Eli Hanneman brings fire back to Huntington Beach, advances to Round of 32 at US Open of Surfing
Maui surfer Eli Hanneman came out firing at the US Opening of Surfing in the same form he won with in 2023, posting a 14.67 heat total in the Round of 64 on Friday.
Hanneman did what he needed to early in slow, one- to four-foot surf. The Lahaina native scored two of his three waves in the first four minutes of his heat—delivering a vertical backhand slash for a 7.0, then a controlled backside air for a 5.83.
He capped his performance with his highest score, a 7.67, for a pair of tail-blowing turns on steeper sections.
“It got slow,” Hanneman said in a post-heat interview. “Luckily, I got those three waves and then the rest of the heat just kind of went flat. I definitely did all that I wanted to do in that heat.”
Now in the Round of 32, Hanneman will surf again on Saturday, Aug. 2, in Heat 2 against Nolan Rapoza (USA), Mateus Herdy (BRA) and Dimitri Poulos (USA). Live coverage resumes at 4 a.m. HST on worldsurfleague.com.
This week, banners featuring Hanneman have gone up across Huntington Beach, Calif., a place he called a “second home break.” It’s also where he won the US Open of Surfing two years ago.
“I love coming here. I’ve been competing here ever since I was little,” he said. “That was still probably the best day of my life, and I’m looking to recreate it. I always feel so connected out here.”
Hanneman, currently ranked 12th on the Challenger Series leaderboard, has emerged as the top-performing Maui surfer so far this season, leading fellow Maui surfers Ian Gentil, Jackson Bunch and Imaikalani deVault. Earlier this summer, Hanneman reached the quarterfinals at the Ballito Pro in South Africa, where he was eliminated by eventual event winner Luke Thompson.
The Challenger Series is the pathway to the elite Championship Tour. At season’s end, the top 10 ranked men will qualify for the 2026 CT.
Amidst the pressure, Hanneman shared what kept him grounded on Friday.
“When it gets slow like this I like to just anchor down, back myself,” he said. “I like to mumble little things in the heats. Today, it was a Bible verse—Joshua 1:9: ‘Be strong, be courageous. Don’t be afraid, don’t be discouraged, and know that the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’”
“It’s good to mumble to remind yourself of things that are important to you.”
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