to win the trifecta at Piha - Open Men's, Open Women's and Under 23 Men. The big wave classic is held at Piha near the end of February every year, depending on tides. In 2008 Piha crews comprising James Dallinger, Brad Mytton, Hayden Smith, Craig Knox, Matt Kirke, Mark Bourneville and Bruce O'Brien won the European Open Surf Boat Championships (also known as the World Surf Rowing Championships) at Biarritz, France. In 2012 The Piha A crew of Matt Kirke, Paul Gerritsen, Ben Scott, Scott Lissington, Chris Morris and swept by Mark Bournville won the New Zealand Short and Long Course titles, the New Zealand Surf Boat Series, the ERCs, the Auckland Championships Short and Long Course titles. They also travelled to Australia and became the first-ever New Zealand crew to win the Aussie Open title, that same weekend they competed against the Australian men's crew in the battle of the ditch which Piha also won. In 2013 Piha became the first club to win 5 Golds at a New Zealand National Surf Life Saving Championships (Open Men long and short courses, Under 23 Men long and short courses and under 19 Men long course). At the 2014 New Zealand Nationals Phia A became the first crew to win 8 New Zealand titles in 5 consecutive seasons. The under 23 crew also scored a first - the first to win 5 New Zealand National titles in the under 23 division. The club also became the first to win 4 of the 6 divisional New Zealand Surf Boat Series titles - Men's Open, Women's Open, Under 23 Men's and Under 19 Women. The current Piha surf boats, sponsored by Burger Fuel and Trillian Trust, are named after previous Piha great boaties:- Tom Pearce, E D Wright, Buddy Lucas and Tiger O'Brien. Piha "tear-drop" surf rescue ski Piha Surf Life Saving club acquired a surf ski from Australia during the summer of 1936 and used it for several rescues that season. However these narrow, 12-foot-long skis made from mahogany and plywood did not stand up to the tough Piha surf conditions. E D "Don" Wright, who joined the club in 1940, by trial and error developed the Piha Tear-Drop Surf Rescue Ski. These skis designed for carrying a patient in the surf at Piha were wider than the Australian ones, about 12 feet long, half-circle-shaped at the front and taped to "nothing"