Like the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, the Da Hui Backdoor Shootout has weather-dependent standards to meet its prestigious legacy. But unlike The Eddie, this beloved local event has the freedom to improvise and shape-shift on the fly if the waves don’t arrive.
As the surf world collectively celebrates event winners Max Torres (SUP), Pomai Hoapili (Longboard), and Kala Desoto, only 18 (Shortboard), the second and third days of a Da Hui Backdoor Shootout were unlike any other in its 30-year history.
When over a week of predominantly stormy weather allowed only one round of shortboard team competition and repeatedly caused six-hour rolling standby calls to end in “Off for the Day,” the Hui O He’e Nalu community organization was granted a rare two-day extension to the original contest window by the City and County of Honolulu.
When the swell still hadn’t filled in by the final morning of the window on Jan. 18, the club decided in agreement with the invited surfers to alter the event’s format completely by introducing the first-ever Da Hui Free Surf Expression Session.
“It’s good, because we have a lot of leeway in the way the contest is structured…we can ask the surfers what they want to do, and they didn’t want to surf in a competitive kind of event, so we threw out some ideas and thought out of the box” said Da Hui leader David Kawika Stant, Jr. “Sometimes they go, ‘Uncle, why don’t we just clear the water and have an expression session?’ I’m glad — it’s been brought up before, and today it finally happened.”
One week after the event’s Day 1 on Jan. 7 — where the longboard and SUP divisions were each able to run one heat and a final — Round 1 of the shortboard division ran on Jan. 14, granting each of the eight five-surfer teams 30 minutes to lock down preliminary scores.
Kala Desoto of Team Da Boyz was called out for catching the most waves of that day as he casually made barrel after barrel to the left and right, and an all-time barrel by Sheldon Paishon showed that the traffic from the West Side that caused him to paddle out three minutes late was worth it.
“For sure, [there were] some little nerves, but with five guys out, you’re just more nervous on the wave. But once you go, you’re good, get the emotion and the butterflies out,” Paishon said post-heat on Day 2 about his first time competing in the contest he’s dreamed of being in all his life.
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Two notable barrels from Team Peru on Day 2 caused the beach announcer to coin a clever pun about them “Peru-ving it!” at the North Shore Proving Grounds, but Mason Ho’s fun-filled, high-octane style “proved” equally effective. Maybe it was the bundled ti leaf offering he sent into the ocean for his uncle Derek Ho at the opening ceremony on January 3, or maybe his wild style matched the unpredictable nature of Day 2’s waves, but Mase scored a perfect, roomy barrel 10 minutes into the Snapt5 heat, and then a second barrel with 10 minutes left, another barrel that ended with a showy floater, and final skyward launch for an attempted rodeo air as the heat drew to a close.
“I had a lot of fun looking for the opportunities…I got lucky ‘cause I was with all my friends and we got to take turns,” Ho said post-heat on Day 2, noting that his favorite wave of the heat was “that first one, the nice, bigger, peaceful barrel.”
Eager to give the shortboard athletes more opportunities to score, the idea of wasting the waves on the window’s final day on January 18 was never an option for Da Hui or the athletes. When asked about having up to 40 of the best surfers freesurfing at Pipe instead of just one team at a time with the improvised format, many surfers echoed the sentiment of Shayden Pacarro’s words to commentator Mahina Meada in a lineup interview: “It’a like a normal session, but without a bunch of unqualified surfers.”
“It was so fun out there because everybody was just kind of hanging out like we would be on the beach…we were out there talking story,” said Volcom charger Jake Maki, who was among the athletes who spent the most time in the lineup during the Expression Session. Maki went from chop-hopping at Gums to attempting countless no-exit barrels —including one that snapped his board and sent him in for a replacement. He also performed the only headstand of the event after a small barrel on his favorite wave of the day, evoking comparisons to the antics of Duke Kahanamoku, the legendary waterman the event honors.
South African transplant to the North Shore, Benji Brand, found smooth success early in the Expression Session by threading a Backdoor barrel complete with a finishing turn, followed soon after by a clean Pipeline barrel with a snap at the end like an exclamation point. Kala Desoto and Shayden Pacarro continued their consistency from Day 2 of the event, displaying their ability to remain connected to the legendary break’s hidden gems even in a less-than-perfect North Shore season.
“It’s been a tricky winter overall. I feel like we’ve had a lot of these southwest winds, and it’s not what we want,” Pacarro said after his challenging heat with Team A New Earth Project on Day 2, where alternate Luke Tema replaced 11-time world champion Kelly Slater, who ultimately opted not to compete in the Backdoor Shootout. “I’d rather be out there in 12-foot, 15-foot out of control Pipe than be out here wishing for a wave, because when it’s big and crazy, you know there’s waves.”
As the Expression Session entered its final half-hour, a flurry of massive waves finally rolled into the lineup. Several athletes were caught inside, but Jake Maki said that he was among many that found themselves in the perfect spot for the biggest, cleanest wave of the day.
Mason Ho with the floater of the event. Photo: Zane Saenz.
Maki said the unspoken etiquette and friendship among the athletes at the peak ensured Mananalu Chandler was the one who got the most perfect offering of the Shootout’s final hour. Always one to stay busy, Makana Pang also caught one of the perfect waves from the late XL set, sending a salute to the beach before he pencil-dived to safety in the ultimate closeout.
Shortly after the athletes were back on the sand, Da Hui announced winners and distributed beautifully engraved wood alaia boards to SUP victor Torres, longboard legend Hoapili, and a special award to honor the Hawaiian Water Patrol. Stant, Jr. said Kala Desoto earned best barrel and best overall performance, stressing the plurality of the notable barrels the West Side legacy surfer had caught. Sheldon Paishon, Shayden Pacarro, and Benji Brand all tied for second place in the shortboard division based on their combined performances over the final two days, and each received small statuettes of the iconic Duke alaia.
The universal vibe at the end of the event was distinctive: bottomless pride for the Hawaiian culture and history being honored blended with the stoke of some truly epic waves ridden, mixed with relief that the event had finally been completed and a deep faith in the arrival of better waves next year.
