Years of training in tiny Waikiki waves paid off big for Kai Sallas and Kelia Moniz yesterday.

Sallas won the Toes on the Nose Rabbit Kekai Longboard Classic men's contest.

Moniz won the Gidget Pro Open women's contest.

The finals of both longboard surfing contests were run in miniscule waves at Kuhio Beach, Waikiki.

Sallas and Moniz grew up surfing in Waikiki.

"I'm a longboarder from learning how to surf on the rental boards right here on the beach," said Sallas, 28. "My dad was a (Waikiki) beachboy."

The experience paid off for Sallas because the waves were small and infrequent yesterday. He made a key move before the 30-minute final heat even started.

"Being from here and being my home break, I knew that I needed a bigger board to get the advantage on the other guys," he said. "I think that helped me get the best waves."

Sallas' board was 9 feet, 6 inches — about a half-foot longer than the other competitors.

The board choice proved to be crucial from the start, as Sallas' first wave — a 2-footer — was the biggest wave of the 30-minute heat.

"The waves were really small at high tide," he said. "When it gets high tide out there, it's really hard to catch (waves)."

Sallas' opening wave received a score of 7.0, and it would prove to be the highest score of the final. He finished with a two-wave score of 13.6.

Each surfer can catch up to 15 waves, but only the best two count toward the final score.

"Nose riding was the key," Sallas said. "A big board and nose rides did it for me."

It also helped to have incentive.

For starters, Sallas was happy to be surfing at all. He missed the entire summer season due to a foot injury.

Sallas also became a father last month to a daughter named Coral, so the $2,500 check he received will be put to immediate use.

"It's a double-blessing right now," he said.

Midway through the final heat, the other surfers were already frustrated with the conditions.

Fellow Hawai'i competitors Keegan Edwards and Duane DeSoto received interference penalties while battling with the other surfers for waves.

Edwards actually shoved Sallas out of the way on one wave, although he said he did it in jest.

"I wasn't getting any waves the whole heat, so when that one came in, I was going no matter what," Edwards said. "We were all laughing about it. We knew Kai was going to win it already."

Steven Newton of California placed second. Edwards was third and DeSoto was fourth.

"It was pretty frustrating out there with the conditions like this," Edwards said. "But you have to take it. We don't get too many contests for longboarding, so any chance to win some money is good."

The Toes on the Nose contest was being staged in Hawai'i for the first time. It was held in Costa Rica for 13 consecutive years, but moved this year with legendary Waikiki surfer and beachboy Rabbit Kekai as the contest's namesake.

In the women's Gidget Pro, Moniz relied on a unique blend of experience and exuberance for her breakthrough victory.

Moniz is 16 and a junior at Elite Element Academy. However, she has been entering professional longboard surfing contests since she was 13.

In both 2007 and 2008, she placed second in the women's pro longboard contest at Waikiki.

"I've gotten second a lot," she said. "So it was really exciting to finally win one."

It was her first professional victory, and her knowledge of the Waikiki waves played a key role.

Her father, former pro surfer Tony Moniz, gives surfing lessons off Waikiki, so Kelia and her four brothers often tag along to catch waves.

Kelia said her father gave her advice prior to the 30-minute final.

"Kind of stay on the inside and kind of go under the peak," she said. "So I did that and I caught a lot of the waves that came in."

Moniz finished with a two-wave score of 14.1, and received $2,000 for the win.

Cori Schumacher of California placed second with a two-wave score of 13.4. Hawai'i surfers Ashley Quintal and Haunani Kane placed third and fourth, respectively.

Both contests were part of Duke's OceanFest. The OceanFest will conclude today with competition in surfing, paddleboarding, swimming, surf polo and beach volleyball — all at or near Kuhio Beach.

TOES ON THE NOSE RABBIT KEKAI CLASSIC

1, Kai Sallas (Hawai'i), $2,500. 2, Steven Newton (California), $1,500. 3, Keegan Edwards (Hawai'i), $1,100. 4, Duane DeSoto (Hawai'i), $900. 5 (tie), Tony Silvagni (North Carolina) and Taylor Jensen (California), $600. 7 (tie), Joe Aaron (California) and Cole Robbins (California), $400. 9 (tie), Nelson Ahina (Hawai'i), Kekoa Auwae (Hawai'i), Troy Mothershead (California), David Carvalho (Hawai'i), $300. 13 (tie), Josh Baxter (California), Darren Eudaly (California), Robin Johnston (Hawai'i), Kapono Nahina (Hawai'i), $200.

GIDGET PRO OPEN

1, Kelia Moniz (Hawai'i), $2,000. 2, Cori Schumacher (California), $1,000. 3, Ashley Quintal (Hawai'i), $900. 4, Haunani Kane (Hawai'i), $700. 5 (tie), Joy Monahan (Hawai'i) and Lindsay Steinriede (California), $500. 7 (tie), Megan Godinez (Hawai'i) and Candice Appleby (Hawai'i), $400. 9 (tie), Miku Uemura (Hawai'i), Stacia Ahina (Hawai'i), Tory Gilkerson (California), Kaitlin Maguire (California), $250. 13 (tie), April Grover (Hawai'i), Crystal Dzigas (Hawai'i), Geodee Clark (Hawai'i), Jennifer Koki (Hawai'i), $150.