Surfing greats reunite at Makaha

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Makaha has always been a special beach in the world of surfing.

Hawai'i's Derek Ho was one of the standouts in the 35 to 44 age group of the Quiksilver Masters World Championship at Makaha Beach, winning his first heat and then placing second in his second heat. ASP Ellis

Only 32 former world tour surfers over the age of 35 are invited to compete in the event.

Because of that, the lineup is a who's who of past champions and surfing pioneers.

"This is unreal," said Makaha's own Rusty Keaulana, who was invited as a hometown wildcard and three-time former world longboard champion. "These guys were my heroes when I was growing up."

Among the international surfers in the field are former world champions Mark Richards, Barton Lynch, Wayne Bartholomew and Peter Townend of Australia, Shaun Tomson of South Africa, Martin Potter of Great Britain, and Tom Curren of California.

Hawai'i surfers invited were Keaulana, Dane Kealoha, Derek Ho, Michael Ho, Hans Hedemann, Bobby Owens, Reno Abellira and Buzzy Kerbox.

"We're all a lot older now, so it's more like a reunion than a contest," Kealoha said. "I still try to surf the waves as best as I can, so I guess I'm still competitive in that sense. But I'm not nearly aggressive as I used to be. This is more fun for me."

The contest is separated into two divisions, with 16 competitors in each. The masters division is for surfers age 35 to 44; the grand masters is for ages 45 and older.

Yesterday, two rounds of the masters division were completed, along with the first round of the grand masters.

Keaulana displayed his unmatched Makaha knowledge, catching some of the biggest waves of the day in the masters division.

"I feel like there's a lot of pressure on me because it's at Makaha," he said. "I'm just trying to stay focused and keep doing what I normally do out here."

In a format unique to the Masters Championships, each surfer will get to compete in the first four rounds. At the end of those four rounds, the top eight performers in each division will advance to the quarterfinals.

"This is fantastic for the sport," said Australian Gary Elkerton, a two-time champion competing in the masters division. "It's an extension for the older guys, just like they have in golf or tennis."

And not all the competitors consider it just for fun.

"I try to tell myself to take it easy, but once I got out there, it was like 'OK, here we go again,' " said Michael Ho, who won the grand masters division in 2000. "For me, I still feel like I have to do well in a contest because part of the reason I'm here is so I can pay my water bill and my electric bill."

Ho, 45, won his first-round heat in the grand masters division yesterday. His younger brother, Derek, 38, won his first heat and then placed second in his second heat in the masters division.

"We've been coming to Makaha since I was a baby," Derek said. "I was really happy when they moved it here."

The Masters Championships was created in 1997. It was postponed in 2002 and nearly again this year.

The 2003 event was originally scheduled to take place at Morocco, but several surfers indicated that they would not participate there because of that country's proximity to terrorist nations.

"I have a family and that's more important to me," Kealoha said. "There's no way I would have gone (to Morocco)."

In less than two months — Morocco was canceled as the site in November — arrangements were made for the contest to move to Makaha.

"It must be good karma or something," said Harry Hodge, chairman of Quiksilver International. "You don't just get to have a contest at Makaha every day. They welcomed us and everything worked out perfectly."

Elkerton added: "Morocco is actually a fantastic wave. But there's only one place in the world where you can find the aloha spirit, and that's Hawai'i, and especially here at Makaha."

The contest will continue on days when conditions permit. For daily status, call 596-7873.