Page 6 - MidWeek West - Nov 9, 2022

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NOVEMBER 9, 2022
Aloha surfers and beachgoers, November was off to a good start for town but things weren’t looking so great for country. We saw above av- erage waves late in the season for south shores — in fact, we had not one, but two sol- id south-southwest swells Nov. 1-4. Meanwhile, the North Shore has been snoring with below average north to north-northwest swells.
BY GARY KEWLEY
Big Names Hit The Waves At Sunset Pro Contest
Nonetheless, the Sunset Pro presented by HIC kicked off on Halloween in Val’s Reef — that’s inside Sunset’s main peak. It was amazing to watch
Val’s is tricky and shifty but when the right wave lines up, it has enough shape and juice for high-level performances, and we saw that all day long. Indeed, it became clear the competitors were rising to the occasion and showcasing commanding maneuvers.
Another one to watch is 16-year-old Jackson Dorian, who is making his World Surf League debut. If his name rings a bell, it should. He’s the son of legendary surfer Shane Dorian, considered by many to be the best big-wave rider of all time.
I will have results posted on surfnewsnetwork.com.
two dozen high-level surfers warm up before the first heat. They had to go because the forecast had been uncoopera- tive through the holding peri- od of Oct. 28–Nov. 6.
2019 winner Cody Young, cur- rent qualifying series No. 1 Eli Hanneman and emerging tal- ent Jackson Bunch. Also, we have former WCT and Sunset victor Dusty Payne from Maui and Koa Smith from the North Shore as wild cards.
Erin Brooks of the North Shore is hoping to make it to the next level. She’s consid- ered one of the top emerging talents and will be going up against North Shore power- house Moana Jones Wong, and No. 2 Puamakamae DeSoto of Makaha. DeSoto is the daughter of world long- board champ Duane DeSoto and Malia Ka‘aihue. Brooks will also face WCT rookie of the year Gabriela Bryan.
There are big names in this event: Top 10 World Cham- pion Tour’s Barron Mamiya, reigning champ Billy Kemper,
Let’s not forget the wom- en and girls. Fifteen-year-old
GQ, droppin’ in 4 U!
O‘ahu’s own Kylen Yamakawa dominated in his debut at The Sunset Pro presented by HIC. PHOTO COURTESY WSL/HEFF
gary@surfnewsnetwork.com