Joel Centeio Wins Hawaiian Pro

Joel Centeio dominated the 8 to 12 foot waves winning every heat on his way to victory at the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa Alii Beach. The top four finishers were Joel Centeio, C.J. Hobgood, Jay Thompson, and Alain Riou. Centeio, who lives across the street from Alii Beach Park said, “My family, friends, and everybody is here and it’s a dream come true to win right here at my homebreak.”

During the 35-minute final Centeio remained committed to his strategy of waiting patiently for the biggest waves. Even when the other three finalists moved inside to surf the smaller waves as the time ticked away, Centeio stayed outside. “I was even like 50 yards farther out than those guys. I was praying for a set to come, and that one set came.” That one set provided a gaping barrel which he made through successfully, and received a score of 9.33 (out of 10).

“Best wave of my life, for sure,” said Centeio. As Centeio exited the barrel, the crowd’s roar was loud enough to drown the sound of the crashing wave behind him. “I could hear them yelling and cheering and I was so excited I was yelling myself.” Centeio caught just two waves in the final, and it resulted in a total score of 14.76 (out of a possible 20 points) confirming his winning strategy and local knowledge of the break.

“All day I was just trying to be patient. There were tough competitors all day, and I knew if I was patient and my positioning was correct I would get the good sets. In the final I was going for first place and I wasn’t going for anything else.”

The Triple Crown of Surfing now moves along the North Shore to Sunset Beach for the O’Neill World Cup of Surfing, and the women’s Gidget Pro Sunset Beach.