Man hosts annual benefit and surf contest for older surfers

By Sharon Chin

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    PACIFICA, California (KPIX) — A Pacifica man has brought a wave of opportunity and honor to older surfers through a 25-year-old surf contest.

Surf’s up on a July weekend at Linda Mar State Beach in Pacifica, thanks to lifelong surfer Roy Earnest. The 71-year-old has organized an annual benefit surf contest for a quarter century, in which the minimum age is 40.

“I love bringing people together and seeing that they’re having a good time. That makes me happy,” Earnest said.

When Earnest had entered surf competitions in the 1990s, the older divisions had unflattering labels like “over the hill” or worse, and that didn’t sit well with the gerontologist and social worker.

“I’ve worked in the field of aging for many years, so I’m sensitive to ageist stuff, you know?” Earnest said.

So he took a friend’s advice and launched the Kahuna Kupuna Benefit Surf Contest in 1999. The name, “kupuna,” means “wise elder” in Hawaiian culture.

“We could create a surf contest that welcomed older people and treated older surfers with respect,” Earnest explained.

Kahuna Kupuna turns the tide on what it means to be an older surfer, which inspired 63-year-old Sylvia Teng, a first-time participant in this year’s contest.

How excited is she?

“Very excited,” she grinned.

Eighty surfers competed in men’s, women’s, and intergenerational categories at Pacifica’s Linda Mar State Beach this summer. There’s no age minimum for the intergenerational category; this year, the youngest participant was 9 years old.

Surfer and sponsor Jeff Bjork of OCN Culture looks forward to the annual competition..

“I’ve been surfing since I was a little kid. For me, it’s a way to keep yourself young and be around amazing people,” Bjork said.

Earnest has created a special bond in the coastal community, which has surfer and sponsor, Van Ly of Bomb Waves, returning each year.

“He just loves being part of the community; he wants to bring people together,” Ly said.

The contest is also a celebration of healthy living. Earnest also co-produced the award-winning documentary Surfing for Life, which profiles older surfers and celebrates healthy aging.

Each year, the contest recognizes the most experienced surfer. This year, it’s 75-year-old Pete Schultz of Concord.

In addition, a nearly three-decade-old nonprofit rides on the competition’s success. Kahuna Kupuna is the main fundraiser for the nonprofit Pacifica’s Environmental Family. Its president, Cindy Abbott, says the money helps support coastal protection and education.

“It really is critical, and he does it with a beautiful spirit and camaraderie,” said Abbot. “The Kahuna Kupuna is low-key but well-loved,” Abbott said.

But Earnest, who serves as Pacifica’s Environmental Family board member and treasurer, has led his last Kahuna Kupuna. He’s currently talking with local surfing groups about taking it over so he can devote more time to other community service projects.

He hopes someone else will come on board who’s just as stoked about surfing.

“It’s a wonderful thing. I just love it,” he smiled.

So, for creating Kahuna Kupuna to honor older surfers and benefit Pacifica’s Environmental Family, this week’s CBS News Bay Area Icon Award goes to Roy Earnest.

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