{"id":246152,"date":"2026-05-28T09:58:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T09:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/246152\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T09:58:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T09:58:02","slug":"photo-gallery-the-2026-hawaii-adaptive-surfing-championships-at-queens-waikiki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/246152\/","title":{"rendered":"Photo Gallery: The 2026 Hawai\u2018i Adaptive Surfing Championships at Queens, Waik\u012bk\u012b"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here at SURFER, we’ve been stoked to see our beloved lifestyle grow and flourish in ways far beyond what was once imaginable. Adaptive surfing being one of the best examples of how the ocean continues to be a source of endless stoke.<\/p>\n

The Hawai\u2018i Adaptive Surfing Championships (HASC), hosted by\u00a0AccesSurf<\/a>\u00a0from May 5\u20138 at Queen\u2019s Surf Break in Waik\u012bk\u012b, is one of the marquee events of the Association of Adaptive Surfing Professionals World Championship Tour. This year’s event was blessed with glorious conditions and an incredible turnout. As usual with adaptive events — the vibe was off the charts.<\/p>\n

\"MarkMark “Mono” Stewart of Byron Bay, mid turn and already smiling. That says everything.<\/p>\n

Tommy Pierucki<\/p>\n

We’re stoked to have a contribution from ace photographer Tommy Pierucki, who left the Mexi Log Fest in Mazatl\u00e1n two days early to make it back in time to shoot his eighth HASC event at his home break of Queens. All photos are from Tommy, who (if you haven’t already), you should definitely follow on IG @tommypierucki<\/p>\n

Tommy Pierucki: I landed from Mazatlan at noon. By five o\u2019clock I was at the Duke Kahanamoku statue for the opening ceremony of the Hawaii Adaptive Surf Competition. No time to think about the transition. Just make sure the batteries are charged and the cameras are ready to go.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

2018 was the first time I started shooting this event, and outside of a two year pause the world took on all of us, I haven\u2019t missed one since. Eight years in and it still hits different every time.<\/p>\n

\"DarielDariel Mel\u00e9ndez D\u00e1vila of Costa Rica, with a bottom turn setting him up for a great ride at Queens. <\/p>\n

Tommy Pierucki<\/p>\n

Queens is the right wave for this event in every way. It\u2019s gentle and forgiving, the kind of break where someone catching their first wave has a real shot at making it. But it\u2019s also Queens. Waikiki. The birthplace of modern surfing. There\u2019s a weight to that place that you feel whether you\u2019re surfing it or swimming in it with a camera.<\/p>\n

\"InIn the pocket at Queens, Hawaii Adaptive Surf Championship.<\/p>\n

Tommy Pierucki<\/p>\n

The waves this year were something else entirely. I don\u2019t have a better way to say it than that. The kind of surf that makes a good event into something people talk about for a long time after.<\/p>\n

\"MurrayMurray Siple, filmmaker and adaptive surfer from Salt Spring Island, BC, paying respects at the Duke Kahanamoku statue before competition.<\/p>\n

Tommy Pierucki<\/p>\n

None of it happens without AccessSurf. What they put together for this event every year is staggering when you actually stop and look at all of it. Athletes from all around the world. A live broadcast. Beach announcers. Judges. A world class media team covering every angle and every emotional moment. Hospitality. Evening events. A cultural tent. A physical therapy tent so athletes can get work done on site. Breakfasts and lunches provided. Shaded and wheelchair accessible space for everyone. And then there\u2019s the water transfer team, which is in a category of its own. These are the people who get athletes from the beach into the water and onto their surfcraft and back again, and they do it with a level of care and precision that is something to witness. The water safety team is the same way. And at the end of it all, a closing ceremony with awards and prizes that sends everyone home feeling it.<\/p>\n

\"BarbieBarbie Garcia of Mexico, fully committed on a Queens runner.<\/p>\n

Tommy Pierucki<\/p>\n

For a long time, the heart and soul of AccessSurf has been Cara Short. She built this event into what it is through years of leadership as executive director. This year she stepped into a new role as chief growth officer, and the baton passed to incoming executive director Zoe Lewis. To say Zoe stepped in with grace and promise would be an understatement. She absolutely killed it.<\/p>\n

\"PropsProps to executive director Zoe Lewis for making it all happen!<\/p>\n

Tommy Pierucki<\/p>\n

What I kept coming back to through the lens was the athletes and how they moved in the water, and the community that builds up around them on the beach. Joy is not a strong enough word for what this event produces. It\u2019s electric. It fills up the whole beach and spills out into the water and you can feel it from wherever you\u2019re swimming.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve been lucky to document a lot of surf events. This one reminds me every year why I do this.<\/p>\n

\"AlanaAlana Nichols. Five Paralympic Games. Multiple ISA World Para Surfing titles. Queens Beach just became another chapter.<\/p>\n

Tommy Pierucki<\/p>\n

Division Winners:<\/p>\n

Blind \/ No Vision<\/p>\n

Blind \/ Low Vision<\/p>\n

Any Kneeling \/ Upright<\/p>\n

Men\u2019s: Mark \u201cMono\u201d Stewart<\/p>\n

\"MarkMark “Mono” Stewart of Byron Bay, Australia. He flew across the Pacific and left everything in the water winning another title.<\/p>\n

Tommy Pierucki<\/p>\n

Prone Assist<\/p>\n

Unassisted Prone<\/p>\n

Waveski<\/p>\n

Upper Limb Standing (Men\u2019s):\u00a0Mike Richards<\/p>\n

Below the Knee Standing<\/p>\n

Above the Knee Standing (Men\u2019s):\u00a0Luciano Marcos Silveira<\/p>\n

Wounded Warrior<\/p>\n

Related: The World’s Best Adaptive Surfers Are Coming to Waikiki<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published by Surfer<\/a> on May 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the News<\/a> section. Add Surfer as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here at SURFER, we’ve been stoked to see our beloved lifestyle grow and flourish in ways far beyond…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":246153,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[96153,96155,9,24,63,122,124,123,96156,96154,96152],"class_list":["post-246152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-adaptive-surfing","tag-monoquot-stewart","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-surfing-professionals","tag-the-association-of-adaptive","tag-tommy-pierucki"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246152\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}