We rolled up to Pine Trees on Friday to check the waves before the event, but found nothing but flatness. With no swell in the forecast we were scrambling, trying to find a new contest site anywhere with a hint of waves. After all these attempts failed we were left thinking we’d have to postpone or cancel the event. However, mother nature had other plans and sent us some insane chest to head high waves with rippable conditions all day.



Once we finished the beach entry craziness, we kicked off the event with the Grom division who looked hungrier then a pack of wild hyenas. It was a battle to the end with each little person trying to qualify for the Totally Crustaceous Tour World Champs. After battling through 4 rounds of sudden death heats, it was Koa Smith who managed to stay jacked up enough on Monster to take the win. Jesse Guglielman looked like a favorite all day but it wasn’t quite enough to take on Koa’s caffeinated attack. Keala Naihe also looked like a key factor nailing the Electric Volt Thrower move of the day, but failed to find a decent back up. Rounding out the rest of the final was Roy Carvalho, Keola Carreira, and Mana Medeiros.



The Juniors in Kauai seem like they improve daily and put on more of show then Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. In the final Kaimana Jaquias looked like the favorite for the win, already winning $100 dollars cash in the airshow. Unfortunately for Jaquias, Nathan Carvalho hit the water with such a fury that even Nick Nolte looked sane. Elliot Leon and Ry Cowan both made strong pushes but had to settle for third and fourth respectively. Eli Olsen and Gavin Klein rounded out the final and look like major forces in the years to come.



The Girls heats were incredibly stacked with a variety of seasoned WQS competitors all battling it out for first. Alana Blanchard looked like she had the heat in the bag posting the highest score of the final but unfortunately couldn’t find a decent backup. This left the door open for recent US Open winner, Malia Manuel to grab two solid waves along with the win and more prizes then she knew what to do with. Leila Hurst, Erica Steiner, Nage Melamed and Tatiana Westin rounded out the rest of the final.



The Pro-Am division was a mix between young and old, each battling it out for the $500 first place prize. Kyle Gates looked like a key competitor going into the final, already snagging a spot to the Champs in the Juniors division. However, 40 year old Reuben Balmores came out of left field, grabbing the wave of the heat in the opening minutes of the final which gave him the confidence and early lead to dominate the rest of the final. When the final buzzer rang it was Reuben who walked away with the cash, a Riviera complete and a grip load of prizes. Nat Rex, Kamalei Alexander, Danny Fuller and Bear Bailey rounded out the rest of the final.



A quick Air Spectacular heat was thrown together and Kaimana Jaquias took the win and the $100 bucks in cash.



Special thanks to Monster Energy for throwing the support needed for the BBQ and free drinks. Also a huge thanks to Hanalei gourmet (big Tim) for cooking it up. An extra big thanks to Charlie and all his crew at Hanalei Surf for helping us make this event happen on Kauai.



Special Thanks Goes Out To Our Product Sponsors:

ELECTRIC VISUAL
MONSTER ENERGY DRINK
FUEL TV
RIVIERA SKATEBOARDS
SKULL CANDY
CHIPOTLE
SANTA CRUZ-NHS
OGIO
DVS SHOES
VESTAL
CREATURES OF LEISURE
SMART WATER
PRO-LITE
FUTURE FINS
FAMOUS WAX
H20 AUDIO
SPECK PRODUCTS
EBOOST
SUN CURE & DING ALL
HEADHUNTERS
SURFING
SURFER
TRANSWORLD SURF
WATER
BLISSS MAGAZINE



RESULTS

PRO-AM
1.Reuben Balmores $500
2.Kyle Galtes
3.Nate Rex
4.Kamalei Alexander
5.Danny Fuller
6.Bear Bailey

JUNIORS
1.Nathan Carvalho
2.Kaimana Jaquias
3.Elliot Leon
4.Ry Cowan
5.Eli Olsen
6.Gavin Klein



GROM
1.Koa Smith
2.Jesse Guglielman
3.Roy Carvalho
4.Keala Naihe
5.Keola Carreira
6.Mana Medeiros

GIRLS
1.Malia Manuel
2.Alana Blanchard
3.Leila Hurst
4.Erica Steiner
5.Nage Melamed
6.Tatiana Westin Webb

Electric Volt Thrower
Keala Naihe - $50





Surf photos provided by Aja Oxman and footage by Keoni Lau

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