"4th Annual BANK OF HAWAII / ATLAS SALES North Shore TowSurf Championship 2007-2008"
Haleiwa-Tow-In Rules Page
Contestant Safety Rules
1) All contestants shall be expected to compete with a tow-in partner that
they have practiced with for AT LEAST a full winter surf season or more. Contestants,
if not competing with their main tow-in partner, should only compete with
a substitute partner that they have worked with before in surf in excess of
20 feet or more on several occasions. "Tow-In Surfers, LLC", the
"4th Annual BANK OF HAWAII / ATLAS SALES North Shore Tow-In 07/08"
Event Comittee and the "ALOHA SURF-LIFESAVING WATER PATROL" reserve the
right to remove any contestants or tow-in teams from the list of competitors
for these following reasons. If they feel they are not physically, mentally
and/or mechanically qualified for the event and it's unique BIG WAVE conditions
on event day. If they do not have the Hawaii Tow-In Surf License rules required
Tow-In Surfing safety equipment. If one or both tow-partners don't have evidence
of having a Hawaii State tow-in surfing cetification. If the Tow-In Team is
not operating a current Hawaii registerd PWC with a current Hawaii Tow-In
Surf Decal. Competing Tow-In PWC must submit to a safety inspection which
will be scheduled within 48 hours of the potential start of the "4th
Annual Bank of Hawaii North Shore Tow-In Surfing Championship 07/08"
Event. Or for any other reasons that the event comittee deems the team unsafe,
illegal or inadequate to compete in the "4th Annual BANK OF HAWAII /
ATLAS SALES North Shore TowSurf Championship 07/08". Such aborted entrants
will receive a full refund for their entry fees upon completion of the event.
Any such team MAY still be invited back in a subsequent year as long as they
provide the event officials full proof of compliance with all of these requirements
by six month's time before the beginning of that subsequent year's event holding
period.
2) All competing tow-in teams must submit to an inspection of their Hawaii
State Tow-In License certification, current Hawaii State PWC registration
and applicable sticker along with Hawaii State Tow-In Surf Decals on the PWC
they will be competing on. The competing PWC must also submit to an inspection
including a mechanical check and inspection of the PWC's sled, tow-rope and
all other Hawaii State Tow-In Licensing required safety equipment at least
one day prior to the start of the event's holding period (12/15/07). At the
very latest they will be required to submit to such inspection before the
start of the 1st heat on the day of the competition. All competing teams must
pass their PWC EVENT MECHANICAL INSPECTION. If a competing team does not pass
such inspection, they will not be allowed to compete in the event unless they
adequately fix the problem. It is also suggested that all potential competitors
acquire a copy of the "Hawaiian Water Patrol's Rescue Handbook" which was
compiled by Terry Ahue of the "Hawaiian Water Patrol" and is available at
Turbo Surf in Kapahulu and elsewhere, and that they read and understand the
book. Competitors also need to be completely clear about all of the latest
safety and equipment requirements of the DLNR Hawaii Tow-In Surfing License
and amended Hawaii laws for tow-in surfing. To print and study these rules
according to "Amendments to Chapters 13-250 and 13-256 Hawaii Administrative
Rules of Tow-In Surfing" go to http://www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dbor/rules/amendment13250_13256.htm
3) All competing tow-in surfers and tow-in PWC drivers shall be
required to wear a flotation jacket at all times during the competition. According
to the Hawaii State Rules of Tow-In Surfing, towsurfers "shall not be 'required'
to wear a life-saving device" while they are actually riding waves. However,
we ARE requiring that all competitors wear a flotation jacket while surfing
in their heats. Both competing team-mates MUST wear a flotation jacket while
waiting for their heats… and at any time while they are out at the contest site
or going in and out of the harbor. Leashes are optional for tow-in surfers competing
in the event, however they are suggested for use as a way to keep the tow-in
surfer and his tow-board in relatively the same place in case of a wipe-out,
upon being closed out on the inside or in case of other possible scenarios.
