Kolohe Andino Wins East Coast Surfing Championships…20 Years After His Dad

It was a rough year on the Championship Tour for Kolohe Andino.

A handful of losses in the Round of 32, plus an Elimination Round retreat in Portugal, sent the San Clemente surfer packing come the Mid-Season Cut.

But after a few months of downtime – in which he spent uplifting his local crew, which has become the de facto nucleus for American surfing prominence, not to mention he’s got a second baby on the way – Andino just made a triumphant return in Virginia Beach.

He won the East Coast Surfing Championships, 12 years after his first win there, and 20 years after his dad won the same event.

“I got a wild hair and just wanted to come hang with the groms, compete, and see Michael [Dunphy]. And to win it on the 20th anniversary of my dad winning, it’s been a rad week,” Andino said after the win.

Full circle.

About the win and its significance, surf culture reporter Jake Howard wrote:

“In one of those weird twists of fate, 20 years ago Dino Andino rolled into the contest with a young, future Brazilian world champ named Adriano De Souza in tow. The team manager for Oakley at the time, Dino’s primary job at the comp was to make sure De Souza was looked after and ready for his heats. As a little side hustle, Dino also entered the event — and ended up beating De Souza to take the win.

“Fast foward to present day and Kolohe has just done much the same. Like his father, he came into Virginia Beach to help support San Clemente’s rising stars, and like his pops, he waxed them to take the win. No stranger to the podium at the East Coast Surfing Championships, Kolohe won the same contest back when he was but a 17-year-old grommet.”

Is this the start of a second competitive wind for Andino? Look out 2024 CT?

Stay tuned.

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