On the consecutive days last week that the men were concluding two of their five surfing winter world qualifying events on the North Shore in as many days, the symbolism of there being zero such side-by-side opportunities for women was eye-opening.

And troubling.

“So, unless their parents are very wealthy (to send them overseas), female surfers in Hawaii will have to re-calibrate their dreams to match opportunities they have here, which is none,” former Hawaii Triple Crown champion Keala Kennelly said in compelling testimony before the Honolulu City Council. She also noted women have been excluded from the Triple Crown since 2010.

Councilmember Heidi Tsuneyoshi, whose district takes in the North Shore, said concerns had been raised about discrimination by gender, persisting policies that had excluded women competitors from some of Hawaii’s marquee surf spots and contests. “When I heard that it has been a decade since women have had a chance to compete in some of the most notable qualifying events held on the North Shore, I felt it was an issue that needed to be addressed.”

Coming on the heels of Half Moon Bay, Calif. and Mavericks, where an equity in professional sports resolution was adopted earlier last month, Tsuneyoshi’s introduction of the issues produced a unanimous resolution urging the City’s Department of Parks and Recreation and the State Department of Land and Natural Resources to adopt permitting policies “…that ensure gender equity for all competitive surfing events held on the North Shore of Oahu.”

Moreover the resolution seeks that the Mayor’s Surf Advisory Committee be composed of “an equal number of women and men with equitable terms …” It also asks that access “for female surfers via a women’s division (be) a required condition for the issuance of a park use permit for North Shore surfing events or contests …”

Six of the World Surf League’s Top 25 ranked women in 2019, including world champion and Olympic-bound Carissa Moore, came from Hawaii. How many others might have missed out on pursuing their goals at the highest level because of the paucity of opportunities available in their home surf is anybody’s guess.

What is known is that the steps toward equality in surfing, as in too many other sports, have come painfully slow, both in and out of the water. It wasn’t until last year that woman champions began receiving equal prize money at WSL-controlled events on tour.

Until the WSL’s move, amid prodding by the Committee for Equality in Women’s Surfing, it had been possible for men and women to surf the same site on the same dates but women to receive checks that were 40% less.

In the world of sponsorships and endorsements a significant gap still remains.

As Jenn Marr, a past president of the Association of Women Bodyboarders, put it in testimony, “It is a shame in this day and age (that) I have to explain to my granddaughter why this is happening. She is an avid surfer, comes from a surfing family and has Hawaiian blood. There is no reason she should ever be excluded from any venue here, especially because of her gender.”

In the end, it is a matter of more than just events and prize money. It comes down to basic fairness and respect.