Blog

Addicted to the feeling  Flying on a foil have many coming back for more I’ve been interested in learning to foil for awhile now, but it’s such a difficult sport to learn that I’ve never gotten out to give it a whirl. But that all changed the other day, when my friend Daniel Kaahanui and his business partner Mike Coleman took me out for a foil lesson. I ended up spending a couple of hours behind a ski, trying to get the board to lift up on the foil and “fly”—very challenging, but also super fun and very satisfying during...

NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2021     The Slater Connection—How Akila Aipa Became a Household Name Akila Aipa was content to quietly create beautiful, custom boards in the Waialua Sugar Mill, without much fanfare or hype. But when you are a master craftsman (and an excellent surfer with an undeniable pedigree, to boot), people will eventually begin to take notice. A few years back, Kelly Slater (which is from the same generation of pro surfers as Akila) asked Akila if he would like to collaborate on a quiver of boards, to see if they couldn’t dial in something special. Akila ended up...

The Slater Connection—How Akila Aipa Became a Household Name Akila Aipa was content to quietly create beautiful, custom boards in the Waialua Sugar Mill, without much fanfare or hype. But when you are a master craftsman (and an excellent surfer with an undeniable pedigree, to boot), people will eventually begin to take notice. A few years back, Kelly Slater (which is from the same generation of pro surfers as Akila) asked Akila if he would like to collaborate on a quiver of boards, to see if they couldn’t dial in something special. Akila ended up shaping seven boards for Slater—a...

Unparalleled Drive, Speed, and Control with the Vektor Fins Like many of Hawaii’s progressive surf designs, the Vektor Fin system found its start in the Waialua Sugar Mill. Ryan was foiling and cutting fins for other shapers, and started playing around with his own templates—just to do something different, with a focus on drive. Once the fins were developed, he started testing them on the North Shore, refining the templates and foils after each surf. The fins started out pretty big, but after a lot of hands-on R&D, the were shrunk down a bit to their current size. When you...

NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2021   Christmas Gifts and the Tradition of Ryukyu Glass When I was growing up in Okinawa, it was a US-occupied area with a heavy military and US presence. There was actually a Coca-Cola bottling company there, as many US companies were taking advantage of the tax breaks that were available from basing business in occupied areas. Okinawa is part of the Ryukyu Archipelago, a chain of islands in southern Japan that include Yanaguni, the home of a mysterious underwater monument. The Ryukyu area is also known for its exemplary glasswork, created by local artisans who developed their...

Hawaiian South Shore Fins We are super excited to share with everyone the Hawaiian South Shore Fins! Featuring custom outlines designed by the Hawaiian South Shore staff and beautiful hibiscus, monstera and pineapple logos that add a bit of local class to your board, the new Hibiscus Performance Rake, Pineapple High-Performance Rake, and Hibiscus Twin Fin, Performance Keep Twin Fins and Monstera Pivot, Hibiscus Hatchet Fins are in shop and available now! Hibiscus Twin Fins This twin fin set takes a familiar shape and adds a bit more rake to it to add just a little more drive and control through...

A note from HSS owner, David Kelly... In our Oct 2017 newsletter, Spencer Chang said that the MR Super Twin is by far the best board he's ridden—and that says a lot, because he's purchased a number of boards from us over the years. He said he liked the way the swallow tail felt. That reminded me of the Hayden Untitled I once rode. It was a friend's board, and I remember it actually had way too much float for me. The first wave I took off on was overhead, and I thought I was going to get pitched. But...

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2020   Taylor Jensen’s TJ Pro—The Preferred Board of a Three-Time World Champ Good surfers win contest, but good boards help—and Taylor Jensen’s TJ Pro has helped him collect three longboard world titles. Designed with shaper Dan Mann, the TJ Pro is Taylor’s go-to competition board, and comes in a stock size of 9'0". Originally available in Firewire Timbertek, but now in Thunderbolt Black (carbon fiber) and Thunderbolt Red (xeon fiberglass) The Thunderbolt Red provides a bit more flexibility and responsiveness, whereas the Thunderbolt Black is stiffer and provides more control in larger, more powerful waves. Regardless of...