When boarding the rescue sled, make sure your board is under your body and held
tightly on the sled by your body and a firm grip on the sled handles! Leashes
will make for much more efficient retrieval of the surfer and his surfboard
and hence will make for more efficient running of the heats during the event,
as well as keeping surfers and/or surfboards from washing too far inside of
the 3000 foot from shore ORMA line (Ocean Recreation Management Area), or worse
yet ... washing into shore, onto the rocks or even out to sea. Also, loose surfboards
can become an obstacle to the other team in your heat and if they get directly
in the way of the other team, it could cause your team to receive an interference
call. If you lose your board, you could also lose precious competition time.
Have a spare board on hand in case you break or lose your board. Competing Tow-In
Team's Spare Boards may be stowed on the support boat only while that team's
heat is on. Remember, the ALOHA SURF-LIFESAVING Water Patrol will mainly be
concentrating on the rescue of Human Bodies. It is not their duty to chase loose
surfboards, or even to rescue downed PWC's unless it is a life or death situation.
So be prepared! All competing drivers are required to have a pair of swim fins
and a knife strapped to their bodies at all times. These are also two of the
most important Hawaii Tow-In Surf License Safety Rules!
4) All competing tow-in surfers and competing tow-in PWC drivers in the competition
shall have and be familiar with the latest version of the Amended Draft of DLNR
Tow-In Surfing rules which pertains to safety rules and regulations while tow-in
surfing. (Download from the web address in paragraph #2 above). Competitors
shall be expected to know and abide by these rules at all times during the competition.
A two-way communications radio shall not be required, however at least a cell-phone
carried in a water proof container carried on board of competing jet-skis is
required by State Tow-In Law. It is also a good idea so that competitors can
stay in touch with persons shoreside without having to go in and out of the
harbor unless absolutely necessary. Competing tow teams will be expected to
show up at the support boat out near the contest surf break at least 25 minutes
before the start of their heat, and they need to return to the harbor within
25 minutes after the end of their heat. Our aim is to attempt to not impede
the normal ebb and flow of water traffic in and out of Haleiwa Harbor, and to
keep most of the event's support and infrastructure vehicles out in the water
and away from the DLNR boat ramps between 8AM and 5PM on the day of the event.
Competitors should plan on returning to the harbor immediately after their preliminary
heats for re-fueling purposes and to remain there "at the ready" as
soon as they know if they have made it into the next round. Competing teams
need to check in at the Administration Tent in the harbor at least an hour before
their heat, and they need to check-in with event officials on the Support Boat
at the start of the heat (25 minutes) prior to their own. They will also need
to return to the Harbor by the end of the heat following their own (25 minutes),
at that time they will find out if they have advanced to the next round. If
they have advanced, they should stick close to the Administration Tower in case
of announcements regarding who will be surfing and in what order and to be available
to hear of possible order changes and to do possible interviews and promotions
as well as show support for the ongoing event competition.We need you close-by!
1) We expect 20 tow-in surf teams, with 40 tow-in surfers in all
(2 sets of 2-man tow-in teams per heat) The overall contest format will consist
of approximately 495 minutes (8.25 hours) of elapsed time from start to finish.
