If you were following the recent 91直播 High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) state surfing championships, you might have been surprised to see athletes from a small charter school in Pahoa capture two of the three individual boys championships. However, if you ask the staff and students at 91直播 Academy of Arts and Sciences, they will tell you this is something the school has been working towards since it was established in 2001.
Steve Hirakami, the founding director of the school, was an avid surfer who believed that ocean education and surfing should be an integral part of the school’s educational program. Since the beginning, HAAS has offered students the opportunity to take “surf class” to satisfy their physical education requirement. Two days a week, HAAS students pile into a van and head down to the local break to learn about oceanography, weather patterns, marine science and most importantly — surfing. Back in the day, it was an easy 15 minute drive down to Pohoiki where they could take advantage of several breaks to hold class.
Today, “surf class” looks a little different. Tragically, Hirakami passed away in Nov. 2025, but fortunately the school had the perfect person in place to step in and continue the program. That person was Steve’s son — Pono — who was a student of the course for four years. The loss of Pohoiki to the eruption in 2018 was also a blow that forced the school to make the decision to travel two hours round trip to continue the class at Honoli’i. The willingness of the Honoli’i surfing community to work with the HAAS team as they struggled to adapt was an important part of the process.
When asked why such a small school was able to compete against the titans of 91直播 high school sports at the recent state championships, staff, coaches and students all pointed to “surf class” and the fact that they have been competing as a team for a few years now at the Honua Finals — the world cup of interscholastic surfing. Held annually at Ala Moana Bowls on Oahu, the contest brings together high school teams from around the world to compete in a world-class event.
The six members of this year’s HAAS surf team were Alex Ranne, Amaya Ranne, Felix Barton, Eden Ballauer, Abigail Lawrence and Ocean Luther. Head Coach Pono Hirakami was assisted by Denim Cretton and Rebecca Brink. The coaches all said it was a privilege to be associated with the HAAS surfing program and work with the athletes.
“I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of this team,” Brink told the paper. “To look at these students and know that we are opening up new opportunities, it’s just been a magical experience.”
In the early parts of the inaugural BIIF surfing season, it was evident that several of the Dolphin surf team members would be tough to beat. While the team didn’t have the numbers to compete for the team title, when the spray settled at the BIIF Championships, the Dolphins walked away with two of the six individual championships and qualified four surfers for the state tournament — Alex and Amaya Ranne in the longboard division, Felix Barton in the bodyboard division and Eden Ballauer in the shortboard division.
With the state tournament looming, the team broke out their secret weapon, which was assistant coach Denim Cretton. He grew up on Maui surfing Hooki’pa, the site of the HHSAA state championship. Denim, who hosted the team at his childhood home, spent a lot of time before and during the tournament reviewing weather, wave and beach conditions with his team and any other Big Island coaches or surfers who wanted the insight.
Coach Pono had this to say about Denim’s contribution: “He knew all the people, he knew the spot, the currents, he knew everything about the wave to be able to give information to the kids. It was like we were home, it wasn’t some foreign experience.”
When the conditions changed from Day 1 to Day 2 of the contest, it was that insight that consistently put HAAS surfers in the best position to capitalize on high-scoring waves.
The state championship brought together the best surfers from around the state to compete for team and individual titles, and after the first day, it was not looking good with Big Island surfers struggling to advance out of the preliminary heats. The BIIF champions had
received byes into the quarterfinals, so there was still hope going into Day 2 that one or two could break through and make the finals.
Success in competitive sports is dependent on a number of variables, but in the end, it all comes down to the passion, skill and determination of the athletes. When Ranne, longboard, and Barton, bodyboard, had a chance to finally surf, it was clear to everyone on the beach that they came to claim medals.
Barton, who began bodyboarding during his middle school years and had his access to “surf class” derailed by the pandemic, was a vocal advocate for its return once schools got back to the normal routine.
He credits the class for his rapid development in the sport, saying: “Having the surf class here in school and being able to get to the beach for those solid two days a week was a big help.”
Barton, who won one BIIF contest and finished third in BIIF bodyboard rankings, wowed the BIIF surfing crowd during the season with the league’s only perfect 10 score. He continued his high scoring ways at states, pulling off a 9.83 in the quarter finals and a 9.67 in the finals on his way to the gold medal.
Ranne was surfing at 5 years of age and has been attending HAAS since kindergarten. He has been competing for a while now, and has experience surfing in 91直播 Surfing Association events, the USA Surfing Nationals, Honua Finals and other contests. Ranne used his experience to finish as the top-ranked longboarder and BIIF champion during the 2026 season.
When comparing other surfing events to the BIIF contests Ranne said, “I like that it is still an individual sport but there is a lot of team camaraderie.”
During the state championship, Ranne, who finished second in his first heat, saved his best for last — posting the contest’s highest longboard score of 7.93 in both the semifinals and finals on his way to the top of the podium.
The HAAS family, the Pahoa community and the entire Big Island should be proud of the way the Dolphin surf team performed this season. They stood on the biggest stage in youth surfing in 91直播, and stole the show. The hope is that with the strong performances this surfing season — by HAAS and other charter schools around the state — the DOE will consider ways to help fund charter school surfing programs in the future.
More information on HAAS’ academic and athletic programs can be found at www.haaspcs.org.
