Honua Finals unite young surfers, elevating future stars

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – High school surfers are headed to Oahu’s south shore as the 2026 Honua Finals, the World Cup of Interscholastic Surfing, is right around the corner.

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The event begins Thursday, July 23, through Sunday, July 26, at Ala Moana Bowls. There will be two days of competition in the four-day holding period.

The event is produced by the nonprofit CUE Collaborative. Co-founders Maia Kazama, a national-champion soccer player, and Sunny Kazama, a champion surfer, joined HNN Sunrise Weekends to preview the competition.

This year, more than 40 schools are represented with 120 surfers slated to compete.

“It’s honestly an incredible honor, and I’m so excited,” Maia said. “We have teams from across the world, California, Japan, Canada, New Zealand and all four counties from across Hawaii.”

It’s also a chance to shine a spotlight on Hawaii’s local talent, who usually deal with travel, equipment costs and unfamiliar breaks during high-level events in the Continental U.S.

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“We have so much talent here that needs a spotlight, that deserves a spotlight, so we believe that bringing international surf communities, out-of-state communities and even outer island communities together here at one of the most iconic breaks in the world is an amazing time for a community to build,” Sunny said.

In May, surfing became an official state champion sport, a decades-long push that began before the Kazamas were born.

“We believe that what we do with the Houna Finals helps to unite the surfing community, unite forces, unite support and let everyone realize that, hey, this is our sport, it deserves to be recognized,” Sunny said.

On Friday, they held their annual Mahalo Reception at the Honolulu Museum of Modern Art, coinciding with the Honolulu Surf Film Festival.

“Surrounded by good people, lots of great energy, and super excited for what’s to come later this week, but also super grateful for all the community that showed up for us,” Sunny added.

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Learn more about the finals here.

Watch the 2026 Honua Finals live on K5 or streaming on HawaiiNewsNow.com.