Keali’i Mamala made the pilgrimage from Hawaii to California 132 years after the first trio of Hawaiian princes brought surfing to the mainland. The Kawananakoa brothers David, Edward, and Jonah hewed locally sourced redwood planks into wooden Alaia surfboards and struck out into the surf of the San Lorenzo river mouth, directly next to today’s Santa Cruz Boardwalk. That singular natural act of the brothers Kawananakoa fused a lasting surfing connection with Northern California, and today,Mamala walks some of that same path.
After 17-years of a mission to surf Maverick’s, proud Hawaiian Keali’i Mamala paid his dues in full and secured an invitation to this year’s Titans of Mavericks. At 38-years old, he made sure to uproot this winter, posting up in Half Moon Bay so he could train for the event and set his sites on the WSL’s Big Wave Tour. With roots on Hawaii’s North Shore, its world famous reefs, and a competitive fire refined in Hawaii’s fierce HSA amateur circuit, Mamala certainly has the resume and skills to make the cut. But ironically, making a run at that elite tour using Maverick’s as a stepping stone is now a bit more challenging.
As close friend Tom Watson put it, “It is truly unfortunate that he has made a commitment to move here for the season and the Mav’s contest doesn’t run. But to paraphrase him: ‘We go get some waves and surf anyway…don’t need a contest to have fun and get some waves with friends!’”
Photo: Andrea Carminati
If you’ve ever actually seen Mamala in person, you’d notice his mane of sun-bleached dreadlocks and brightly colored Buell Wetsuit, all while riding a wide variety of surf craft – from short finless boards to a behemoth 10-foot SUP. Though humble and charming on land, it’s clear that he is an ultra-confident master waterman in the ocean. There is a distinct Hawaiian style, economy of movement and purpose in every turn that forces even veteran surfers to stop and watch. He tackled historic 80-foot waves on Oahu’s outer reefs in his early 20’s with tow partner, Garrett McNamara. He followed that with a win at the tow surfing championships the same day at Puena Point. The duo even pioneered glacier surfing in Alaska, towing into waves created by calving ice cliffs, dodging mini icebergs and narrowly avoiding hypothermia. An invitee to the historic WSL contest at Nazaré in December, Mamala knew the break as well as anyone outside of McNamara himself.He narrowly missed advancing from his first heat, but was grateful to survive intact and was quick to console the other distraught competitors and friends who met a similar fate. As he humbly acknowledges, with all his travels and accomplishments, he’s among the worst financed big wave surfers to travel so extensively.
Mamala isn’t the one spreading that message, though; It’s a sentiment throughout much of the big wave community. “Keali’i travels around the world bringing an abundance of aloha with him and surfs some of the most giant waves on the planet,”Maverick’s veteran and close friend Ion Banner confirms. “He has some of the best and scariest true stories about surfing I have ever heard. Keali’i is definitely a character, a loyal friend, and an awesome human!!”
When Maverick’s lit up on January 26th – the most contestable day of the year – and the contest absurdly wasn’t called due to “weather,” Keali’i bolted to Oregon’s Nelscott Reef with his favorite crew, including New York’s Skudin brothers, Will and Cliff, and Dominican charger Andres Flores. Maverick’s was about as good as it gets that day but was smothered by 50-70 surfers in the lineup, more resembling Trestles than the daunting and isolated deep water wave it is. Meanwhile, up in Oregon, the group harvested 20-50 foot waves for two days with only a couple of other welcome locals in the lineup.
“His relationship with the ocean is amazing,” Will Skudin says. “They are one and the same. It’s honestly hard to put in words what I have witnessed over the years. In my eyes, he is the most talented big-wave surfer on the planet and I’m blessed to share lineups with him.”
Indeed, Keali’i is spiritually connected to the sea. As he sees it, “The ocean is my culture, my passion. Growing up in Hawaii, our church and our playground is the ocean. As natural native Hawaiians, we thrive on the ocean, we live through the ocean. Fishing, diving, surfing; it’s part of the culture. You tend to embrace it, become one with it. And you also get humbled by it. It changes and makes you appreciate the simple things. And you have a lot of respect for it as well.“
The Titans of Mavericks has since been thrown into doubt with the dual bankruptcy filing of the contest and its host, Cartel Management, which foundered on the shoals of arrogance and greed. The signs were all there between the Ferrari taxis, ceremonies at the Ritz, broken promises, alienation of former champions and lawsuits with former multi-year sponsors. But Keali’i isn’t interested in surf politics. He is, however, adept at navigating massive moving obstacles and surviving multiple wave hold downs. Big wave surfers like him are just looking for a break, to take part in an event that could make their career. It’s exactly what they’ve been training their whole lives for in one way or another. As far as Mav’s is concerned, they may have to settle for a more grassroots effort now – something without all the bells and whistles. But just like the relentless Northern Pacific storms men like Keali’i chase, you know they will be back, whether it means taking another good beat down or enjoying the ride of their life.
