Scottie Stopnik and Turkey take us through the OC badlands.

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SEBASTIAN MEMORIAL DAY BLAST

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By Jeff Mull

At 19 years old, Kekoa Cazimero has a lot more going for him than just a stellar junior career. Yes, he’s one of Hawaii’s most promising young surfers, but what had us doing a doublet-take was the fact that Koa has started his own nonprofit foundation to help send young Hawaiian surfers to Nationals. Couple that with the new release of his own film, Riding with Koa, and we just had to chew the fat with the young philanthropist.

We heard a rumor that you’ve started your own nonprofit. Isn’t that something you normally do when you retire?

Yeah, I do have my own nonprofit. It’s called the Koa Tree Foundation and I set it up with the help of my dad and my friend Daniel Ito last year. We’re pretty stoked on it.

Can you talk a little bit about how you got the idea to do something like that?

Well, a few years ago, Alessa Quizon won the regionals in Hawaii but couldn’t afford a plane ticket to go to Nationals in California. I think two of her sponsors went under and she just couldn’t make it happen. I’ve known Alessa for a long time and after watching her win Regionals out here in Hawaii, I just knew she could win Nationals in California. So I bought her a ticket and sure enough she won her division at Nationals. Now she’s riding for Billabong and is just killing it. After that, I just decided to keep helping out young kids from Hawaii. That’s basically how I started the Koa Tree.

What kind of reaction have you gotten from people when they hear that you’re doing this for the kids?

It’s been really positive. I’m surprised by how many people know about it, but yeah, people are pretty stoked on it. It’s a good thing for sure.

How do you go about selecting who receives the help to go to nationals?

What we did this year was we had all of the kids write an essay on what they’ve done for their community in the past and if they were to be successful in the future, how would they give back to their community? So all the kids that applied had to write on that. Then we looked at their report cards. From there, we were able to pick someone to help out.

So who are you sending to Nationals this year?

This year, we’re sending Kalani David. He wrote a great essay and has done a lot community work in the past. At the Pipe Masters last year, he was selling lemonade. He gave all of the money he made doing that away to charity. So, yeah, he’s a really good kid. I think he’s gonna win at Nationals this year too.

It’s not cheap sending someone to California from Hawaii for two weeks. How are you footing the bill?

The first year, I paid for Alessa to go out of my own pocket. This year, I’m working with a bunch of my sponsors and they’ve been great. I have a deal with them where they help out with the funding. This year, we’re doing a lot for Kalani. We’re getting his flight, car rental, a hotel room for two weeks, and some tickets to Disneyland. He’ll be stoked.

That’s some pretty generous stuff. I heard that you also have your own movie coming out.

Yeah, we’re actually premiering the movie in Hawaii tonight. It’s called Riding with Koa and I’m really happy with the way it turned out. It’s not your standard surf movie at all, there’s a lot of lifestyle mixed in to it and there’s some pretty funny parts too. There’s a lot of surfing, but we just tried to do something a little different than the standard surf movie.

You sound like you’re a pretty busy guy. What do you have planned for the next few months?

I’d like to keep working with the Koa Tree because it’s something I love doing. I also really want to get a cover. I’ve got four trips planned so that’s what I’m shooting for. I really also want to win Worlds.

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In 1988, with the release of FILTHY HABITS, Billabong changed the surf video forever. Raw and unapologetic, FILTHY HABITS presented the untouchable Billabong team in a revolutionary formula that simply featured kick-ass surfing cut tightly to kick-ass music. Twenty-one years later…Sit back and enjoy this historic ride into the future as the Billabong team takes you up, over, down under, and around the world. Featuring surfing by Andy Irons, Taj Burrow, Joel Parkinson, Dave Rastovich, Wade Goodall, Torrey Meister, Shane Dorian, TJ Barron, Sterling Spencer, Laurie Towner, Tamaroa McComb, Granger Larsen, Kolohe Andino and of course the legend himself, Occy.

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By Jeff Mull

At 19 years old, Kekoa Cazimero has a lot more going for him than just a stellar junior career. Yes, he’s one of Hawaii’s most promising young surfers, but what had us doing a doublet-take was the fact that Koa has started his own nonprofit foundation to help send young Hawaiian surfers to Nationals. Couple that with the new release of his own film, Riding with Koa, and we just had to chew the fat with the young philanthropist.

We heard a rumor that you’ve started your own nonprofit. Isn’t that something you normally do when you retire?

Yeah, I do have my own nonprofit. It’s called the Koa Tree Foundation and I set it up with the help of my dad and my friend Daniel Ito last year. We’re pretty stoked on it.

Can you talk a little bit about how you got the idea to do something like that?

Well, a few years ago, Alessa Quizon won the regionals in Hawaii but couldn’t afford a plane ticket to go to Nationals in California. I think two of her sponsors went under and she just couldn’t make it happen. I’ve known Alessa for a long time and after watching her win Regionals out here in Hawaii, I just knew she could win Nationals in California. So I bought her a ticket and sure enough she won her division at Nationals. Now she’s riding for Billabong and is just killing it. After that, I just decided to keep helping out young kids from Hawaii. That’s basically how I started the Koa Tree.

