If you’re stuck in the office today and didn’t get a chance to check out the surf, I was out at Salt Creek and pulled together a slideshow of the action.
Waves were fun, and word is there’s more on the way - so you might want to start developing a cough to convince your boss you need to be out of the office for a bit. Here’s some snaps from earlier today, and check out the full slideshow here.
About a thousand people showed up for the inaugural “Rip Curl Surfboards in the Sand” event in Huntington Beach on Saturday, an event to raise awareness and funding for protecting the coast.
The event was a photo op collaboration by Transworld Surf, and will be published in the mag. Participants gave some money to be in the event, which will in turn go to various environmental causes.
Check out a slideshow of the event.
The Hurley Pro gave surf fans the opportunity to watch the best surfers in the world battle it out right here at Trestles as they try to gain points on the ASP World Tour.
Spectators got to the sand early, finding a place among the cobblestones to watch the contest. Umbrellas dotted the sand to keep people cool during the warm September day.
About 5,000 people showed up on the sand to watch as Australian’s Mick Fanning won against Ventura’s Dane Reynolds, who had a stellar performance through the entire contest.
Check out some of our photos from the surf scene on Saturday:
And here’s more photos from the OC Register, and a video below by Steve Zylius:
If you surf and you want to help out the environment and be a part of history then listen to this. Rip Curl is putting on an event called Surfboards in the Sand. It’s a historic photo opportunity to celebrate surf culture and to help raise funds for the Surfrider Foundation and the Orange County Coastkeeper.
Surf legend Peter “PT” Townend is expected to be joined by thousands of surfers with their boards. The Surfboards in the Sand photograph will be shot by, and published in Transworld Surf Magazine and other international publications.
Anybody can be a part of this historic photo shoot. Advanced online registration is only $10 per person or $20 on the day of the event.
There will also be live entertainment, free gifts, a free one year subscription to Transworld Surf Magazine and a free event t-shirt if you sign up online before September 10, 2009.
When: Saturday September 19, 2009 at 6:30 a.m
Where: Huntington Beach Pier
I went down to check out the PacSun Battle of the Brands contest in Huntington Beach, and as expected, the sand was packed.
Keep posted on more about the contest later (O’Neill took home the win), but in the meantime check out these photos I snapped of people who came out to Surf City to beat the heat. And check out Sciencedude’s write up about how smokin’ hot it got out there today.
The swell dropped a bit on Friday, with a lot of people saying “you should have been here yesterday, it was amazing!”
Well, there were still plenty of waves coming through in Newport Beach this morning. I started out at the Point, then cruised down to the Wedge to see what was happening.
I shot down to Doheny State Beach this morning to snap some photos of people who went out for a surf today as the swell continues.
Sometimes you get a good day, like over the weekend in Newport Beach. Today was a bit of a bummer, with messy, sloppy conditions. But still, it was fun to watch these surfers take on the waves, and battle through the strong currents and whitewash.
Also took some snaps of people hanging on the beach, the lucky ones who got to beat the heat by heading to the coast.
Check out these photos of the surf today, in case you were stuck behind your desk and you missed it:
Each week, I’ll be out exploring a new spot on OC’s coastline, snapping shots and giving tips about the beach. I’d love for readers to get involved, so if you have a suggestion/tip, add them into the comments area below.
Check out photos I snapped today at Seal Beach.
Seal Beach, Orange County’s northernmost beach, is one of the few that still has a quaint feel. Expect families and college students here, with mostly gentle waves. It’s one of the few that has an old school wooden pier, with a statue of a seal greeting people who take a relaxing stroll.
Where to eat:
There’s a Ruby’s at the end of the pier that offers great sandwiches and soups, and you can’t beat the view. Right across from the pier, Bogart’s coffee shop is perfect for a few snacks, and they have wireless if you want to plug in to work from the beach. Farther up Main Street, you definitely don’t want to miss Nick’s for a breakfast burrito, best for after a morning surf session.
Surf:
Seal Beach is a great beginner’s or longboard spot, with an easy break north of the pier. If you want lessons, contact M & M Surf Lessons. There’s also a less crowded spot near the San Gabriel River, parking at First and Ocean. Beware of sting rays in the area.
What to do for cheap:
Each Wednesday until Sept. 2, they have a concert at the pier from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. It’s free to attend, and a great relaxing way to spend a weeknight with family or friends.