Looking Back on 25 Years of Hawaiian South Shore   This November marks the 25th anniversary of Hawaiian South Shore, a business that holds a special place in my heart. It has become so much more than a surf shop for me; it is a passion, a community, and a family. Over the years, I have celebrated some of my happiest memories with the Hawaiian South Shore ohana. As I look back at 25 years with you all, I’d like to share the story of how Hawaiian South Shore came to be and some of my favorite milestones here. As...

NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2020   Looking Back on 25 Years of Hawaiian South Shore   This November marks the 25th anniversary of Hawaiian South Shore, a business that holds a special place in my heart. It has become so much more than a surf shop for me; it is a passion, a community, and a family. Over the years, I have celebrated some of my happiest memories with the Hawaiian South Shore ohana. As I look back at 25 years with you all, I’d like to share the story of how Hawaiian South Shore came to be and some of my...

  George Greenough is a visionary force in surfing. Over the years, he has been responsible for a number of innovations, including prototypes for camera housings, early shortboard shapes, iterations of the surf mat, the Spoon shape, vertical surfing, and early fish designs. But perhaps his greatest influence has been through the creation and refinement of the modern surfboard fin. His high-aspect ratio fin was based on the fin of a tuna fish, and helped bring about one of the biggest performance leaps in surfing history. Today, Greenough continues to think outside the box, tinkering and refining all matter of...

  The Helium Dominator II   From Designer Dan Mann:  " The Dominator II has the same float and fast planing that everyone loved about the Dominator years ago, but today it's more refined and tuned to suit a wider variety of surfers. From rippers like Kevin Shulz to beginners like my neighbor in Coronado, the Dominator II is my favorite all-round board to date. The Dominator II arrived at surf shops all over the world last week and I'm so stoked for everyone to ride it." SHOP DOMINATOR 2.0 NOW

The First Family of Modern Longboarding *All Photo Credit to Taylor Jensen @taylorjensentj   Taylor Jensen is a staple of competitive longboard surfing. He has won three world titles—back-to-back wins in 2011 and 2012, and his third in 2017. He’s also had a wide variety of other competitive success, including two wins at the US Open of Longboarding. Most longboarders have heard of Taylor, but not as many know his wife, Nava. But as it turns out, they should! Taylor and his family stopped by the shop during a recent visit to Hawaii, and while we were chatting he let...

Active Skin Repair—a First-Aid Kit in a Bottle First Aid Kit

NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2020   How to Face Your Fears in Bigger Waves *Photo Timmy Reyes With all of the heavy-water antics that the best in the world are doing these days, it is easy to become desensitized to big wave surfing. These days it can often seem like if you aren’t charging 50-foot Peahi, then you aren’t charging at all. But the reality is that we all surf at different levels, and that big waves and the fear that comes with them are largely relative. While it might take a massive Mavs bomb to get Aaron Gold’s blood pumping, for...

Over the past few years, Rob Machado has made waves with his fish designs that he has released through Firewire. The speed and flow of a twin-fin really match his stylish surfing and has inspired thousands of surfers around the world to stop trying so hard and just enjoy the ride. But lately, Rob has been feeling the thruster again and decided he wanted to ride something a little less alternative. The Glazer is a short, stubby, user-friendly thruster that has helped Rob fall back in love with a middle fin. It has lots of volumes, which makes it easy to paddle...

Chris Christenson is one of the most respected names in California. Known for his versatility and attention to detail, Chris Christenson shapes a wide range of boards, from retro fishes and longboards to some of the best big-wave boards in the industry. Christenson has shaped boards for some of the best surfers on the planet, including big wave pros Ian Walsh and Greg Long. He also collaborated with snowboarder Jeremy Jones, shaping the Jones Storm Chaser, which is a swallow-tailed fish-style snowboard. Christenson has been shaping since the age of 18. Mentored and influenced by Dick Brewer and Skip Frye,...