National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA)
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Conference & Structure
NSSA is a national organization founded in 1978, with Hawaii as one of nine regional conferences alongside California and Florida. NSSA Hawaii is administratively separate from HSA but closely linked - the two organizations receive an equal number of invite slots to USA Surfing Championships. Divisions run on a scholastic ladder from Menehune through Junior, Senior, and Open, plus a more entry-level Explorer track, with longboard and bodyboard divisions alongside shortboard. The Hawaii conference has historically rotated venues across islands rather than staying fixed on one.
Costs & Fees
1 / Membership
You must hold a current NSSA membership before entering any Hawaii conference event, purchased directly at nssa.org. Hawaii-specific membership pricing isn't published online - confirm current rates with your conference organizer.
2 / Per-Event Fees
On top of membership, each event carries its own per-division entry fee paid at registration. Mainland conferences post fees through shop.nssa.org, but Hawaii isn't listed there yet - check the event listing or contact the conference director directly for current rates.
3 / Where to Register
Hawaii doesn't yet register through NSSA's shop.nssa.org storefront like mainland conferences do. Expect to register through the older nssa.org system or by contacting the Hawaii conference organizer directly - the NSSA Hawaii blog and local pages are worth checking for the current process.
Schedule & Format
1 / Season & Events
Hawaii is one of NSSA's nine regional conferences, with events set as multi-day holding-period windows rather than a single fixed date. Confirmed 2025-26 North Shore dates: Sept 20-28, 2025 at Sunset Beach, and March 7-15, 2026 at Haleiwa Alii Beach Park. The Hawaii conference has historically rotated venues across islands rather than staying fixed on Oahu.
2 / Format & Scoring
Each event narrows a field over the days within its holding period down to a final, based on surf and weather. Wave-count, priority, and heat construction follow the NSSA Rule Book. Conferences feed a ratings and points ladder per division, the same points-accumulate-across-the-season model HSA uses.
3 / Hawaii Championship
Strong finishes at Hawaii conference events lead to the Hawaii Championship (Open, Explorer, and Airshow divisions). From there, HSA and NSSA Hawaii each receive an equal number of invite slots to the USA Surfing Championships, with invites announced directly by USA Surfing after Regionals conclude - a separate, invite-only step from NSSA's own national ladder toward Nationals at Huntington Beach.
Getting There
1 / Check-In Times
NSSA doesn't publish a standard check-in time - it's announced per event, closer to the holding period. Hawaii conference events run at the same North Shore parks used by HSA and WSL contests, so until an official time is posted, plan to arrive at least an hour before the first heat.
2 / Parking
NSSA doesn't publish official parking details for its Hawaii events either. Sunset Beach Park and Haleiwa Alii Beach Park have limited public lots that fill fast on contest mornings, following the same City and County of Honolulu permitting and parking patterns as HSA and WSL events there - plan to arrive early and be ready to walk from nearby street parking.
3 / Confirm Your Date
NSSA events are held within a multi-day holding-period window rather than on one fixed date, and the actual contest day can shift with surf and weather. Check your division listing or the conference organizer close to the window to confirm which day(s) the event is actually running.