Parking:
Both sides of the pier, $3 for two hours.
Want more on this beach? Check out this Beach Wiki that will give you tons of great tips on the area.
A surf contest that showcases some of the best amateur surfers from around the nation is going down in Huntington Beach this week, where competitors are trying to nab the USA championship title.
The 2009 SIMA Surfing America USA Championships presented by Verizon Wireless kicked off Tuesday south of the Huntington Beach pier, and runs through Sunday.
There’s 18 divisions in the contest, everything from young groms to seniors, longboarders and shortboarders.
I chatted with Rockin’ Fig Fignetti out on the sand, where he was getting pumped up for his heat in the Legends division. He’s come in second-place for two years in a row.
“For some people, it might be for fun. For me, I’ve always wanted the title,” he said.
The conditions were better than he expected, with 3-to-5-foot waves coming through.
“I’m stoked because it’s a bit more peaky today,” he said. “It’s a good size, the sun is out, and the wind isn’t too bad.”
Read more about the event here, and check out a slideshow of the first day of the contest here.
Read more on surfing:
Dad spent countless nights in front of his computer tracking his son surfing across the world. South Africa or Australia or anywhere with an ocean and everywhere against competition, Brett Simpson had fallen short of a breakthrough victory.
In a somewhat joking tone, knowing the too-good-to-happen opportunity would be improbable, Bill Simpson got off his computer after Brett lost in Brazil last week and said, “God, I guess you just wanted him to win in Huntington Beach next week.”
And there’s where the stars began to align the big swell and compelling story: Orange County’s hometown favorite not only captured every surfer’s dream of winning the Hurley U.S. Open, but the Huntington Beach surfer did so in front of his hometown fans to win the largest first-place purse in surfing history.
“I’m speechless. There’s not many words how I can describe it,” said Brett holding an oversized check for $100,000. “My body just wants to freak out.”
The fairytale ending concluded the U.S. Open that brought an estimated 140,000 spectators on Sunday alone. As the final horn went off, fans swarmed to carry Brett from the ocean to the trophy presentation, slapping high fives all along the way.
That’s when the victory lap officially began - but the underdog had assured himself the win much earlier.
Just 10 minutes into the 30-minute heat, Brett’s third wave provided enough breathing room with a 360-degree aerial — judges gave it a 9.10 — that eventually served as the early knockout punch.
Opponent Mick Fanning, the 28-year-old former World champion from Australia, needed to land his own almost-perfect 9.43 to spoil the homecoming party.
“I’ve been watching the event since I was 12,” said Brett, who is believed to be the first-ever U.S. Open winner from Huntington Beach. “Every year I’ve been down, every day, it’s been the goal in the back of my mind. It’s nice to be up on top.”
Brett admitted his “home-court advantage” helped keep him focused on surfing and not distracted by a foreign daily routine. Beyond home cooked meals and his own bed at night, Brett used almost ten years of local knowledge to read the swell.
Those ten years were far from what Bill expected.
Raised in a traditional sports-revolving household, Brett remembers surprising his father by giving up football, basketball and baseball.
When Brett started surfing, “(Dad) was like, ‘what the hell are you doing?’”
On Sunday it was clear what Brett was doing. Bob Hurley asked Bill, a former Los Angeles Ram: “Did you want him to be a free safety or a surfer?”
Bill paused then looked down at his son’s check worth more than double what he made as an NFL rookie, and responded with: “A surfer.”
Brett has become more than just a surfer, improving his No. 9 world ranking after this weekend. Overcoming nine days of competition against the world’s best – including nine-time world champion Kelly Slater and three-time world champ Andy Irons - Brett’s accomplishment comes under the historic conditions of incredible surf and star power that showed up.
Read the rest of this entry »
If you didn’t make it down to the sand - and I think everyone and their mother pretty much did - here’s some snapshots I took through the day today.
Click here or on the image for a bunch from the beach side, where the waves were still big and surfers put on a serious show today:
And here’s a slideshow from the festival side, where you could find people doing everything from hula hoop contests to getting their hair cut.
> Get more U.S. Open coverage - slideshows, video, schedules, results and more.
In case you missed all the action down at the US Open of Surfing today, here’s a photo slideshow to get you up to speed.
Basically, it was madness down there today - at this rate, I’m thinking this weekend will be one for the record books on the number of people who come down.
