Here at SURFER, we’ve been stoked to see our beloved lifestyle grow and flourish in ways far beyond what was once imaginable. Adaptive surfing being one of the best examples of how the ocean continues to be a source of endless stoke.
The Hawai‘i Adaptive Surfing Championships (HASC), hosted by AccesSurf from May 5–8 at Queen’s Surf Break in Waikīkī, is one of the marquee events of the Association of Adaptive Surfing Professionals World Championship Tour. This year’s event was blessed with glorious conditions and an incredible turnout. As usual with adaptive events — the vibe was off the charts.
We’re stoked to have a contribution from ace photographer Tommy Pierucki, who left the Mexi Log Fest in Mazatlán two days early to make it back in time to shoot his eighth HASC event at his home break of Queens. All photos are from Tommy, who (if you haven’t already), you should definitely follow on IG @tommypierucki
Tommy Pierucki: I landed from Mazatlan at noon. By five o’clock I was at the Duke Kahanamoku statue for the opening ceremony of the Hawaii Adaptive Surf Competition. No time to think about the transition. Just make sure the batteries are charged and the cameras are ready to go.
2018 was the first time I started shooting this event, and outside of a two year pause the world took on all of us, I haven’t missed one since. Eight years in and it still hits different every time.
Tommy Pierucki
Queens is the right wave for this event in every way. It’s gentle and forgiving, the kind of break where someone catching their first wave has a real shot at making it. But it’s also Queens. Waikiki. The birthplace of modern surfing. There’s a weight to that place that you feel whether you’re surfing it or swimming in it with a camera.
Tommy Pierucki
The waves this year were something else entirely. I don’t have a better way to say it than that. The kind of surf that makes a good event into something people talk about for a long time after.
Tommy Pierucki
None of it happens without AccessSurf. What they put together for this event every year is staggering when you actually stop and look at all of it. Athletes from all around the world. A live broadcast. Beach announcers. Judges. A world class media team covering every angle and every emotional moment. Hospitality. Evening events. A cultural tent. A physical therapy tent so athletes can get work done on site. Breakfasts and lunches provided. Shaded and wheelchair accessible space for everyone. And then there’s the water transfer team, which is in a category of its own. These are the people who get athletes from the beach into the water and onto their surfcraft and back again, and they do it with a level of care and precision that is something to witness. The water safety team is the same way. And at the end of it all, a closing ceremony with awards and prizes that sends everyone home feeling it.
Tommy Pierucki
For a long time, the heart and soul of AccessSurf has been Cara Short. She built this event into what it is through years of leadership as executive director. This year she stepped into a new role as chief growth officer, and the baton passed to incoming executive director Zoe Lewis. To say Zoe stepped in with grace and promise would be an understatement. She absolutely killed it.
Tommy Pierucki
What I kept coming back to through the lens was the athletes and how they moved in the water, and the community that builds up around them on the beach. Joy is not a strong enough word for what this event produces. It’s electric. It fills up the whole beach and spills out into the water and you can feel it from wherever you’re swimming.
I’ve been lucky to document a lot of surf events. This one reminds me every year why I do this.
Tommy Pierucki
Division Winners:
Blind / No Vision
- Women’s: Marta Paço
- Men’s: Kirk Watson
Blind / Low Vision
- Women’s: Aleli Medina
- Men’s: Finn Banks
Any Kneeling / Upright
- Women’s: Tori Feige
- Men’s: Mark “Mono” Stewart
Tommy Pierucki
Prone Assist
- Women’s: Sarah Almagro
- Men’s: Tomoki Fujimura
Unassisted Prone
- Women’s: Kayla Moore
- Men’s: Ryan Porter
Waveski
- Women’s: Alana Nichols
- Men’s: Roy Tuscany
Upper Limb Standing (Men’s): Mike Richards
Below the Knee Standing
- Women’s: Laurie Phipps
- Men’s: Kenji Iko
Above the Knee Standing (Men’s): Luciano Marcos Silveira
Wounded Warrior
- Women’s: Theresa Minto
- Men’s: Jose Martinez
Related: The World’s Best Adaptive Surfers Are Coming to Waikiki