York Times here!