SURFING TO A BETTER TOMORROW

In with the tide and sweeping the shores of Hawai’i joins the refreshing and new surf community marketplace, HOKALI. HOKALI is a recent success story that all began on the beaches of California with two Argentinians, Tomás Bisi and Ignacio Viau. These two founders both started surfing at a young age with competitions and coaching along the way, but it was not until meeting in San Francisco that the opportunity to change the surfing world washed ashore. There was a high demand for surf lessons but no surf coaches hence with passions for the sport. Teaching Tomás and Ignacio decided to change that, and so HOKALI surfed its first wave. The two surfers did not just create a platform for students and coaches to connect but transformed the industry into a community.

HOKALI can be easily found through their website (hokali.co), Instagram (hokali.co), Facebook (HOKALI), LinkedIn (HOKALI), and YouTube. Their interactive platform has everything a student surfer could ever need from gear rental, to video tutorials,

to vetted professional coaches to individual time and beach preferences. They aspire to create value for students, private coaches, and surf schools alike.

Just starting with fifty plus bookings in a mere few days has transformed to over two thousand bookings between five locations with the newest edition being our very own Oahu, Hawai’i. HOKALI just launched its operations in Waikiki and Haleiwa September fifteenth with the help of Blue Startups, a venture accelerator here in Hawai’i. The company is partnering with Blue Ocean Reef Surf School and Natty Surf School, and rather than competing with them, HOKALI desires to partner with them instead to simplify their daily operations and further connect everyone with the ocean.

Speaking of ocean life, the company name, HOKALI, was built upon the Hawaiian word for nature which originated from their mission to be sustainable. The company is committed to preserving nature and taking care of our beaches and oceans, so they have partnered with some amazing companies such as the Sea Tree Foundation which restores kelp in California for every surf lesson booked through HOKALI. In addition, their newest challenge is with the non-profit organization, Scholas Ocurrentes; the hope is to hit one thousand surf lessons and donate the proceeds to provide ten grants to children in South American and Africa to participate in the ‘School of Sea and Beach’ program, and HOKALI does not stop there. They are working with the Groundswell Community and chatting with local nonprofits from North Shore that support environmental education in the schools and communities of Hawai’i, along with organizing beach cleanups as well.

On the horizon for HOKALI is the dream to surf around the world and include new sports such as kitesurfing and scuba diving. With their sixth location being Puerto Rico on the rise and more of Hawai’i’s islands in plan to come next year, HOKALI will not be bailing on any wave any time soon.