The morning kicks off tomorrow with Huntington Beach’s Brett Simpson in the first heat at 8 a.m. Make sure you stay to the afternoon for the women’s finals - if Santa Ana’s Courtney Conlogue stays surfing the way she did today, she’ll be taking home the win.
> Get more U.S. Open coverage - slideshows, video, schedules, results and more.
The crowds got pretty thick today in Huntington Beach, leading to what I think will be record crowds at the US Open of Surfing.
We were out there early morning, and through the day shot snaps of people hanging out on the sand and in the Transworld Village, which opened up today.
Check out these photos from Day 6 of the Hurley US Open of Surfing.
> Get more U.S. Open coverage - slideshows, video, schedules, results and more.
So there’s a ton a people on the sand, and lots to shoot today.
Here’s the PG version on the Orange County Register:
And here’s one that shows a bit more skin on OrangeCounty.com, and there’s a lot of it out here on the sand:
> Get more U.S. Open coverage - slideshows, video, schedules, results and more.
Check out this slideshow from the sand today from the Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing.
There was a lot of action at the event in Huntington Beach today, with three-time world champ Andy Irons competing, and plenty of girls in bikinis checking out the heats.
The sand was pretty packed for a Tuesday, but the real crowds won’t be here until Thursday. If you want to catch Kelly Slater surfing without the mobs, he’ll be competing tomorrow.
Get more coverage - slideshows, video, results, and more.
San Clemente’s Dane Gudauskas won his heat today with a solid 15.10 heat total, reports ASP’s Robert Shadley. Here’s what Gudauskas said about his heat:
“I knew it was going to be a really hard heat,” Gudauskas said. “Everyone surfs really well out there and the conditions are kind of tricky. There are a bunch of random peaks and it’s kind of shifty. I was just stoked to get that one good score and get my rhythm going. I hadn’t made my heats in the last few contests and it felt good to get that one under my belt.”
“I had a really great day with my friends in San Clemente yesterday,” Gudauskas said. “I surfed all day and got really sunburned, but it was just what I needed and it always great when you feel at home.”
Even though the opening weekend of the U.S. Open of Surfing is typically pretty mellow, the action was heating up on the sand the past few days on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier.
Men and women juniors battled it out during the Nike 6.0 Juniors, and the men’s trials went down with some stoked surfers excited they are going to compete in the contest.
We snapped some photos out on the sand, check out what was happening here.
The men’s trials continue starting at 7:30 a.m., check out a schedule here.
I went down to the Ocean Festival down in San Clemente, and it was a great day to spend down at the beach.
There were tons of families enjoying all the booths or just relaxing on the sand, while competitors were out working hard doing races. If you’re into Woodies, they had some beauties lined up on the pier.
Check out this slideshow I pulled together of the event.
There’s something for everyone - fishing derbies and sand castle contests for the kids, a Woody car exhibit, California Waterman and Waterwoman championship, bodysurfing lessons and more. One of the most exciting events to watch is the Dory boat races. In case you want to head down, here’s the schedule for Sunday.
And be sure you get there early, parking will be tough:
Parking/Shuttle Info:
Free parking and round trip shuttle service from San Clemente High School (700 Avenida Pico, SC 92672)!
Directions to Shuttles:
I-5 to Ave. Pico; go 1/4 mile inland to San Clemente High School on the right. Limited parking is available near the pier.
Directions to San Clemente Pier:
- From I-5 southbound, exit Avenida Palizada, turn right to El Camino Real, turn left to Avenida Del Mar, turn right and follow to beach.
- From I-5 Northbound, exit Presidio, turn left to El Camino Real, turn right to Avenida Del Mar, turn left and follow to beach.
West Newport went nuts on the Fourth of July, with thousands of people crammed into houses and streets. The booze was flowing, and people were just going crazy.
According to the Orange County Register, only about 77 arrests by about midnight, a much lower number than previous years.
Check out our slideshow to see if OrangeCounty.com caught you in action in West Newport on the Fourth of July.
The weekend kicked off early for plenty of people who were hanging out down near the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach on Friday afternoon.
This should be a hot one inland, so expect lots of crowds and a tough time finding parking. For events along Orange County beaches this weekend, click here.
In the meantime, wish you could leave the office and be at the beach by checking out this photo slideshow of people down on the Balboa Peninsula today.
Local surfers recognized Surfline wire news
