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.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

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.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

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:

 Click here to view the embedded video.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

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

Post from: OC Beach Blog

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.

CHECK OUT A SLIDESHOW OF IMAGES HERE.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

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.

Here’s some snapshots:

Check out the full slideshow here.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

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:

Post from: OC Beach Blog

Check out photos I snapped today at Seal Beach.

Quick guide to 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.

How to get to Seal Beach.

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.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

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:

Post from: OC Beach Blog

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.
“I was kind of pissed at Hurley when they (invited the best surfers),” joked Brett. “Like, ‘why are you inviting all these nuts guys?’ It’s amazing to get to surf against these guys; they’re the biggest faces in the world.”

“I didn’t win a cheap U.S. Open,” he added.

Surfing icons like Rob Machado, Slater and Fanning shared the stage with the up-and-coming group of stars like Brett, who are earning points on the World Qualifying Series to one day be on the World Tour. They are two groups that rarely get to share a stage – but this contest illustrated how the complexion of surfers is balancing out between the long-established veterans, and highly capable young guns.

Even on the women’s side, 16-year-old Courtney Cologne of Santa Ana won the women’s Open on Saturday, beating out some of the best women’s surfers in the world.

“Surfing’s become much more of a sport,” said Brett, who starts training at 6 a.m. “People really started training and taking advantage. That extra work kind of pays off.”

Ian Cairns, Brett’s coach for the past two years and founder of the Association of Surfing Professionals, thinks that Brett’s win was a long time coming.

Brett plans to relax before heading out to France, continuing his quest to make the World Tour — a feat looking closer and closer.

“He just proved to everyone he is a contender to be top five in the world,” Cairns said. “Now he knows how to be an animal.”

“Having the level of those guys here, it really validates this contest and the level of these surfers,” Cairns added.

Check out some of these amazing shots by the Orange County Register of Simpson during the final day.

Some shots of Simpson surfing during the final:

> Get more U.S. Open coverage - slideshows, video, schedules, results and more.

Post from: OC Beach Blog