A different kind of contest found its way to Orange County last weekend, the first time the Australian contest – which started in 2001 – has made its way to the United States.

Overseas, there are about 70 teams that compete in the Jim Beam SurfTag event – and organizers are hoping the Cali event will one day be as prestigious as the one Down Under, where surfers such as Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson and Taj Burrow join the event

The contest is a team format, with five surfers per team who each have an hour to try to get three stellar waves for points. As soon as the third wave is caught, the teammate runs up on the sand to slap hands with the next surfer.

CHECK OUT A SLIDESHOW FROM THE EVENT.

Donny Wilson knew his second wave had to be a good one.

The waves weren’t anything special, 2-3 foot on the south side of the Huntington Pier on Friday, the first of the two-day Jim Beam SurfTag contest.

With his teammates holding their breath on the sand, Wilson crouched down into a wave, and suddenly found himself getting barreled.

His teammates cheered from the sand. The second wave out of three the surfers had to catch – called a “power wave” – is worth double the points.

“Where did he find that wave?” an announcer asked over the loudspeaker.

Surfer Wayne Kelly, on team “Safety” from Santa Cruz, stacked up major points for his team after pulling off an aerial maneuver.

“I find myself rooting for my guys, and really wanting my friends to do well,” he said. “Usually during competitions, I want them to go down.”

In the end, Carlsbad’s Team Reef took the win and now holds the title of “Best Surf Team in California.”

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