The Classic

The Kailua Shorebreak Classic is a free, amateur surf competition for keiki aged 2 to 16, held annually on the last Saturday of August at Kalama Beach Park in Kailua, Hawaii. It celebrates and honors the memory of four professional surfers and watermen, Peter Miller, Jason Bogle, David Aluli and Jeff Barbieto. All were community fixtures that dedicated their lives to Kailua, their hometown, and to Hawaii and the surfing community more broadly. All were lives well lived.

The event was initially organized in 2005 by Peter Miller in memory of his best friend Jason Bogle, a fellow Kailua resident and professional surfer on the ASP World Tour who died in 2004 after an extended battle with cancer. The following year, Miller, an air ambulance pilot, died in an accident while flying to the Island of Maui. Just a day earlier, Miller’s close friend, David Aluli, passed away as a result of long-term illness. Mike Miller, Peter’s twin brother, and former professional surfer Sean Yano carried on the Shorebreak Classic, still in its infancy, to honor and preserve the legacies of their esteemed comrades. Special dedication was later made to Jeff Barbieto, a friend and Kailua lifeguard who died in June of 2011 while diving in deep waters off of Ewa Beach on O‘ahu’s western shore.

Each year the competition grows, with over 200 participants competing in last year's event. We make sure that every single contestant leaves the beach with a prize pack complete with a contest t-shirt and various surf gear, clothing and other items, as well as a free lunch generously donated by various eateries within the Kailua community and beyond. We also sell $1 raffle tickets throughout the day with 100% of the proceeds going directly to selected non-profit organizations. Raffle prizes and giveaways include clothing, backpacks, footwear, hats, gift cards and more from some of the biggest names in surf, as well as various local retailers, including skateboards and several surfboards as grand prize giveaways at the end of the day.

The Kailua Shorebreak Classic has become one of the bigger amateur surf contests on Oahu with several of our past contestants going on to compete on the surfing world tour. Many of the local surf pros support our event and even bring their keiki out to participate. But its not just the contestants who benefit. All those in attendance have a fun time and leave the beach with wonderful memories and great prizes.

The Mission

The Kailua Shorebreak Classic is more than just fun in the sun. The event is an opportunity to impart to the next generation of surf ambassadors core tenets of good sportsmanship, environmental stewardship and community involvement. Peter, Jason, Jeff and David left tremendous legacies in all of these respects. Our goal is to impact our youth with the same passion for and dedication to these broad community goals.

We also partner with local charities to ensure that they have the resources necessary to fulfill their community missions. For this reason, each year we designate several local charities that are the shared recipients of all raffle proceeds from the Shorebreak Classic.

Check back later to find out which charities we are partnering with for the 2018 Shorebreak Classic!

Get Involved

We would love to partner with you! While we've always had the support of local surf brands, as our contest grows, it's become increasingly necessary to reach out to others for monetary and product donations. There is plenty of room at the beach! If you would like to contribute to the Kailua Shorebreak Classic as a volunteer, donor or sponsor, please let us know!

Learn More →