Mayli Hack cracks the lip in winning the girls 14-15 age division Saturday at the 36th annual Vissla/Hi-Tech/Lopez Surfbash at Hookipa Beach Park. Hack won the open women’s division Sunday. Photo courtesy Dayanidhi

Zolten Poulsen and Mayli Hack were double winners at the 36th annual Vissla/Hi-Tech/Lopez Surfbash on Saturday and Sunday at Hookipa Beach Park.

It was a tale of two contests as Saturday was a beautiful day with head-high surf in calm conditions, while the wind filled back in and the surf increased to a series of close-out conditions Sunday. Poulsen, who won the open longboard Saturday and the boys 16-17 shortboard Sunday, might have described it best.

“It was almost like polar opposites,” Poulsen said. “(Saturday) was small and really nice conditions. (Sunday) was completely the opposite — really big, super windy. It might be one of the most challenging comps I’ve ever competed in.”

Zolten Poulsen sends up spray on his backside cutback in taking the boys 16-17 age division Sunday. Photo courtesy Dayanidhi

Poulsen, a senior at Maui Prep, was the Maui Interscholastic League’s Surfer of the Year a year ago. Poulsen caught a scoring wave right after the horn to start his final heat.

“Lucky, I was sitting deepest; it paid off for me that time,” he said. “It seems like most finals kind of go that way. It’s really nice to be on the first wave and set the tone — super psyched to be on that first wave,”

Hack won the girls 14-15 Saturday and braved the conditions to claim the open women on Sunday. Hack, an eighth-grade homeschool student, plans to attend King Kekaulike High School next year and join her sister, Ayla Daian, on the MIL champion Alii surf team.

Ayla Daian lays her board on rail on her backside turn. Daian won the girls 16-17 age division. Photo courtesy Dayanidhi

Hack said she wouldn’t have surfed those conditions if it weren’t for the contest. “I would never surf it like that if it was not a contest. It was very challenging, close-out everywhere, coming out of nowhere.”

“It was big and very scary,” she continued. “My first heat, I was really nervous. I was like really scared as I paddled out, but I caught the set. I couldn’t get back out. I was like terrified the whole heat, and I could never get to the peak. I got out of my heat. I actually got second. I was happy but I was really frustrated with myself. I wasn’t even going to compete, but my mom was like, ‘Just go out there and do your best.’ I was still really freaked out. I don’t know how, but I won.”

Hack tied with Kaja Przeciechowska, another Alii surfer, but Hack had a higher scoring wave to break the tie. Hack’s sister, Daian, won the girls 16-17 division.

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Cody Young repeated as open men’s champion at the 36th annual Vissla/Hi-Tech/Lopez Surfbash. Photo courtesy Dayanidhi

Cody Young won his second straight open men’s title. His younger brother, Levi, was fourth. Levi beat Cody in 2023 for the title.

“It’s always fun to get him,” Cody said. “Today was kind of crazy; it was a pretty big, short-period north swell with a little bit of north wind. It made it choppy and pretty stormy. It was still really fun. There were some diamonds in the rough for sure — got a couple in in the final that panned out.”

Young, 25, who was the first MIL surf champion as a freshman at King Kekaulike in 2014, now competes in the World Surf League regional qualifying series. He will travel to Oahu next week for the start of three contests in which he hopes to qualify for the WSL Challenger Series.

“This was a great warm-up,” Cody said. “I always try to run mock heats, but there’s nothing that really compares to actually being in a real jersey and in a real contest. Especially here because honestly it feels like I have more pressure in these events because I’m kind of expected to beat my little brother.”

Cody is currently ninth in the Hawaii/Tahiti region.

“I’m looking to get into the top five,” Cody said. “But really the goal is to win the Hawaii region.”

Kamiel Dereave, a Belgian citizen living in the Canary Islands, won the boys 12-13. The 13-year-old had been on Maui for a week. He leaves next week for a training camp in Ireland before returning to Maui for another three weeks. He has tow-surfed at the famous big wave spot in Nazarre, Portugal.

Deraeve looked impressive in his first contest on Maui.

“It was super fun and a great experience,” Deraeve said. “When I come back, I would love to surf Jaws.”

Kamiel Dereave whips a cutback in winning the boys 12-13 age division Saturday at the 36th annual Vissla/Hi-Tech/Lopez Surfbash. Photo courtesy Dayanidhi

Results

Boys and Girls

U10 (non-priority) — 1. J.J. Lucas, 13.93; 2. Xavier Young, 13.10; 3. Guide Udell, 10.77; 4. Felix Swift 8.77; 5. Alice Grier, 8.57; 6. Bandit Udell, 5.86.

Open Longboard (non-priority) — 1. Zolten Poulsen, 15.20; 2. Bode Davis, 13.40; 3. Aiden Haas, 11.20; 4. Lila Sloan, 10.84; 5. Talia Sloan, 7.37; 6. Delia Lin Chapman 5.74.

Boys

U12 (non-priority) — 1. Bryce Martins, 14.00; 2. Axel Goya, 12.67; 3. Greyson DaProza, 10.94; 4. Lachlan Filan, 10.17; 5. Aukan Messera, 9.70; 6. Rocco Swift, 5.66

12-13 (priority) — 1. Kamiel Deraeve, 15.67; 2. Kona Yamada, 13.26; 3. Rael Pinere-Schooley, 9.13; 4. Kai Martins, 8.04.

14-15 (priority) — 1. Bode Davis, 12.34; 2. Matias Banto, 11.07; 3. Asher McClenahan, 8.74; 4. Seth Jucker, 7.70.

16-17 (priority) — 1. Zolten Poulsen, 12.53; 2. Memphis Brown, 10.77; 3. Kai Nelson, 9.10; 4. Kingston Panebianco, 7.83.

Open (non-priority) — 1. Cody Young, 14.17; 2. Logan Bediamol, 11.27; 3. Kalaokahaku Willard, 10.30; 4. Levi Young, 10.16; 5. Hans Vandervoort, 9.34; 6. Kai Nelson, 7.70.

Girls

U12 (non-priority) — 1. Sayler Udell, 14.66; 2. Coco Bitoun, 9.84; 3. Avery Stelow, 8.66; 4. Tiare Sloan, 8.00; 5. Skylar Kottke, 5.97; 6. Kajarine Edelhertz, 4.69.

12-13 (non-priority) — 1. Kalli Sprenger, 9.17; 2. Peata Lee-Hubin, 6.97; 3. Halia Barnes, 7.27; 4. Lucia de Castro, 6.33; 5. Della Lin Chapman.

14-15 (priority) — 1. Mayli Hack, 13.70; 2. Baylee Brown, 12.90; 3. Kaja Przeciechowska, 5.93.

16-17 (priority) — 1. Ayla Daian, 15.26; 2. Ione LaTurner, 12.83; 3. Talia Sloan, 8.40; 4. Lila Sloan, 7.50.

Open (non-priority) — 1. Mayli Hack, 9.80; 2. Kaja Przeciechowska, 9.80; 3. Ione LaTurner, 9.67; 4. Baylee Brown, 8.33; 5. Ocean Lipstein, 6.84; 6. Ayla Daian, 5.96.

Zolten Poulsen hangs five toes over the nose en route to winning the open longboard division Saturday. Photo courtesy Dayanidhi