Honolua has won three longboard world titles, and plans on competing in July when the tour commences. Photo: O’Neill
Born and raised on Oahu, surfing has been a fundamental part of Honolua Blomfield’s life since day one. The three-time world champ is a native Hawaiian and her parents and grandparents were all raised in the waters of the Hawaiian Islands. And Blomfield plans to continue the tradition.
On November 23, Blomfield took to Instagram to announce that she and her boyfriend, professional skateboarder Clay Kreiner, were expecting a baby in April of 2025. The announcement came just weeks after the conclusion of the 2024 WSL Longboard Tour where Blomfield finished third, meaning that Blomfield was competing pregnant for the majority of the 2024 season.
Blomfield learned she was pregnant in August of 2024, two weeks after the Huntington Beach Longboard Classic. In late September, the tour moved to the wave pool in Abu Dhabi, when Blomfield was well into her first trimester of her pregnancy and feeling its effects.
“I was the most sick in Abu Dhabi because my body was changing so much,” says Blomfield. “But I felt empowered, and I think it made my mindset stronger. I thought it would be so cool if I made it and surfed in the final pregnant.”
Blomfield earned a third-place finish, securing herself a spot in the finals in El Salvador. By the time of the contest in mid-October, Blomfield’s nausea had lessened but the waves were big, demanding more energy. Despite a solid performance, Blomfield was knocked out by eventual world champ Rachael Tilly, earning herself another solid third.
“I’ve never been more motivated to try and win,” recalls Blomfield. “If I had to surf one last heat, I probably could have done it, but you can only be in rhythm so many times. But third was better than I did two years ago, and I wasn’t pregnant then.”
After the conclusion of the tour, Blomfield returned to her home on the North Shore of Oahu to enjoy the rest of her pregnancy alongside her family and friends. Typically, Blomfield rides a 9’3” longboard but as her belly continued to grow, she graduated to a 9’6” that’s lighter and floatier to accommodate for her added weight. At 36 weeks pregnant, and 50 pounds heavier, Blomfield is impressively still surfing. Not only is she still surfing, but she’s still stylishly hanging 10.
“Surfing while pregnant is a challenge, but it’s been really fun to see how far I’ve been able to take it,” says Blomfield. “I’ve even surprised myself because I didn’t know how far along people are supposed to be able to surf. And I didn’t know I’d be able to hang 10 at 36 weeks pregnant.”
Blomfield says that surfing feels the same as it always has once she’s up and riding, but she’s had to make a lot of adjustments to continue paddling out with her rapidly growing belly. Blomfield knows her limits and has refrained from paddling out at some of the North Shore’s heavier spots over the course of her pregnancy. Mainly, she’s been surfing Aliʻi, the same spot she learned to surf at.
In addition to a bigger board, Blomfield has started wearing a leash anytime it’s bigger than two feet. She was able to paddle on her stomach for the first six months, but since she’s had to switch to knee paddling. To catch a wave, Blomfield must take off directly under the lip. She shifts her weight to her chest and knees to paddle and does her best not to fall. So far, she’s been successful.
“The knee paddling is annoying,” says Blomfield. “Anyone who thinks it’s easy or it seems so simple, it’s not. When you’re 50 pounds heavier and you’ve got a big bowling ball in your belly it’s super hard.”
Blomfield says she was inspired to continue competing and surfing throughout her pregnancy after watching Carissa Moore compete in the Paris Olympics while she was pregnant. She’s also been impressed watching Johanne Defay announce her pregnancy while competing on the WSL Championship Tour. She hopes to inspire other women to continue pursuing their dreams as mothers in the same way that Moore and Defay have inspired her.
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“I am a huge fan of competition, but I do feel like there’s a lot more to life than just focusing your whole life on this one thing when you can actually do both and enjoy it with something you created,” says Blomfield. “I think that going back to the tour this year will be even more fun now with my child.”
Blomfield’s due date is April 15 and the 2025 tour is slated to commence on July 26 in Huntington Beach, California. And Blomfield plans to compete.
“I’m still qualified and it works out timing wise,” says Blomfield of the 2025 tour. “But if the time comes and I’m having way too much fun with my baby and I don’t want to surf, then I won’t. But I love competing too much and I’ll probably have way too much FOMO if I don’t.”
Although Blomfield hopes her child will take to surfing, she’s content if he doesn’t. She hopes he enjoys the ocean, be it swimming or boogie boarding, as water sports are a huge part of life on Oahu. But she’d also be happy if he follows in his father’s footsteps and becomes a skater or carves his own path entirely. The only thing Blomfield knows for certain is that she plans to raise her son on Oahu, like the generations that came before her. “I’m a very family oriented person and I feel connected to my roots here,” says Blomfield. “The more generations we can have here the better.”
