The plot thickened when the North Shore locals trained with the Australians, and Jamie Mitchell blew away Jones and the rest of the North Shore's best on his Dick van Straalen downwind special unlimited board. The supporting cast provided interesting rivalries and stories too. In the unlimited team division, Maui big wave tow-in pioneers Buzzy Kerbox and David Kalama would go head to head against North Shore big wave legends Charlie Walker and Brendan Shea. One of the most interesting stories was the appearance of two Australian surfers. Surfing and paddleboarding in Australia, unlike Hawaii, are two different sports with two different sets of participants.
Most Australian surfers consider paddleboarding uncool.
Even more surprising was Garth Holzer, an Australian surfer who wanted to do the race solo because it seemed like a natural extension of his surfing. Garth was about to find out why big wave riders like to test themselves in the Kaiwi Channel. Lined up open ocean swells allow you to surf to Oahu 50 yards at a time, endless waves, no waiting, and no crowds. I have seen Aaron Napoleon stand up in the middle of the channel and go 30 yards before dropping back down to finish his ride. The final 15 miles gets brutal.