Surfing is mainstream. While the sport has long traded on its counter-culture roots, the truth is that sponsorships, professional leagues and influencers have brought the wave riders into the fold of professional athletes. The birthplace of surfing just took another step in that direction, with the birth of Hawaii’s first collegiate surf team.
The team in question is that of Hawaii Pacific University (HPU), a private school located in Honolulu. Next spring, the college’s inaugural surf team will compete under HPU Athletics, entering local events on Oahu and across the islands. The season will culminate with the team’s participation in the 2027 National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) Championship at Salt Creek in Dana Point, California.
“This is a historic moment for HPU Athletics and for surfing in Hawai’i,” said HPU Executive Director of Athletics Debbie Snell, Ed.D. “Modern surfing was born here, and until now our own athletes have had to leave home to compete at the college level. We launched women’s flag football this year, and surfing comes with that some conviction. When Hawaiʻi high school students are already excelling at a sport, they should not have to go to another state to keep competing. Starting next spring, a student coming out of a Hawaiʻi high school can surf for HPU and earn a degree, all without leaving the place they are from and call home.”
This is the latest in a series of expansions for the state’s competitive surfing infrastructure. Earlier this year, the state held its inaugural high school surfing championship. Nearly 180 students went to Hoʻokipa Beach Park on Maui’s North Shore to compete in longboard, shortboard and bodyboarding events. With the addition of HPU’s team, those surfers can now aspire to parlay those results into a spot on a collegiate team in their home state.
