Hawaiʻi launches first high school surfing state championship

This spring Hawaiʻi officially launched its inaugural high school surfing season, culminating in the first-ever HHSAA State Surfing Championship this May, a historic milestone in a state widely recognized as the birthplace of modern surfing.

A total of 55 high schools across the state’s five athletic leagues are participating in the inaugural season, with student-athletes competing in boys and girls shortboard, longboard and bodyboard divisions.

The launch of a statewide surfing championship builds on more than a decade of interscholastic competition. The Maui Interscholastic League has offered HIDOE-sanctioned surfing since 2014, helping lay the foundation for the sport’s expansion statewide. 

The effort was further enabled by the enactment of Act 141, signed by Gov. Josh Green last year, which provided funding to establish surfing as an interscholastic sport statewide.

The inaugural season will culminate in the state championship, scheduled for May 1-2 at Hoʻokipa Beach Park on Maui’s north shore. A total of 174 student-athletes will qualify for the championship meet, representing the top surfers from across the islands.

Upcoming events:

• April 11 – Maui Interscholastic League championship, Hoʻokipa Beach Park
• April 20 – Oʻahu Interscholastic Association championship, Kewalo Basin
• April 25 – Big Island Interscholastic Federation championship (Honoliʻi or Banyans)
• April 25 – Kauaʻi Interscholastic Federation championship (Pine Trees or Kealia Beach)

State Championship:

• May 1-2 – Hoʻokipa Beach Park, Maui