The 12th Annual Kahuna Kupuna benefit surf contest will take place on Saturday, August 6, 2011
at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica, California from 7 am to 5 pm.   Entry forms are now being accepted
and are available at all Pacifica surf shops or via download at www.kahunakupunasurf.org.   
Co-hosts are Pacifica’s Environmental Family (PEF) and, for the first time, 
Surfrider Foundation’s San Mateo County chapter.  

Developed with the idea of putting a spotlight on the ever growing numbers of local avid 
surfers moving into their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond while also raising some much needed 
funds for PEF, the Kahuna Kupuna is the only amateur surf contest in the world that offers 
surfers 50 years of age and over competitive divisions that are set up in 5-year increments
as well as offering a “Junior Kupuna” division for surfers 40 – 49 years of age.  Kahuna, in 
Hawaiian, means “Big Chief” and Kupuna means “Grandparent” or, more accurately, 
“older member of the community  who others turn to for advice and counsel.”   

As a way to also include younger surfers without taking the spotlight away from the “Kupunas” 
among us, the contest offers an Intergenerational Team (IT) competition in which teams 
comprised of 6 surfers (male/female( that can include surfers as young as 5 and as old 
as 80 plus compete for a team title.  Each team must represent at least three generations 
and include one surfer under age 20, one surfer over age 60 and one surfer in their mid-30’s.   
The other three surfers on each team can be of any age.  

IT Team riders can ride any type of wave riding vehicle they choose: long/short boards, 
boogie boards, kayaks, sail boards, SUP boards, surf mats, etc.

This entirely volunteer run and coordinated surf contest is a fundraiser for Pacifica’s 
Environmental Family, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that provides fiscal 
sponsorship services to the Pacifica Beach Coalition, Pacifica Gardens and 
Vallemar Conservators.  These groups use PEF’s non-profit auspice to do fundraising 
that helps them pay for the expenses of monthly beach cleanups, an annual Earth Day 
celebration, a community garden, tree conservation and native habitat restoration in Pacifica.

For surfers 40 years of age and over, the suggested donation to enter as a contestant 
is just $70 and is good for participation in all Kahuna Kupuna divisions (shortboard 
or longboard or both) as well as the Intergenerational Team Division.  

For surfers under 40 years of age who surf on an Intergenerational Team, the suggested 
donation is just $30.  All contestants are invited at no extra charge to the post-contest 
festivities beginning at 6 PM at the Pedro Point Firehouse.  Their friends and family 
members are welcome to join us for a donation of $15.  

The deadline for entries is Tuesday, August 2nd.  A limited number of beach entries 
will be accepted depending on space available in each sub-division.  

The following sub-divisions for kupunas as well as “kupunas-in-training” near 
and far have been set up for contestants as follows:

Age Range                             Division Names

40 – 49                    Junior Kupuna (Men and Women; SB*/LB*)

50 – 54                    Master Kupuna (Men and Women; SB/LB)

55 – 59                    Grand Master Kupuna (Men and Women; SB/LB)

60 – 64                    Super Master Kupuna (Men and Women; SB/LB)

65 – 69                    Legend Kupuna (Men and Women; SB/LB)

70 – 74                    Grand Legend Kupuna (Men and Women; SB/LB)

75 – 79                    Super Legend Kupuna (Men and Women; SB/LB)

All Ages   

Intergenerational Team Division (Men and Women; 6 surfers per team 
representing three generations)

* SB = Shortboard; LB = Longboard.   Hand crafted trophies will once again be 
given to the top 6 surfers in each division.

The Kahuna Kupuna brings people back year after year.  Please come join us 
as a contestant or a spectator (free) and enjoy a day on the beach while watching 
local veteran surfers dance on the ocean’s waves.

All net proceeds go to Pacifica’s Environmental Family.  Sponsor inquiries are 
welcome and a few more volunteers are needed.  More information and entry forms 
are available at local Pacifica surf shops, from www.kahunakupunasurf.org,  via
email to kahunakupuna@comcast.net or by calling Contest Director 
Roy Earnest at 650-438-6378.