For a guy who doesn't surf at Ala Moana Bowls too often, Flynn Novak is pretty good at it.

Novak won the Sponsor Me Hawai'i men's surfing contest yesterday at Ala Moana Bowls.

The final day of the two-day contest was completed in 1- to 3-foot waves.

Novak was raised on O'ahu's North Shore, and is recognized as one of the standout surfers at the famous Banzai Pipeline. But he has now won the last two pro contests at Bowls.

His first professional victory came last summer at Bowls when the contest had a different title sponsor.

"I know what it took based off of last year, but last year was more surfing instead of getting lucky and tactics and stuff," said Novak, 26. "I'm really excited I could pull it off again in harder conditions. That right there makes it better."

Novak won last year's contest in prime conditions. Yesterday, the waves were smaller and inconsistent.

In the 30-minute final, the best waves rolled in during the first 10 minutes.

Dustin Cuizon of 'Ewa Beach struck first, receiving a near-perfect score of 9.25 (out of 10) after completing a series of difficult carving maneuvers.

"His second snap was right in my face and I was like 'no!' " Novak said of Cuizon's wave.

But Novak responded with wave scores of 5.65 and 8.25 to take the lead. Halfway into the 30-minute heat, Novak had a two-wave score of 13.9.

The ocean then went flat for a 10-minute period.

"I'm really stoked that I got the waves I did and then it went flat," said Novak, who received $2,500 for the win.

Solomon Ortiz of the Big Island placed a close second with a two-wave score of 13.65.

"I knew I needed another wave, and it went dead for the last part of the heat," Ortiz said. "But I'm still happy. This is one of the most crowded waves on the island when it's good, so a chance to surf with nobody else out is unreal. That's the real reward."

Cuizon finished in third place with a two-wave score of 13.15. After scoring his 9.25 ride in the opening minutes, he could never find another quality wave.

"It was frustrating — I only needed one more wave and there was a lot of time," Cuizon said. "Unfortunately I couldn't get one."

Roy Powers of Kaua'i placed fourth with a two-wave total of 9.75. Powers is a member of the ASP World Tour, and was the No. 1 seed for the contest.

The Sponsor Me Hawai'i contest offered minimal points for surfers on the World Qualifying Series. It was a 1-star rated contest (6-star events offer the most points and prize money).

Still, it is considered one of the biggest little contests in the world because of the quality of waves and surfers.

"They need to have more contests like this because Hawai'i has world-class waves," Novak said. "It was a good show right?"

Novak noted that other 1-star contests around the world can not draw the type of competitors that Hawai'i can. This week's field featured a diverse mix, ranging from 44-year-old former professional world champion Derek Ho to 16-year-old current junior world champion Keanu Asing.

"How many good surfers do we have from Hawai'i?" Novak said. "We have more of a talent pool. It's way deeper than anywhere else."

Asing held his own against the older competitors, advancing to the semifinals before being eliminated. Asing, a junior at Elite Element Academy, had the best wave of the day (a 9.75 in the quarterfinals) and the best heat of the day (18.0 out of 20) in the third round.

It was his first professional contest. Today, he will enter an age-group competition in the Hawai'i Surfing Association meet at Kewalo Basin.

Another impressive performance was turned in by the Jaquias family — Kaipo and his son, Kaimana.

Kaipo Jaquias, who is 39 and a former ASP World Tour standout, was eliminated in the semifinals. Kaimana, who is 16, was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

The top finishers in the contest are now in position to qualify for the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing in November and December. The last opportunity to qualify will be during the Xcel Pro at Sunset Beach in October.

"That's perfect for me," Novak said. "I wasn't able to go out and do all the (WQS contests around the world). I didn't have any money to go travel this year, so this really helps me for the Triple Crown."

FINAL RESULTS

1, Flynn Novak, $2,500. 2, Solomon Ortiz, $1,000. 3, Dustin Cuizon, $800. 4, Roy Powers, $700. 5 (tie), Randall Paulson and Joel Centeio, $600. 7 (tie), Keanu Asing and Kaipo Jaquias, $500. 9 (tie), Kekoa Cazimero, Makuakai Rothman, Pancho Sullivan and Charlie Carroll, $400. 13 (tie), Sean Moody, Larry Rios, Doug Silva and Kaimana Jaquias, $300.

FARNWORTH, KARTIL WIN AGAIN ON BIG ISLAND

Soleil Farnworth and Shruti Kartil repeated as champions of the Quiksilver/Kama'aina Motors Big Island Pro-Am Surfing Trials last week at Honoli'i Beach Park.

Farnworth won the men's open division for the third consecutive year. Joey Oda placed second for the second consecutive year.

Kartil won the women's open division for the second consecutive year. Chelsea Sky placed second.

Wayne Victorino won the longboard division. In 1984, he won the men's open division at the first Big Island Pro-Am.

Matt Solomon won the bodyboarding division.

The contest was run during one of the best swells of the year on the Big Island, with wave-face heights reaching 15 feet.

The top two competitors in each division won airfare and entry into contests on the North Shore of O'ahu.