Evan Valiere Looks Back On His Inaugural Event

This winter, at an outer reef with a name we dare not mutter, Sion Milosky had been bobbing in the lineup for nearly three hours when fate struck. His arms were heavy but his heart was light. Electrifying bolts of adrenaline shot through his body and kept his reactions sharp. From his vantage point, through the deep breaths that accompany paddling into waves that could kill, the smell of Jet-Ski exhaust swept into his nose and the sounds of exploding masses of water filled his ears. In a few minutes, staring down a mountain of water, Sion will snap to attention and hurl himself down the face of a wave that many hard-charging veterans deemed the biggest they’ve ever seen anyone paddle into. The wave, an eerily blue aquatic nightmare to the meek and a grin-spawning chance of a lifetime for others, quickly became the stuff of legends on the North Shore.

By Beau Flemister
Last we talked, I was describing a day in the life in the city of Rio de Janeiro, coincidentally during the whirlwind days of Carnaval. And truthfully, what started as an experimental mission into Brazil, turned into a trip lasting a few months. I was seduced by the Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvelous City as it is known) and caught in her net of beauty. But like a hostage with Stockholm syndrome, I didn¹t want to leave.

Nickname: lhama
Birthday: February 12, 1996
Sponsors: Nike 6.0, Dakine and …Lost
School: CMA
Hometown: Pa-‘ia
Home Break: Ho‘okipa
Post-Session Grinds: Sandwich
Favorite Surf Movie: Days of the Strange
Favorite Music: I don’t really care

Healthy competition

By Noa Myers

Nainoa and Makana Ciotti are a great contemporary example of yin and yang. Makana is an all-time goof with Bobby Martinez-esque smooth, swooping shortboarding style. Nainoa has a more serious edge to him, evident in the fast, powerful cutbacks he does on his longboard. Nainoa is more prone to planing and Makana flows through life like it was a wave. But both have a laid-back approach to life and sport indomitably sunny dispositions that breathe an easygoing vibe into any situation.

Five things to stuff in your boardbag you shouldn’t be without

Traveling to Tahiti with a few big boards, non-chaffing boardshorts and an extra-large set of cojones is a given (oh yeah, and lots of sunscreen). But French Polynesia is more than just chucking barrels and it’s smart to be prepared for the down time. Here are some essentials to smash into the extra space in your boardbag:

Eyes on the Prize
Nage Melamed gets to work with the tools for success
By Christen Vidanovic 

Fourteen-year-old Kaua‘i native Nage Melamed was made for the water. She was born in her parent’s bathtub after they returned home from a trip to Tahiti. Her dad immediately called her Nage, which means “to swim” in French. The name is a perfect reflection of the Hanalei ripper, and Nage has been gracefully swimming through life ever since, balancing obligations (school) with her passions (the ocean).