Pro surfer. Flight attendant. Carpenter. Physicist.

Job descriptions are washed away when getting into the ocean. It is the common denominator for so many, regardless of age or occupation.

It’s a bond, even if it only happens once a year. And it’s never truer than on the Fourth of July, when hundreds share the water for a North Shore tradition established by Hui O He‘e Nalu.

The 35th Da Hui Independence Day Paddle Race, considered the largest paddleboard race in the world, expects its largest field ever next month. The addition of a pro-elite division for both prone and standup paddleboards and a $6,000 equal purse for men and women should push entries above 600, according to race director Mahina Chillingworth.

But regardless of size, the race’s intent remains the same: creating a fun, family-oriented holiday celebration that brings the community together.

"This race is really fun to organize, it’s not a job," said Chillingworth, also a sales representative for Da Hui clothing line. "We have such a good network of sponsors — Primo Beer, Turtle Bay, who is allowing us to invade their area — and the Hui members make it so easy.

"We have a child-parent tandem division, the only one in Hawaii where you can paddle with your child. We have a Sasquatch division where you get six or seven people to paddle together on an inflatable (paddleboard). There’s swag and board giveaways. And the competition is really good, with guys who are traveling around the world on tour who come back for this. The local boys like Bonga Perkins, Ikaika (Kalama) and Kala (Alexander) always come out."

Alexander, a Da Hui Wassup surf team rider, wouldn’t miss it. The actor and vice president of the Mauli Ola Foundation hasn’t decided if he’ll enter the new pro-elite division — "I haven’t been training enough for the long course," he said — but he’ll be in the water.

"I love the ocean, I love the camaraderie with all the watermen and waterwomen," he said. "It’s a way of life. I’m Native Hawaiian and it’s how you grow up.

"This race pays tribute to the ocean and fitness. It brings a lot of people back together who have gone off in other directions. That’s the great thing about the ocean. It’s the one thing we have in common, the one thing we share. You might see someone just once a year but you don’t miss a beat."

Michael Lorne, a North Shore resident since 1978, hasn’t missed a race in nearly 25 years.

"It such a fun community event," said the 61-year-old Lorne, a health physicist at Pearl Harbor. "You have generations competing and people who don’t normally paddle just jump in. It’s as competitive as you can get but fun as well."

The draw for Tim Shanley is the specialness and spirit of the area. The 4-mile short course starts at Sunset Beach, where he lives, and ends at Waimea Bay "with a vibe and energy from start to finish," the 61-year-old said. "I’ve had my kids on my boards and then paddled with them when they were old enough to be on their own boards.

"I’ve probably missed five races in the past 25 years. My favorite was 2010 on a 14-foot koa wood board that was shaped and lent to me by Tom ‘Pohaku’ Stone. I was honored to be able to use a solid wood board, no (fiberglass) on it. It was sealed with kukui nut oil in the traditional manner."

The 4-mile short course has three divisions for prone, six for standup and one for surfboard, with open and age-group categories from 13-under through 60-over. The 7-mile-long course has four divisions for standup and three for prone.

Ivy Blomfield-Foster said she used to watch the race as a child from her dad’s boat anchored off Waimea Bay. The flight attendant for Hawaiian Airlines competed sporadically in the prone division, sometimes tandem with her children, but now has won the past two women’s SUP titles.

I grew up on these beaches, lived at Kawela Bay," she said. "We were always in the water. "What’s special for me is that I used to watch the race and now I’m able to be part of it."