Sunset Pro Opens North Shore Winter Surf Circuit

The winter surf season on Oahu’s North Shore officially began Monday with the start of the HTA Sunset Pro. The event marks the first of three World Surf League regional competitions scheduled to run through February. These contests form a qualifying circuit for surfers from Hawaii and French Polynesia, providing a pathway to the global professional stage.

Competitors faced waves described as small but improving during the opening rounds. Zoie Zietz and Zoee Bradshaw both advanced from their heats with top wave scores in the seven-point range. Zietz noted that the changing conditions made the competition enjoyable. “I was watching it this morning and I saw that it was kinda small but it was getting bigger and it looked really fun so I just stuck to my game plan of sitting back at the point and catching some good ones,” Zietz said.

Veteran surfer Koa Smith, who has competed for 25 years, also advanced after scoring 8.5 on his best wave. Smith described the challenge of surfing in between sizes. “It’s always tricky when it’s in between sizes and you just go out there and hope for the best,” Smith said. He added that successfully executing a powerful bottom turn in the right section provides a strong sense of satisfaction.

The HTA Sunset Pro will continue at Sunset Beach until November 2. The series then moves to Haleʻiwa Aliʻi Beach Park for the HTA Haleʻiwa Pro presented by Hurley, which runs from November 5 to 14. Officials announced that this year’s Haleʻiwa event will be broadcast live on WorldSurfLeague.com and the WSL app. The final event on the schedule is the Billabong Pipe Pro presented by HTA, set for January 29 through February 8.