The HASA Amateur Series Takes Over Haleiwa Beach Park

The end of the North Shore's big-wave season doesn't mean the surfing stops — it just shifts to the next generation. The HASA (Hawaii Amateur Surfing Association) Amateur Event runs April 4 through 12 at Haleiwa Beach Park, closing out the winter competition calendar with a field of the island's most promising up-and-coming surfers, from grom divisions to men's and women's opens.

HASA has been running amateur contests in Hawaii since the 1970s, and the association's competitions have quietly launched the careers of multiple World Surf League veterans. Haleiwa is a forgiving wave for a contest format — long rides, good shoulders, and a spectator-friendly beach that makes it easy to watch heats from a folding chair or the lawn behind the lifeguard tower.

If you're going: Haleiwa is an easy hour's drive from Waikiki. Parking fills by mid-morning on contest days. Grab shave ice from Matsumoto's in Haleiwa town, walk back to the beach, and settle in — the best surfing happens in the morning glass, before the wind comes up.

Sources: North Shore Chamber surf calendar, Haleiwa Town surf guide