Kona Realtor Among Top 10 Amateur Surfers in Hawaiʻi

Kona resident Brandon Hickman is on a roll collecting wins as a competitive surfer while maintaining a successful real estate career.

Brandon Hickman. PC: Hawaii Beach and Golf Properties

Hickam is ranked among the top 10 amateur surfers in Hawaiʻi, he recently took first place in the Grandmaster Division qualifying contests held by the Hawaiʻi Amateur Surfing Association at both Pinetrees in Kona and Honoli‘i near Hilo. Both surfing competitions were qualifying contests for HASA State Championships held recently at Ala Moana Bowls on Oʻahu.

In order to qualify to compete at the State Championships, a surfer needs to place in the top three of at least four separate surf competitions. After last month’s competition, Hickman is currently ranked sixth in the state.

Hickman has surfed across the Pacific Rim from Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay in California to Australia, Japan, and Mexico for the past 30 years.

A successful real estate broker with Hawaiʻi Beach and Golf Properties, Hickman credits his real estate career with the flexibility to combine his two loves of surfing and real estate.

“A good surfer, like a good real estate agent, knows their environment,” says Hickman. “They know how the wave sets differ in size between the summer and winter, whether the waves break to the right or left, and what hazards may lay beneath the waves.”

“It’s that ability to read the ocean and know instinctively whether the timing is right to hop up and catch the wave that makes good surfing look easy,” he said. Hickman applies those same skills to real estate and has built a reputation as the go-to guy when it comes to buying or selling beach properties on the Big Island.

People frequently stop by the Hawaiʻi Beach and Golf office located at the Shops at Mauna Lani to ask Hickman about local surf conditions or which communities are close to good surf spots.

Hickman gives back to the community too, he volunteered as a judge at the 22nd annual Keiki Surf For the Earth surf contest and beach clean this past Saturday, May 20, at the Bay at Kohanaiki.

“Keiki Surf is one of those great community events that’s a win-win for all involved,” says Hickman, who has volunteered as one of the surf contest judges and participated in the beach cleanup for years. “The kids get to show off their surfing skills and help the environment at the same time.”

“Surfing is an adrenaline rush unlike any other, just you and a wave,” says Hickman. There’s a sense of freedom you cannot fully appreciate until you’re standing on that board with the ocean propelling you forward to the white sandy shore. And like catching a good wave, I love helping people find the home that best suits their needs and budget.”

You can reach Brandon Hickman at Brandon@HawaiiBeachGolf.com.