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Duke's Ocean Fest kicks off
Duke's Ocean Festival

Queen's Surf, Waikiki
August 24 - 28, 2010

Perfect day to remember Duke Paoa Kahanamoku If you've ridden...
World's best to showdown at Billabong Pro Tahiti
Billabong Pro Tahiti

ASP World Tour Men's event #5
Teahupo’o, Tahiti
August 23 - September 3 2010

Meet Simon Anderson at HSS
MEET THE MAN WHO INVENTED THE THURSTER! SIMON ANDERSON WILL BE AT HAWAIIAN SOUTH...

Surf

Right On, Target

carissaintrostory Department mogul Target made its first strides into the surf world recently by officially signing one of surfing’s most publicized female upstarts, Hawaiian Carissa Moore, to their brand last week. The deal opens up the Minnesota-based company that posted a net income of $2.2 billion in profits in 2008, to the surf industry for the first time. Although the company’s entrance to the sport will inevitably raise a number of eyebrows, Target has been a player in the action-sports industry for nearly a decade, supporting snowboarding giant Shaun White for eight years.

By signing Moore, who at 16 years old is an 11-time NSSA National champ and is currently leading the WQS, Target is making a relatively understated entrance to the game. The details of Moore’s contract have not yet been released.

“We’ve been looking at Carissa for a few years now…after meeting with her and her family, we feel that she’s a perfect fit for our company and represents us well,” said Target Lifestyle Manager, Troy Michels. “Right now we’re not looking at doing anything but supporting Carissa and making sure that she gets all of the best opportunities out there."

Currently, Target is keeping their role in the surf world low-key, opting to keep their marketing team restrained in the coming years. “We’re currently not going to do any advertisements in the magazines or sponsor any events,” said Michels.

When asked if Target will be pursuing any other surfers to add to their bulls-eye logo, Michels did not discount the idea but remained adamant that they are currently only supporting Moore. “I can’t say if we’re going to be sponsoring anyone else or not in the surf industry just yet. But right now, we’re putting our support behind Carissa.”

Moore, who is poised to make her debut at the elite level come next year, effervescently stated that, “I love Target and I am honored to make my relationship with them official. Target opened two stores in Hawaii this year and it’s been great to have one so close to home. I’m really excited and am looking forward to working together. I know we’ll have a lot of fun.” —Jeff Mull

Kai Barger on a Tear

kaibarger_mld5526

Is there anything that Kai Barger can't do? As of late, Kai posted yet another notch in his belt wheh he won the latest Nike 6.0 Pro Junior in Huntington afront a mammoth US Open of Suring crowd. Remember Kai's name folks, from here on out, this kid is golden.

The Landlord Speaks

LEROY KAIWI on DK HYBRID 'The Landlord' as his close friends call him doesn't have much to say in the lineup. Whether it be from Pipeline, Off the Wall, local spots in Kauai, or his hometown of Maui...no other rider since the infamous Kainoa McGee has been able to transcend from island to island at the heaviest of localized spots and sit on the biggest and best set waves of the day without a blink of an eye from any local. Leroy has been busy developing with No.6 one of the most revolutionary hybrids for DK and prone. "Im not a huge contest rider and geared more towards free surfing sessions looking for the best swells" Kaiwi will tell anyone about his methods. "I still consider it important to have presence and participation in them though to support the scene and make sponsors happy." Leroy has turned his eye focus onto developing into what he has called the REMIX : old school stability and new school twist. The most important element of his design was to keep a focus on a new board that will enhance both DK and prone with subtlety lying in the new deck option and the power of CNC development. "There's only a few I would trust to help me develop and market a design like this...so it was a win win for the industry." Leroy is currently shooting for upcoming podcasts under the Electric Eye segments filmed by No.6 and taking advantage of the summer swells on the outter islands shooting with fellow team rider Kyle Matsumoto.

Under New MGMT

The hipsters of Honolulu gathered on Thursday July 16 to sold-out Pipeline Cafe to rock their skin-tight jeans to the beats of electronic rockers MGMT. It was the group’s virgin Hawaii appearance. The pre-show line was a buzz rounding the corner outside Pipeline Café, with trendiest ilk of the Pacific waiting to get in and see the group take the stage.

Lined wall to wall and shoulder to shoulder, the crowd move from side to side like a turbulent bathtub as the band performed tracks of their debut album Oracular Spectacular. The grooved-out keyboard-effected tracks would keep the crowd bobbing their collective heads but the hit songs such as “Time to Pretend” and “Electric Feel” would elicit shouts and cat calls as the crowd belted every word on cue.

Often going off into long improvised outros, the band showed their flair and deep-rooted love affair with music. With front men and band founders Ben Goldwasser and Andrew Van Wyngarden digging their time in the islands, one of the cats apparently went surfing, the Hawaii crowd made the indie-electro duo feel like heroes come home.

MGMT would exit Pipeline’s stage leaving the audience wanting more and with the whole place chanting for their return would come back for their encore playing two more songs. Hana Hou you hip bastards. Their last song would arguably be their most popular song. With the instruments down and the heavy electronic track starting, cheers filled the air followed by the lyrics of “Kids.” By the end of the night, many would leave Pipeline Café jazzed up from the uplifting first time Hawaii performance by MGMT.

Here’s hoping they come back soon.

The Real McCoy

The Chinatown Boardroom has become a bastion for Hawai‘i surf art and culture and their monthly Surf Discussion Series is a means to that end. On July 15, from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., legendary filmmaker Jack McCoy will take the stage. With over 20 movies under his belt including The Green Iguana and the Occumentary, the Hawai‘i-born movie-man will be on hand to talk about his expansive career and talk story. His Boardroom visit comes in conjunction with the second annual Surf Film Festival at the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

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Can Carissa Moore win a world title this year?

Featured Articles

The Nathan Fletcher Interview
The North Shore Big Wave Challenge
Off The Map - Rio de Janeiro
Grom Report: Maui’s Ian Genti
Pau Hana, The Ciotti Brothers
Tahiti Necessities
She Rips: Nage Melamed

Louder Than Words
More than the cigarette-and-inadvertent-gunslinger stare, there’s a quiet and almost dangerous quality to Nathan Fletcher. As someone that’s been in the media’s spotlight frtom the moment he first stood up on a surfboard and, by all means, comes from one of surfing’s most enigmatic and sometimes controversial families, it’s hard to come to grips with the idea that most of us simply don’t know much about Nathan Fletcher. Soft-spoken and hard charging, his steely glare and nonchalant attitude have kept him mysterious to the masses. Unknown. After decades of sitting in the dark, we made the attempt to sit down and talk to Nathan, bring him in to the light. It wasn’t easy, and true to reputation, his actions have always spoken louder than his words. This is Nathan Fletcher.

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.

rio 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.

gromreportiangentil 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

ciottibros 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).