Bonga Perkins nabs Paddle Core Fitness Pro at Sunset
Paddle Core Fitness Pro
Sunset Beach, Hawaii
20 January 2008
Bonga Perkins claims Paddle Core Fitness Pro at Sunset
Bonga Perkins from Haleiwa took down a final of international big wave riders on eighteen to twenty five foot westerly peaks at Sunset Beach to claim the first ever Paddlecorefitness.com stand up surfing event on the north shore of Oahu.
Bonga Perkins : photo Allen Mozo
In a final which also featured Hawaiian SUP Pipe specialist Ikaika Kalama, tow and big wave specialist Garrett McNamara and Australian paddle board champion Jamie Mitchell, Perkins’ knowledge for the break and impeccable timing, got him the perfect wave and an 8.5 score to move past the field of waterman in the 30 minute final.
“It was so hard out there,” said Perkins, “the wind was howling as we were trying to get down the faces and it just kept blowing us back up the wave.” Proof of that was GMac as he was a quarter way down one of the large twenty-five foot waves and got completely blown backwards allowing Perkins to get a big score.
Jamie Mitchell : photo Allen Mozo
“I buckled my heavier board at Maverick’s and was riding a lighter board so it was so hard to drop down the faces. But this gave us an idea of what it’s like when those big peaks come in and the wind’s howling. I kept thinking, I wish I had my heavier the whole time,” explained a stoked McNamara. For Jaime Mitchell, the waterman from down under picked off five inside 15 foot faces but couldn’t muster enough points to amount any kind of solid lead.
Finishing runner up to Perkins was Ikaika Kalama who earlier in the day, escaped a death defying guillotine at the Banzai Pipeline when he took off at the break on a twenty foot wave that just shut down on his 9’2” Paddle Surf Hawaii during peak low tide, narrowly missing some serious career injuring knee injuries and his runner up board at Sunset.
Said Kalama, “I’m so lucky man. So close to getting hurt at Pipe and now surfing some gnarly Sunset. But I had fun out there. Four guys in the final and big Sunset. What a day and completely unscathed.” Paddlecorefitness.com
Results:
1st- Bonga Perkins, Haleiwa, Hawaii $500
2nd-Ikaika Kalama, Waialua, Hawaii
3rd-Jamie Mitchell, Australia
4th-Garrett McNamara, Sunset Beach, Hawaii