Rising Maui surfer Jackson Bunch rides setbacks into victories

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Some of the World Surf League’s best young talent will be at Ala Moana Bowls this weekend for the Local Motion Surf Into Summer competition.

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A rising star from Maui is among those in the field.

Jackson Bunch, 22, is an expert at adjusting to what the elements give him.

“Surfing competitions aren’t always battling the person,” Bunch said. “It’s always just trying to get the best waves and connect with the ocean.”

That knack for improvising on the fly came in handy a weeks ago in Tahiti when he flew in just hours before the start of his event, but there was one hiccup: his boards got stuck on the West Coast.

“My surfboards were left in San Francisco,” Bunch said. “I was lucky to have my friend from Maui bring me two surfboards that I had given him before and he brought them.”

Bunch wasn’t fazed by the setback.

The Paia native carved his way to victory at Taapuna break near Papeete. A week later, he earned another first-place finish in Tahiti, sealing back-to-back wins on the World Surf League’s Qualifying Series tour.

“These last two events, just to get that connection and just get in a good rhythm to make heats get excellent scores,” Bunch said. “It was awesome to get that confidence going.”

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Bunch, whose home break is world-famous Hookipa, is back on the qualifying circuit after being unable to keep a spot on the elite Championship Tour.

He’s treating the experience as a learning opportunity and taking a veteran approach to eventually return to the world title circuit.

“Just patience and, you don’t need a thousand waves to win the heat. You only need two,” Bunch said. “It was just not really freaking out, like I need this score. I need this score. It was a lot of, I got this. if the wave comes, it comes. It’s not too bad if it doesn’t, and just trusting myself and knowing I can do it.”

Bunch wasn’t the only Hawaii surfer to experience a successful French Polynesia trip.

North Shore native Moana Jones Wong was also victorious in Tahiti and is currently number one in Qualifying Series standings.

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