What kind of reaction have you gotten from people when they hear that you’re doing this for the kids?

It’s been really positive. I’m surprised by how many people know about it, but yeah, people are pretty stoked on it. It’s a good thing for sure.

How do you go about selecting who receives the help to go to Nationals?

What we did this year was we had all of the kids write an essay on what they’ve done for their community in the past and if they were to be successful in the future, how would they give back to their community. So all the kids that applied had to write on that. Then we looked at their report cards. From there, we were able to pick someone to help out.

So who are you sending to Nationals this year?

This year, we’re sending Kalani David. He wrote a great essay and has done a lot community work in the past. At the Pipe Masters last year, he was selling lemonade. He gave all of the money he made doing that away to charity. So, yeah, he’s a really good kid. I think he’s gonna win at Nationals this year too.

It’s not cheap sending someone to California from Hawaii for two weeks. How are you footing the bill?

The first year, I paid for Alessa to go out of my own pocket. This year, I’m working with a bunch of my sponsors and they’ve been great. I have a deal with them where they help out with the funding. This year, we’re doing a lot for Kalani. We’re getting his flight, car rental, a hotel room for two weeks, and some tickets to Disneyland. He’ll be stoked.

That’s some pretty generous stuff. I heard that you also have your own movie coming out.

Yeah, we’re actually premiering the movie in Hawaii tonight. It’s called Riding with Koa and I’m really happy with the way it turned out. It’s not your standard surf movie at all, there’s a lot of lifestyle mixed in to it and there’s some pretty funny parts too. There’s a lot of surfing, but we just tried to do something a little different than the standard surf movie.

You sound like you’re a pretty busy guy. What do you have planned for the next few months?

I’d like to keep working with the Koa Tree because it’s something I love doing. I also really want to get a cover. I’ve got four trips planned so that’s what I’m shooting for. I really also want to win Worlds.

By Jeff Mull

Seated comfortably on a dingy, overstuffed couch at SURFER Mag HQ, Malia Manuel is trimmed in slate-blue Levis, a pastel-shaded hoody, and a pair of thick-tongued Nike 6.0s. She looks every bit the part of the modern hipster and at first glance appears equally in tune with the intricacies of modern teenage couture as she is with her aggressive approach in the water. Hailing from the outer island underground of Kauai, Malia’s words are delicate and soft. She pauses to think before she begins every statement; it’s a characteristic that gives the 15-year-old the vibe that she is wise well beyond her youthful years. Couple all of her wonderful tact and endearing demeanor with a monumental U.S. Open win last summer, a recent photo shoot for Vanity Fair magazine, and the unending admiration of her counterparts and you’ve got yourself woman that’s poised to become one of the greatest female surfers of today. Meet Malia Manuel.

When we heard you were in town for a Vanity Fair photo shoot, we did a bit of a double take. Was that a rumor or are you tapping into the mainstream magazine market?
Nah, it’s not a rumor. It was actually really fun. We did this whole group-shot-photo thing for Vanity Fair at one of the beaches down here in Southern California. We were all in bikinis standing in the water with our boards for hours. It was freezing cold, but it was definitely a very cool experience.

So who was in the shoot with you?
It was all of the top surf girls like Sophia, Sally, Coco—all the girls that flew over to California before heading off to Portugal for the QS event. We had such a fun time doing it. But doesn’t that sound weird? Vanity Fair doing something on surfing…it definitely took some work though to get it done. I think we were there for like four hours.

How did you get approached to do that?
Some of the girls at O’Neill were in contact with Vanity Fair. They basically organized the whole thing for me. I just had to show up and smile.

Was it this mammoth production with a huge crew and everything?
No, it wasn’t really like that. It was pretty mellow. I mean a bunch of the girls were wearing Gucci and some stuff like that so it felt pretty glamorous when we were all standing in the water, but there weren’t any helicopters flying overhead.

Would you say this is this the beginning of a budding modeling career for you?
Nah, I don’t think so. I’ve done a few modeling shoots in the past, but I’m going to stick to surfing.

Okay, let’s get back to surfing. There’s no denying that there’s a major power shift with the women taking place right now. What’s your take on the next crop of girls coming up?
I think we’re definitely changing the way women’s surfing is viewed a lot. Just look at Steph [Gilmore] and see how much she’s changed everything. There’s a new generation taking hold.

Changing topics for a second, a lot of the younger surfers these days are home schooled. Is that something you do, or do you go to traditional school?
No, I go to a regular high school on Kauai. I home-schooled for a bit when I was in the eighth grade and I then I went back to regular school and I love it. I think it’s the best way to do it because you learn a lot about people—like how to interact and that kind of stuff. It’s not easy having to travel when you’re in regular school, but to me it’s worth it because I love being able to go to school with a bunch of my friends…you know, like going to prom, winter ball, football games, soccer games. I just love it.

Can you see a woman ever qualifying for the men’s world tour?
No. I mean, it’s a possibility but I don’t think women should ever have to prove themselves like that. It’s not really a comparison. I think they’re two different games.

