HIC - Hawaian Island Creations

Legendary shaper Eric Arakawa and world renowned label HIC partner with Surftech to produce a line of Tuflite and TL2 HIC models for 2009. "We got great feedback from our team riders on the first HIC Tuflite boards we received and are looking forward to the response from customers when they are available in shops", comments Eric Arakawa. The boards, which debut to the surf industry at the September trade shows, will be available at retail in spring of 2009. "It is an honor to have Eric on board. He is one of the shaping world's true leaders and one of the few shapers whose boards continue to be sought out by the world best competitive surfers," comments Randy French, Surftech founder. Included in Eric's HIC Tuflite and TL2 lines are his sought after Barracuda, Element, GX, Pilot and Wombat models in lengths ranging from 5'10" to 6'6".

With over 30 years of experience and having shaped surfboards for over ten World Champions, Eric Arakawa is considered by many to be one of the finest shapers in the world. Born in 1960 in Honolulu, Hawaii, Eric continues to reside on the North Shore of Oahu, shaping exclusively under the HIC label. Eric's boards are used regularly by both local and touring pros, and have been ridden to victory in countless Triple Crowns as well as WCT and WQS events worldwide. In demand throughout the globe, Eric has traveled to Australia, the U.S. mainland, Brazil, Europe, Japan, Israel, Puerto Rico and the South Pacific to shape and design boards. Because of the uncompromising quality of his work, he has also been honored by the surfing media for his achievements, with Australia's Surfing Life Magazine having rated him amongst the top ten shapers in the world, and more recently being named as Surfing Magazine's Shaper of the Year in 2004.