There will be 10 preliminary heats, each 20 minutes in duration, with a 5 minute
break in between each heat and a 5 minute break after the last heat of prelims
(255 minutes) The four lowest scoring teams overall in the preliminary 10 heats
will drop right off the slate. Then the remaining 16 teams will be cut in half
by a combination of heat winners or (in case of heat ties) the highest 8 scoring
teams. There will be a 5 minute break. Then there will be 4 quarterfinal heats
of 25 minutes with a 5 minute break in between each heat and a 5 minute break
at the end of the quarters (125 minutes). One team will go through from each
heat to the semifinals. Then there will be 2 semi-final heats of 25 minutes
with a 5 minute break in between (55 minutes). One team will go thru from each
heat to the finals. There will be a 15 minute break before the finals.Then there
will be one final 40 minute heat which will decide the winning tow-in team of
the event. The event should last exactly 8.25 hours (495 minutes). Realistically,
from 8AM-5:15PM. With a little extra time to spare... we should begin the awards
ceremony at 5:45PM. In the possibility that certain tow-in teams do not show
up for the event...we do have a list of 30 alternates invited teams to fill
in the empty slots. So sign up well in advance, check in by phone 48 hours in
advance and show up early on event day. Alternates Teams will fill in empty
slots in order of where they are on the alternate list AND also in order of
when they signed up, when they paid and when they checked in during the 48 hours
before the event. Alternates will have their entry fees refunded at the completion
of the event if they do not get to surf. Alternates must be available on the
morning of the event and be signed up, paid up, Hawaii State Tow-In Licensed
and ready to launch at a moment's notice. It is our intention not to hold this
event on the same day as the Billabong PEAHI Expression Session on Maui, should
IT be called on… so that there will not be any confusion or hard choices to
be made by competitors who are entered in both events. The PEAHI Billabong Expression
Session will only be held if the waves are in excess of 40-50 feet (Hawaiian
Scale) and therefore closing out the Outside Haleiwa Harbor Channel between
Outside Avalanche and Outside Puaena Point. At that point we will defer to the
PEAHI Event. We expect, in an "El Nino" year, that there should be
at least three days big enough to hold our event. We at "Tow-In Surfers,
LLC" have also agreed with promoters of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing
to not begin our waiting period until after the Pipeline Masters is finished
in mid-December of 2007. We have also agreed with Quiksilver and the promoters
of the "Quiksilver Eddie Aikau Memorial Big Wave Invitational Event 2007-2008"
to not run our event on the same day as "The Eddie". If "The
Eddie" is called "on" during our event's holding period, we will
make every effort not to run our event on that same day so that the two "Big
Wave" events do not conflict with each other. However, if the "Eddie"
is not setting up in the late afternoon of the day before the Biggest and Best
Day of the season, and if they are still waiting around in the morning to "make
the call"... then the "North Shore Tow-In" event is "ON"
at Outside Haleiwa Harbor...with the first heat in the water by 8AM or as soon
as we KNOW that the "EDDIE" is a "NO GO"!
2) Safety and fairness are our ultimate concerns in this event. There will be
a coin toss at the committee boat just before the start of each heat to establish
priority. Team #1 will catch the first wave of the heat and Team #2
will catch the second wave… and so on. There will be no jostling for priority.
If a surfer goes down on a wave, that team's driver must retrieve the surfer,
and if that surfer is injured...that team must return to the committee boat
briefly and check in with the Event Doctor just to make sure that surfer is
O.K. In that case, if the downed team has lost priority… they must wait for
the other team to catch a wave first. In some cases, because of positioning
or other factors…the team with priority may wave the other team on… giving the
other team priority… but there must be a clear and obvious over head hand-raise
with both hands held high in the air for several seconds by the driver of the
team that has priority to show that they are relinquishing their priority to
the other team. NO BLUFFING ALLOWED! If a team decides to relinquish priority,
they cannot change their minds. At no time whatsoever may two teams attempt
to catch the same wave. The team with priority must always go first. If they
miss a wave or get caught inside and get out of position, they must relinquish
their priority to the other team. The most important point here is the "one
jet-ski per wave rule"! If a 2nd team "races" the 1st team for a wave… and both
surfers actually release the rope and ride the wave, the team "without
priority" that has "interfered" will be disqualified and eliminated from
the contest entirely. The "Event Security Patrol" will be informed… and they
will immediately approach the offending team and require them to leave the contest
area without catching another wave. There will be spotters on the committee
boat to make sure these rules of fairness and safety are upheld. There will
also be spotters to make sure which "colored" team is riding and to aid the
judges in things they might not see, like the one-time per heat required team
"switch" ... and also to help out in case of a lost surfer, surfboard
or some other situation which might occur in a big wave event of this nature.
3) There will be one horn blown to start each heat and a green flag will be
raised on the Support boat. The heats will be run with 5 minutes break in betweeen
each heat.There will be one horn blown when the heat starts and two horns will
blow and a yellow flag will be raised when 5 minutes remain in the heat. A red
flag will be raised on the Support boat and three horns will blow when the heat
is over. The red flag will remain flying until the start of the next heat. All
heats will be run with 5 minutes in between each heat in the prelims, quarters
and semis. One long horn blast and a green flag signifies the start of the next
heat. Two horns signifies a yellow flag and 5 minutes remaining in the heat.
