There are many new costly requirements being implemented to get a county permit to do an event at Ho’okipa Beach Park. Special thanks to Hi-tech and Maui Sports Foundation to support us through these extensive last minute changes. The Maui County Parks and Recreation Department is attempting to be fair by making permit requirements exactly the same for everyone, weather we are a small grass roots community keiki surf contest or a multi national million dollar corporate event. This (in my humble expert opinion) is NOT fair. Maui Sports Foundation and Hawaii Surfing Association along with Ian Walsh, Volcom, NSSA and MIL cannot afford these new over kill changes and are asking for a meeting with parks to discuss this issue.
In the mean time, HSA will do and pay whatever it takes to have a safe and fun SURFBASH XXX (yes #30) on Nov 23-24, 2019. We were informed about 30 days before our event of controlling the present no parking zones and providing a shuttle to a mandatory off site parking lot at Old Maui High. ALL CONTEST PARTICIPANTS AND SPECTATORS ARE REQUIRED TO USE SHUTTLE BUS AND PARK AT OLD MAUI HIGH. So if you are ONLY going to Hoʻokipa for the HSA contest and not going to see turtles, sun bathing, surfing, swimming, having a cig, taking a pee etc, you will have to take the shuttle from OMH. There is no parking on the highway or the normal mauka side of the one way road by the safe Pavillion. Parking in marked stalls only for normal beach goers. Contest directors (beach marshal) can no longer use the middle pavillion. We will run out of a tent next to it and all pavillions will be open to anyone. The required MPD officer will again be there along with private security/parking attendants to strictly enforce the normal no parking zones.
We welcome Parks & Rec officials to come down and spot check us on how small and low impact we are on Ho’okipa and they will be there to closely monitor us. Our normal one day contest is spread over two days now and different divisions do not stay all day. We all know that because there is a HSA contest at Pavils there is even less people at Ho’okipa. The county officials work at War Memorial and need to see our small, orderly, not blocking traffic community event. We will be under the microscope.
It is now less than a week before SURFBASH XXX and we still have not been approved for our permit. PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE PARKS DEPT AND REGISTER ANY COMPLAINTS PRIOR TO CONTEST. All are welcome to participate in the discussion if we are granted a meeting on these requirements.
Volcom has pulled out of Ho’okipa this year (a free contest for the keiki) hopefully going to move to Lāhaina. NSSA is still trying to make it happen and the County of Maui seems open to at least discuss this issue that is preventing the community which they serve to have events.
There will be an official announcement when we are permitted, but we are moving forward complying with all new requirements and ON for HSA Ho’okipa Surfbash XXX this weekend, Sat & Sun, Nov 23-24, 2019!!
Pray for surf because we have been given no weather/too big/too small alternate days this year.
Junior Challenge and Adaptive divisions will ONLY be at this event. Enter online and avoid late fee at: www.hsamaui.org
Mahalo! Papa John