The 2018 AccesSurf’s Hawaii Adaptive Surfing Championships was held recently at Kuhio Beach, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii. Byron Bay’s Mark ‘Mono’ Stewart won the Kneel division of the the event with only small surf on offer. In the final Mono waited patiently for the bigger and better set waves and performed some great manoeuvres considering the conditions.
The Adaptive Surfing Championships is held in partnership with Duke’s OceanFest, a Waikiki ocean sports festival honouring surf legend Duke Kahanamoku.
AccesSurf is a local nonprofit that empowers people with disabilities by providing adaptive water sports programs including the Adaptive Surfing Championships. Over 80 surfers with disabilities from fifteen nations competed.
HASC hosted thirteen divisions over three days: stand, sit, kneel, prone, assisted, and visually impaired. Additional highlighted divisions included Wounded Warrior and deaf heats.
Stewart was lucky to complete his winning performance and catch his flight home just before Hurricane Lane hit the islands.
