North Shore surfer captures Xcel Pro

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Now it can be said: Gavin Beschen is a North Shore surfer.

Gavin Beschen needed only two (of a maximum three) rides to score enough points to win the Xcel Pro yesterday at Sunset Beach. The contest was held in waves that ranged from 8 to 15 feet. Bernie Baker • Special to The Advertiser

"This is what you live for when you grow up (as a surfer)," said Beschen, 25. "There's no better place you want to win a contest."

In stormy ocean conditions and waves that ranged from 8 to 15 feet throughout the day, Beschen prevailed over a field that included most of Hawai'i's top professionals, and other noted big-wave surfers from around the world.

Because of the adverse conditions, the contest turned into a battle of attrition. For most of the competitors, Mother Nature proved to be the most formidable opponent.

"And you could say the ocean came out on top," said Australian Paul Paterson, who placed second.

Several surfboards were snapped in half during the competition, and two competitors — Larry Rios and Rainos Hayes — suffered rib injuries.

Kaua'i's Bruce Irons, who placed third, said: "This was pushing the limit. You can't hold a contest in conditions crazier than this."

But Beschen stayed calm amid the chaos.

Although raised in San Clemente, Calif., Beschen has spent most of the last five years residing on O'ahu's North Shore. His practice and patience finally paid off yesterday.

In the 40-minute final, he won by catching just two waves, an incredible accomplishment when considering that the final score is supposed to consist of a surfer's top three waves.

"I was just hoping the waves I did catch would make up for the mistake of not catching three," Beschen said.

He did not ride his first wave until more than half of the 40 minutes had expired, but he more than compensated for the lost time.

On a 15-foot wave, he carved his board across the open section, staying just ahead of the dangerous whitewash the entire way.

"The first five feet of the takeoff, I almost fell flat on my face," he said. "After that, I put on my survival stance and did what I could. The wave pretty much did the rest. I just rode it."

The judges rewarded him with a near-perfect score of 9.8. His second wave later in the heat scored 6.0, giving him a total of 15.8.

Beschen earned $4,000 for his first victory in a Hawai'i contest.

"Surfing out here takes a lot of experience," he said. "But it's a great wave to surf if you do have the experience."

Along the way to the title, Beschen defeated world champion Sunny Garcia in the fourth round, and then his older brother, Shane Beschen, in the semifinals.

"I never got to do that, so it was a great experience," Gavin said. "But I would have liked to have made the final with him."

Paterson caught three waves in the first 15 minutes of the final, but then spent the rest of the time battling the raging current. His three-wave score was 13.9.

"It was hard just to maintain position," Paterson said. "The current was so strong, it was just sucking us out. There were some good waves, you just had to be lucky enough to be in the right position to get one."

Irons, the 1999 Xcel Pro champ, opted to chase the "smaller" inside waves, which were around eight feet, but with a cleaner shape than the larger outside waves.

"I was trying to find a barrel in there," said Irons, who is from Hanalei, Kaua'i. "But it was pretty hard just to sit there. I was getting cleaned out every time the (bigger waves) came in."

Because he was not prepared for yesterday's conditions, Irons borrowed a surfboard from world champion Sunny Garcia after Garcia was eliminated earlier in the day.

"My board was too narrow for these waves," Irons said. "I wasn't expecting the waves to be this big, so I didn't bring my big boards."

Irons' top three waves in the final scored 13.2, which was good enough for third place and $1,500. He also clinched the 2001 Hawaiian Pro-Am Circuit title.

Australian Matt Thompson placed fourth with a three-wave total of 7.0.

Pancho Sullivan, the 2000 Xcel Pro champion, was eliminated in the fourth round along with Garcia.

The Xcel Pro, which has been held on O'ahu's North Shore for 18 consecutive years, is considered the start of Hawai'i's famed winter surf season.

The G-Shock Hawaiian Pro, the first jewel in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, is scheduled to begin Monday at Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach.

Xcel Pro

Final results

1, Gavin Beschen (California), $4,000. 2, Paul Paterson (Australia), $2,000. 3, Bruce Irons (Hawai'i), $1,500. 4, Matt Thompson (Australia), $1,300. 5 (tie), Rainos Hayes (Hawai'i) and Braden Dias (Hawai'i), $1,000. 7 (tie), Shane Beschen (California) and Liam McNamara (Hawai'i), $800. 9 (tie), Tamayo Perry (Hawai'i), Rob Zitz (Hawai'i), Nainoa Suratt (Hawai'i) and Sai Smiley (Hawai'i), $700. 13 (tie), Kuilee Murphy (Hawai'i), Larry Rios (Hawai'i), Roy Powers (Hawai'i) and Jesse Merle-Jones (Hawai'i), $600.