Waves finally show up for surfers at the US Open of Surfing

Few people know the waves on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier as well as Kanoa Igarashi — and his experience at the surf spot showed during his first heat of the day Saturday, Aug. 2, as the US Open of Surfing hits its final stretch.

On his first wave, his surfboard floated on the top of the wave, followed by three big turns and then straight through the concrete pier pilings, the judges rewarding him with an 8.0. His second big score, a 7.73, came after a nearly equally impressive wave, the local surfer letting loose and punting to the air after securing two big scores to advance in the event.

“The waves were so fun,  and I just felt like I was out there in a freesurf,” said Igarashi, already two-time US Open of Surfing winner. “All my friends were on the beach and I felt like I was surfing in front of them, having one of those after-school days and we were just trying to show off for each other. For me, it’s as fun as Huntington gets.”

The bump in wave size was a welcome sight for competitors following a week’s worth of lackluster surf, but not all local surfers were able to capitalize on the incoming swell.

San Clemente’s Kolohe Andino saw an early elimination, as did Long Beach’s Nolan Rapoza, who grew up surfing the Huntington Beach wave.

San Clemente’s Kade Matson earned the top spot in his morning heat after collecting an 8 and a 6.23 for a total score of 14.23.

Matson said he had to contain his excitement as he saw the waves rolling in.

“Usually by this time, it’s blown out,” he said. “To see it was still glassy, I had to calm down because it was so good out there. “

One wave during his heat stood up right as it rolled his way.

“I was shaking,” he said, telling himself, “All I have to do is surf this wave and it’s a big score.

“I’m stoked to make it through.”

In the women’s round of 16, San Clemente’s Sawyer Lindblad and Kirra Pinkerton found themselves going up against one another. Lindblad, who won the event in 2023, posted an early 8.0 and a 6.50, showing that her World Tour experience the past two years is paying off.

Pinkerton didn’t have such luck, and was knocked out of the contest as she slipped into the third spot during the heat.  Last year’s winner Sally Fitzgibbons, of Australia, also saw an early elimination.

The late afternoon saw the men hit the water again to secure their spots going into finals day.

Matson’s finals day spot seemed to be in jeopardy as Mikey McDonagh, of Australia, took a buzzer-beater wave and threw a big air —but McDonagh’s score came up just 0.10 points shy of what he needed, allowing the San Clemente surfer to move into the quarterfinals.

Igarashi continued his stellar performance in his second heat of the day, taking first place, to earn a spot into the quarterfinals on Sunday.

The US Open of Surfing is happening just before Igarashi is set to leave for the Tahiti Pro, a World Tour stop where he could solidify his spot in the Final 5 event in Fiji. He is currently ranked third.

“I have to start packing my bags when I get home today,” he said.

Still, he said he would have been out surfing Huntington Beach on Saturday, “because the waves are so fun. The only difference is that I have a jersey on and I only get to surf for 30 minutes instead of two hours.”

The forecast has surf bumping up even more in size for Sunday’s finals, with waves expected to be 4- to 5-feet, according to surfline.com.

For more results, go to worldsurfleague.com.