Ala Moana Bowls has been the hub of cutting-edge surfing on Oahu’s South Shore for decades. Interestingly, it’s practically a man-made wave, as construction in the 1950s intended to create a deepwater channel at Ala Wai Small Boat Yacht Harbor resulted in the unintended creation of a lefthand reef break.
“Initially the wave wasn’t a popular surf spot,” reads a spot breakdown from Town & Country Surf Design. “The longboards and single fins of the sixties couldn’t quite match the speed of the reeling left-hander. But as the 1970s and ’80s ushered in a revolution of surfboard design and development, Bowls became a world-class high-performance wave, showcased by progressive standouts like Hawaii’s Larry Bertlemann, Buttons Kaluhiokalani, and James “Booby” Jones, to name a few.”
In their youth, brothers Michael and Derek Ho spent formative years surfing the punchy wave and gradually became clear standouts. Now 66 years young, Michael’s still got a spot at the top of the lineup, and his son Mason is right there with him. It’s remarkable that despite the 31-year age difference between the father and son, they both can still tear the bag out of waves big and small. And they do it together all over Oahu, from solid Pipeline to playful V-Land to stupidly shallow reefs.
Watch above as the duo split lips on back-to-back waves, and even share a few peaks together. It’s good stuff. As a bonus for the viewers in the ding report, Mason offers an inspection of a blood-splattered Mayhem from his Caveheart trip and gives us a sneak peek of his new FCS II signature fins.
Related: Watch Mason, Coco, and Michael Ho Score Super Fun North Shore Surf
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