HIC Pro holds first day in 15-to-20 foot surf

HALEIWA—Today is the first day of the HIC Pro presented by Vans at Sunset Beach. Contest organizers decided to hold the contest this morning in surf that Surfline.com is reporting to be approximately 10-to-15 feet, or two-to-three times overhead, while Vans.com reports 20 foot waves. The live webcast is available online at Vans.com for spectators who would like to stay out of the rainy North Shore weather today. The waves are expected to be biggest earlier in the day with the occasional 18 foot sets at certain reefs along the North Shore.

The first North Shore event of the season, the HIC Pro began its 14-day holding period on Thursday, October 28. The contest was called off on Friday due to small waves.

Approximately 112 surfers from seven nations including Japan, Brazil, Venezuela, and Australia are expected to compete in the contest. The contest was called the XCel pro for 26 years until becoming the HIC Pro with Vans as the presenting sponsor. The ASP sanctioned 4-star event features an $85,000 purse, and will be the final contest for surfers hoping to qualify for the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing which includes the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Alii Beach Park, the O’Neill World Cup at Sunset Beach, and the Billabong Pipeline Masters. The HIC pro will be held over three days of the best surf during the holding period.

Click here to view the contest’s live webcast