The surf industry’s rivalry hit the water on Saturday, as the 3rd annual Battle of the Brands surf contest allowed clothing and media competitors to duke it out on the waves.
The event is a way for Surfing America - which hosted the afternoon surf contest during the USA championships - to say thanks for supporting the USA Surf Team, which just won gold down in Costa Rica a few weeks ago.
“It’s an industry-wide initiative, and we here for the betterment of the sport,” said Mike Gerard, Executive Director of Surfing America.
Team Fuel TV took home the win for the media segment, beating out Surfline, Surfing and Surfer magazines.
Team O’Neill won the event after a close battle against Billabong. They’ve won the event three times in a row, and had a combine score of 32.23. Waves were coming in consistent, giving surfers a lot of options to choose from.
“We’re all like family,” said Sage Ericson, who brought home a copper medal for the team in Costa Rica. “It’s just a good event for everyone. It makes us feel like a team. We got to cheer each other on, it’s really fun.”
Capo Beach’s Luke Davis scored a 9.25, getting a barrel that helped solidify the win.
“I saw everyone on the beach claiming it,” he said. “I didn’t know how it looked, but when they said the score, I was psyched.”
Here’s some snaps from the day in HB:
CHECK OUT SLIDESHOW OF THE BATTLE OF THE BRANDS.
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