Three horn blasts and a red flag will signify the end of each heat. The red
flag will remain up until the start of the next heat. There will be a 5 minute
break between the prelims and the quarters, and a 5 minute break between the
quarters and the semis.There will be a 15 minute break before the final heat
and the final heat shall be 40 minutes in length. Total competition time = 495
minutes or 8.25 hours. No team shall catch any waves before the start of each
heat or after the end of any heat. Those waves will not be counted. If a team
is "committed" to a wave and already "on the face" of that wave at the final
horn, but the rider has not yet released the rope....that wave will be counted
if it is ridden. There is no maximum # of waves per heat, but the best 3
waves for each team will count toward that team's final heat score. If there
is a tie, the judges will factor in the 4th best scoring wave per team. Each
tow-in team member must try to catch "at least" 2 waves per heat. Tow-In team-mates
MUST switch positions between driver and surfer at least on time during each
heat, and each team-mate must ride at least one wave minimum. The team "switching"
MUST relinquish priority to the other team if a set comes before they have finished
"switching" unless the other team does not catch a wave while the
1st team is "switching". If no waves are caught during a "switch"... the priority
remains the same. In case of wipe-outs or other "downed" situations, it will
be at the judges' discretion to judge all the waves that are caught by each
team and tally the scores of the best 3 waves for each team (or to tally the
waves that are caught if it is less than 3 per team).
4) The "Aloha Surf-Lifesaving Water Patrol" has the ultimate authority regarding
emergency safety situations in this event! Any and all "First Aid", "EMS", "CPR"
or other life-saving techniques will ONLY be performed by the "Water Patrol".
There will be at least five "Aloha Surf-Lifesaving Water Patrol" Jet-Ski Teams
on hand at all times during the event. Each "Aloha Surf-Lifesaving Water Patrol"
Jet-Ski Team will have two expert "Water Patrol" persons on each jet-ski at
all times. There will also be a number of EVENT Jet-Ski "Security Patrol" PWC
in addition to the "Aloha Surf Life-Saving Water Patrol" which will
be posted at the edge of the surfing area to make sure that only the two competing
teams are in the surf break area at any one time. All non-Hawaiian Extreme Sports
Television videographers, photographers, spectators and any other non-contest
related watercraft must remain behind the committee boat. This "borderline"
will seperate competitors from the contest area and keep them behind the committee
boat and security boat at all times during the event. All watercraft operators
(PWC, Jet boats, Jet-skis, etc) must register and sign a waiver and a photographer's
agreement provided by an official positioned on land at the Administration Tent
near the boat ramp before even thinking about launching if they are planning
to approach anywhere near the contest site. In order to avoid having a large
number of watercraft lingering near the contest area, spectator and/or freelance
photographer watercraft will be limited to a certain time period near the contest
site. Any unregistered watercraft that approaches the contest zone from elsewhere
(for instance, having launched off the beach at Backyards or somewhere besides
Haleiwa Harbor) will be required by the "Tow-In Surfers Event Security Patrol"
to go into the harbor and register by signing a waiver and a photographer's
agreement with the event officials at the Administration Tent before being allowed
back out of the Harbor Area! If unregistered watercraft operators refuse to
comply with "Event Water Security" they will be escorted away from
the event area! Similar compliance will be required by "Land Security"
of any watercraft operators who attempt to launch without registering with Event
Officials at the Administration Tent.
5) All contestants, alternates, officials, spectators, photographers, water
patrol and any one else who will be approaching the event area must sign a participant/photographer
waiver (see Event waiver on sign-up page) and a Photographer's Agreement if
they are planning to do any kind of photography of the event! This rule will
be strictly enforced at all times throughout the day of the event. Everyone
who signs the waiver must be briefed and must read all of these rules as well
as the the waiver itself. The Event Officials and Event Land and Water Security
reserve the right to refuse anyone admittance to the harbor contest staging
area and particularly to anywhere near the contest waters and event surfing
area if they refuse to sign a waiver and a photographer's agreement. Event Security
may also require individuals to be removed from the Event Land and/or Water
Areas if they feel it is warranted or necessary for the overall safety of the
event and it's participants, officials, media, spectators, security and crew.
Mahalo For Your Kokua!