OCEANSIDE — The annual Oceanside Longboard Surfing Club contest is a long-loved summer tradition for locals. For 30 years longboard riders have gathered to compete at the Oceanside Pier.
This year the contest will be held Aug. 1 through Aug. 3.
In addition to the Oceanside Longboard Surfing Club team competing against rival California surfing clubs, there will be pro open surfing, longboard noseride and tandem surfing competitions open to all competitors.
“There will be surfing all day, every day,” Gretchen Harris, Oceanside Longboard Surfing Club team captain, said.
The pro open includes men’s and women’s longboard and short board competition. The contest splits a $5,000 prize purse among the top eight overall winners. Trophies are also given to top age division winners.
The noseride competition is all about time on the front 24 inches of the board. Longboards must be nine feet or longer, and are measured and taped at the 24-inch mark before competition starts.
“It’s a timed event with both feet across the top 24 inches,” Harris said. “It’s all timed on the tip.”
The noseride competition will also award a $5,000 prize purse among the top eight winners.
Preliminary heats for the pro open and noseride competitions take place Aug. 2. Final heats will be held Aug. 3, along with an awards ceremony to close the contest.
Another nostalgic competition to take place is tandem surfing, in which pairs hold acrobatic lifts while riding in on a wave. Competition takes place midday Aug. 2.
New this year will be the doctors and legends heat on the north side of the pier. Tri-City Medical Center doctors will surf alongside surfing legends.
Legends including Mickey Munoz, LJ Richards and David Nuuhiwa will also be at Legends of Surf Gala.
Fans can meet and greet renowned surf legends and enjoy live music, appetizers, wine, beer and a silent auction of surfboards by Guy Takayama, Infinity and Donald Takayama/Hawaiian Pro Designs.
The ticketed fundraiser will be held at the California Surf Museum Aug. 1 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
On the beach during the three-day event will be live music, Tahitian dancers, vendor and food booths and a microbrew beer garden.
“There will be 30 to 40 vendors of all kinds,” Harris said. “Bands will be playing all weekend.”
The festival will be held at the Junior Seau Pier Amphitheater.
Proceeds from the event will help support Oceanside High School and El Camino High School surf teams, the Scholastic Surfing Association and the California Surf Museum.
The Oceanside Longboard Surfing Club was formally established in 1983 in order for Oceanside surfers to compete against other surf coalition teams.
The goal of the club is to promote and foster amateur surfing, emphasize good sportsmanship and citizenship, support coastal conservation, and improve the public image of surfing.
“The focus of the club has always been on good sportsmanship, surfing, having fun and giving back to the community,” Harris said.
The club has 180 active members.
The Supergirl Pro ASP sanctioned women’s surf contest, which was previously held in conjunction with the Oceanside Longboard Surfing Club contest, will be held the following week on Aug. 8 through Aug. 10.
A complete schedule of Oceanside Longboard Surfing Club competitions will be posted online the days of the contest at oceansidelongboardsurfingclub.org.
