Koa Smith leads opening day at HTA Sunset Pro with 15.35 heat total
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 27, 2026
Opening day surf
The World Surf League’s Hawaiʻi/Tahiti Nui Qualifying Series opened its North Shore schedule at Sunset Beach with enough size to keep the draw moving and the field busy. Organizers had been scheduled to meet early to assess conditions, and a strong swell had been forecast for opening day. The surf featured solid four-to-six-foot waves with occasional eight-foot-plus sets. That setup allowed the women’s Round of 28 and Round of 24 to get done, along with the men’s Round of 96, giving the event a full first day of competition. The opening session set the tone for a stop that blends high-level surfing with a deep local presence. Sunset Beach has long been a proving ground, and the opening day brought that challenge immediately. The conditions called for timing, patience and clean decision-making, and the field had to read the ocean fast. That mattered from the first heats, because the day did not offer easy lines or soft scores. Surfers who handled the bigger sets and the shifting rhythm stayed alive in the draw, while others had to wait for another chance. The event also opened with the new HTA Scholar Athlete Program in place, adding another layer to a contest that already carries weight in the region.
Smith sets pace
Koa Smith set the standard in the men’s draw and left the opening day with the top score. He earned an 8.50 ride and finished with a 15.35 heat total, the day’s best mark across the field. On the women’s side, Zoie Zietz posted the strongest opening-round total with a 14.90, a start that put her in control early. Thirteen-year-old Zoee Bradshaw also made the first day count, advancing in her Qualifying Series debut with a 12.50 heat total. Those results gave the event an early leaderboard shaped by both established names and new faces. Smith’s number stood out in a field that had already been pushed by the conditions, and his performance matched the size of the day. Zietz answered on the women’s side with the best total in her round, while Bradshaw showed she belonged in the mix despite her age and debut status. The results fit the tone of the opening day, where clean waves and committed surfing separated the heats. The women’s Round of 28 and Round of 24 produced the first major cuts in the bracket, and the men’s Round of 96 sent more surfers through the next stage. The day rewarded surfers who handled the bigger sets with control and translated that into scores.
Local talent rises
The rest of the lineup gives the HTA Sunset Pro a strong mix of proven winners, returning names and young local surfers. Kiara Goold came back as the defending champion and returned to defend her title, while the field also includes Moana Jones Wong, Aelan Vaast, Eweleiula Wong, Chesney Guinotte and Vaihitimahana Inso. Joshua Moniz returned to Sunset after finishing runner-up there in 2025 and now enters the 2026-27 Challenger Series season with another chance to build on that result. The event also brings in Ace Arizumi and Kenzi Nakamura as wildcards, adding more depth to the draw. The local focus extends beyond the main heats. Additional scholastic surfers were slated to compete at Haleʻiwa, and the event’s new HTA Scholar Athlete Program gives the stop another connection to the community. That mix of elite contest surfing and local development keeps the North Shore schedule rooted in the region it serves. The Sunset event asks for more than raw talent. It asks for judgment, wave selection and the ability to stay composed when the surf gets heavy. Opening day showed that clearly. The field already had to answer a full slate of heats, and the first results suggested there will be no easy path through the rest of the competition.
