Page 4 - MidWeek West - Nov 30, 2022

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NOVEMBER 30, 2022
Aloha surfers and beachgoers,
Whoa, what a wild ride it’s been this win- ter season. We just had some more big surf whip up the north and northeast shores. Technically, winter doesn’t start until the solstice (short- est day) on Dec. 21, but when you see so many north-north- east to northwest, swells you know winter has essentially arrived.
BY GARY KEWLEY
Surfers Prepare For A Wild Winter Season Ahead
Hawai‘is own Ian Gentil at last year’s Hale‘iwa Challenger. PHOTO COURTESY WORLD SURF LEAGUE/ BIELMANN
This Hale‘iwa Challenger is the last of seven second tier World Surf League con- tests offering final chances to qualify for the first tier 2023 World Championship Tour. Only a handful of spots are available, so it’s intense.
This last series of near-warning-level north swell was pretty much storm surf for northern to northeast- ern exposures and there were
west and get two or three days done. They have till Dec. 7, so they’ll have no problem finding some good days. The forecast looks promising.
We also have CT-hope- ful and Maui local Gentil making his final bid into the big leagues. He had stepped away from his pro surfing
“One thing I’ve learned this year is that pressure is a good thing. It helps keep me focused. So, I hope I feel a ton of pressure at Hale‘iwa.”
gale-level trades, too. So, it was only for crazy wave war- riors. Plus, the north-north- east angle only permits cer- tain reefs to be even rideable. In surfing, it’s not just size that matters, winds and direc- tion make a huge difference, too.
Hawai‘i’s Ian Gentil (No. 5) and Ezekiel “Zeke” Lau (No. 9) have to do well to stay in the top 10 — that’s the magic number.
career but now finds himself well within range, so he’s going for it. A plus for Gentil is that he thrives on tension.
The final contest of the Challenger Series started its holding period Nov. 26 with the nutty northerly surf. Hale‘iwa likes west-north- west to north-northwest swells, not north-northeast angles. I’m guessing, as of this writing, they’ll hold off till Nov. 30 for a nicer north-
There’s 10,000 points up for grabs and 12,000 points between Leonardo Fioravan- ti (Italy), who’s in the No. 1 spot, and Lau. Fioravanti has to do sub par and Lau hastobeathisbesttopullit off. Fingers crossed. (Sorry, Leo.)
“Points and rankings aside, Hale‘iwa means a lot to me,” says Gentil. “I’ve been looking forward to this event all year and all things considered, I’m exactly where I want to be.
Check surfnewsnetwork. com and call 808-596-SURF for on-off-standby status.
GQ droppin’ in 4 U!
gary@surfnewsnetwork.com
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