How does he even do those crazy stunts? He’s world renowned for accelerating the expected levels for extreme aerial surfing, and this guy is really good. Hey, why not? This guy is like a gymnast in the water. Maui boy Matt Meola is our readers’ favorite local surfer. Raised surfing with the pioneers of Jaws-Peahi when they were mainly just tow-in surfing, he was also at the forefront of the progression of paddling into the massive Jaws surf break. Anyway, Maui boy Billy Kemper was born and raised surfing Ho‘okipa Beach Park and has been a long-time constant in the line-up on famous North Shore surf breaks on Oahu. (AM)īilly Kemper isn’t just the 2017 Big Wave Awards Billabong Ride of the Year winner (that’s the top honor), he’s also been voted Maui’s favorite local big wave surfer by our awesome readers. She’s been big wave surfing since she was a teenager, and now she’s become the first-ever women’s champion of the Peahi Challenge. Loved by her Maui community so much, this renaissance woman of the ocean is self-taught and makes surfing look like it’s an easy sport. A BIG shout out goes to her for being voted best local waterwoman on Maui for 2017. Oh, you didn’t know that the real Wonder Woman lives on Maui? Yah, she does and her name is Paige Alms.
If you haven’t yet watched Kai foilboarding, check out his channel on YouTube. With sponsors like Naish, Red Bull, Nike, Hurley and GoPro, possibilities seem endless for this Maui athlete. At just 24 years old, Kai has won numerous event titles in surfing, SUP, windsurfing, kitesurfing and more. Our readers most definitely agree because they’ve voted him best local waterman for two years in a row. Kai Lenny never ceases to amaze the world with his innate skills on the water. The future is very bright for Micah Jio as he’ll be attending Oregon Institute of Technology in the fall. He’s also incredibly smart, earning a 4.0 GPA and was the valedictorian for Maui High School. During his senior year at Maui High School, he was named the Maui Interscholastic League Division 1 Player of the Year in baseball and a D-1 All-Star in basketball. Micah Jio is a two-sport superstar in baseball and basketball.