It was 1989 and they started The Hard Rock contest at Haleiwa. Something happened and we had to move to Sunset. Sunset was 8-10 foot, NW swell, with really light trades. It was as good as conditions get – just perfect A-Frame peaks and I won the event. The next contest, the Billabong Pro, started two days later again at Sunset. The swell jumped to 10-12 foot plus for the whole week with the same light trades – just bigger and gnarlier. I won that event as well. So it was two Sunset victories back to back. That has never ever been repeated before and it’s probably my fondest memory outside of winning the Pipe Masters.
– Gary ‘Kong’ Elkerton (as told to Alex Workman)