How do you feel about the term “you surf like a guy”?
I think it’s definitely a compliment because guys surf with so much power. I would take that as a compliment for sure, but I still think that guy’s surfing and girl’s surfing are two different things.

What else can we expect of you this summer?
Well, I’m getting ready for Nationals and a few other contests. There’s the U.S. Open and a few contests in Hawaii I’m looking forward to entering. I’m gonna be pretty busy, that’s for sure.

Are you looking forward to jumping on the QS?
I think it’s about time for me to head on up. I feel like I’m a grandma on the NSSA and feel like I’ve been doing it forever. So I’m definitely looking forward to it.

By Jeff Mull

It’s an overcast and misty morning on the North Shore at Ted’s Bakery. Seated amid a mound of fresh pastries and energy drinks are two of Hawaii’s most promising young surfers, Keanu Asing and Zeke Lau. As they pick apart a sugar-spackled bear claw and ingest unhealthy amounts of something called “guarano” the conversation switches to the surf. It’s spring on the island of Oahu, and although the waves on the North Shore aren’t making widows and the southerlies have yet to hit their Apex, there is still fun-sized surf on both sides of the island today.

“Where do you think will be good?” asked Zeke, between bites of his pastry.

“I don’t know, maybe Gums or Logs,” replied Keanu. “I wonder how Town is?”

“Probably, pretty fun. Maybe it’s cleaner there than up here.”

A noble yet telltale question if there ever was one. Two very different coasts on the same island producing some very different surf; all under the same light of the day. It was our own penny-saving, backyard surf trip, and truth be told, we couldn’t have been happier as we readied ourselves for the trek across the island.

After breakfast, Zeke, Keanu, and Uncle Tommy (Zeke’s Dad) piled into the truck where Keanu took to the driver’s seat…with Uncle Tommy conveniently huddled in the back—a consequence of having a learner’s permit and not a license. Once in gear, the lot meandered down Kam Highway and into the Pipeline parking lot where they dusted off their sleighs and bounded down to the beach. Pipe wasn’t quite potent, but the beachbreak affectionately titled “Gums” was coughing up some very rippable rights and lefts and it’s more than enough to get the boys waxed and in the water in a hurry.
To no surprise, Keanu and Zeke surfed with an amount of poise and grace that was well beyond their pubescent years. Make no mistake: Zeke and Keanu are the real deal. After throwing down a litany of fin ditches, punts, and hacks, the boys retired to the Volcom House where we mapped out the remainder of the day and checked out the photos.

Next stop: Town.

There was something about journeying up past the pineapple fields and onto the H-1 Freeway, making our way south, that made the voyage feel like an honest-to-God surf trip. Yes, we had all made that sojourn countless times before, but when you have a photographer, writer, and two up-and-coming pros all in the same caravan, it gives the illusion of something grand.

“Sometimes I forget how lucky we are to have all of these waves in the same place. And this time of year, Spring time, when there’s waves on both sides of the island…it’s pretty cool,” reflects Keanu as Zeke nods in approval.

With the wheels on the road, and Keanu in the driver’s seat, the two begin to josh each other. They quote the ghetto-fab film Friday in unison and seem to know every line by heart. It’s as if they have become the movies main characters, with Zeke as Chris Tucker and Keanu as Ice-Cube.

“It’s Friday…and you aint got sh-t to do!” the two scream at each other and laugh.

Sometimes, in the surf media, the young crop are painted with a brush that is beyond their years. Yes, they are talented, and yes, they are poised for greatness. But first and foremost, these are kids, and right now, as teenagers, they’re having the time of their lives…quoting late-’90s comedies.

In the past few years Kewalo Basin, tucked away near the Ala Moana Harbor, has become the place to be if you’re a Honolulu grom. Though the area remains slightly seedy with the occasional errand crack head and hobo pillaging the trash, the break still has a very communal feel to it with everyone from the likes of Zeke, Keanu, Carissa Moore and a host of others calling it their home turf. And after watching them go to town on the rights and lefts that skirt the reef, you can see why: the place is a virtual skatepark for the kids.

“I love surfing Kewalos,” says Zeke. “It’s the place where all the kids come to surf. There’s a few crazy crack-heads and stuff, but we’ve actually gotten to know them over the years and they’re super cool to us now…the wave is so fun too. Pretty much always something rippable out here. I love it.”

True to form, the boys paddle out and put on a jaw-dropping display of progressive approach. In the last few years, Zeke has grown quite a bit, giving a swan-like grace to his surfing as he glides across the water. Watching him surf, it’s hard not to be reminded of a young Bruce Irons.

Keanu, on the other hand, is built like a wrecking ball. His surfing is fast, low, and powerful. Watching him tear apart a Kewalos open face on his backhand and you know this kid’s got the goods. Whatever it is, call it “moxie,” the “right stuff,” whatever, Keanu’s got it in spades.

With the sun sliding past Ewa, casting a vibrant orange blanket upon the city, the boys made it back the to car to head home. As they were driving off, they both reflected on the wonder that is Hawaii in the spring. But Keanu summed it up best: “I can’t believe how lucky we are to have done this. I don’t know why we don’t do it more often. It’s the best of both worlds…we’ve got town and the country.”