US Open Of Surfing: Womens

Johanne Defay reigns supreme on the final day of the Vans US Open of Surfing.
“I don’t think I can put it into words,” said Defay. “It’s very hard to digest and I don’t know how to say how I feel -- it’s so crazy. I’m very happy to have some of my friends here and I’m thinking of the people back home too. I guess it’s all the work I’ve done before and it’s all come together. I’ve just been sticking to same game plan, trying to get a lot of waves. It was tricky at the start but then I got that score which put me in a better position. I feel really good, last year everything was so new and this year I feel way more comfortable.”

“It’s pretty amazing, I could never imagine that I could win here or that I could win an event,” said Defay. “I just took it heat by heat and it’s so crazy. This is definitely my biggest win. Ending up last year at eighth on the rankings I thought maybe I could do top five so we’ll see what happens this year.”

Alessa Quizon

Bianca Buitendag
With this win, Johanne Defay claimed her first elite CT victory. Defay took out Sally Fitzgibbons in a tense Final at Huntington Beach Pier. Defay previously defeated Bianca Buitendag in the Semi-Finals, while Fitzgibbons beat Courtney Conlogue in their heat, which was pretty much wave-less. Sally ended going way south of the surf area to find some waves, while Courtney stood near the pier and unfortunately, no waves come through. Sally ended up getting several waves before Courtney even got one. Fitzgibbons, the 2011 event winner, earned herself a runner-up finish and remains at third place on the Jeep Leaderboard.

Small crowd.

Johanne Defay


A ton more photos in the US Open Of Surfing Photo Gallery.

Supergirl Pro

PAUL MITCHELL SUPERGIRL PRO RETURNED TO OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA JULY 24-26 FOR THE ONLY WSL 6-STAR FEMALE SURFING COMPETITION IN THE U.S.
The nationally televised event is the largest female surf contest in the world, with 108 of the planet’s top pros competing. The fierce competition started early on Friday morning on the south side of the iconic Oceanside Pier, and by the afternoon the field was cut down to 64. Saturday's heats cut the field down to 16 for Sunday's rounds of finals.

Johanne Defay

Silvana Lima

Sage Erickson
The finals came down to a battle of Supergirl podium vets with Courtney Conlogue, the 2009 champion, facing Tatiana Weston-Webb, who took second place at last year’s Paul Mitchell Supergirl Pro. Weston-Webb wowed the judges to capture the coveted pink Supergirl cape. Sage Erickson and Nikki Van Dijk tied for third.“Finally!” the 19-year-old Weston-Webb shouted as she was swarmed by fans after being named the winner. “Last year really made me want to win this year! Courtney is amazing, and for me to be here means the world to me. Now I have a lot of confidence going into the rest of this year.“

Courtney Conlogue

Tatiana Weston Webb

Isabella Nichols

Isabella Nichols

Lakey Peterson

Alessa Quizon

Tatiana Weston Webb

Courtney Conlogue

Justine Dupont

Chelsea Tuach

Sage Erickson

Tatiana Weston Webb

Laura Enever

Tatiana Weston Webb


A ton more photos in the Supergirl Pro Photo Gallery.

Snapchat Story: Ocean Park Surf Contest

This is the unedited Snapchat Story that was upload as the contest was going on. This was shot on a phone on both days of the contest. It's just random snap. The official photos and contest report will be up soon. Add us on Snapchat for more Stories on all the stuff we shoot. And for random nonsense.



If you're unfamilar with Snapchat, it's a mobile app that lets you take and post photos and 10 second video clips you shoot on your phone or tablet. These photos and videos are called snaps, they only last for 24hrs. You either send these to snapchat friends or post them to your Story. Snapchat Stories string Snaps together to create a narrative that also lasts for 24 hours.

Also, check out one of the sponsors of the contest, REI.com!

Curt: The Story Of Surfing's Oldest Grom

CURT is a short documentary about 50-year-old competitive surfer, Curt Harper. Diagnosed with autism as a child, Curt faced many challenges growing up, but one thing that came easy was his love for surfing. Over the past 21 years, Curt has become a beloved fixture in the Southern California surf scene, having played an unlikely, yet vital role in the growth and development of multiple generations of groms.

5th Annual Ocean Park Surf Contest Announced

Ocean Park 26 Clothing just announced some details for this year's contest:

The FIFTH ANNUAL OCEAN PARK SURF CONTEST: Announcing the Fifth Annual Ocean Park Surf Contest, July 18th, 2015, at...

Posted by Ocean Park 26 on Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Check out the previous Ocean Park Surf Contests:

SM Pier Paddle Registraion Open

The Tommy Bahama Paddleboard Race & Ocean Festival at the Santa Monica Pier on June 6th, 2015 is an annual all-day, family friendly celebration of decades of surf, paddleboard and lifeguard history.

The event benefits Heal the Bay, the 
Santa Monica Pier Aquarium and 
its public marine education facility. Heal the Bay will receive a portion of net proceeds from the event. Partake in the kids beach, ocean, waterway stewardship and trivia contests. Help raise money for Heal the Bay!

Tracing it’s roots back to the 1930’s Santa Monica Pier paddleboard races – some of the first in the world – this year’s event offers epic competition. Courses start and finish on the sand immediately south of the Pier.

Events
SUP & Paddleboard Long Course
Elite Long Course
2-Mile Fun Paddle
Paddlecross
One-Mile Ocean Swim
Youth 250M Swim
Lifeguard Dory Race

To sign up for this years races, visit the event's registration page:
Santa Monica Pier Paddle Race & Ocean Festival Registration
For photo and video coverage of last years races, click here.

Video: Venice Surf-A-Thon

For the photos:
Venice Surf-A-Thon

Venice Surf-A-Thon

The 21st Annual Venice Surf-A-Thon was went down on Saturday, December 20th. It's the longest running annual surf contest in the Los Angeles area. Held at Venice Beach, just south of the Breakwater.

Unlike many surf contests, the Venice Surf-A-Thon is really laid back. There was a heat schedule, but the contest started when it started, the heats started whenever people were ready. There was an entry fee ($25), but if you didn't have it, it was okay, you could still surf in it, probably wouldn't have got one of the cool contest t-shirts, but you were able to surf in the contest. Speaking of the t-shirts, every year there's a new version by a local artist. The awards are given out at a party later on in the evening.

Unlike last year, there were some better than average waves this year. The contest "area" slowly moved north throughout the day following the waves. The finales ended up being held right next to the breakwater rocks, a first for the Surf-A-Thon.

A total of 46 surfers surfed in the Surf-A-Thon, with ages ranging from 3 years old to 55 years young. Most locals, but some from as far as Brazil and Japan. One surfer, Sol, rode his bike up to Venice Beach from Redondo Beach, surfed the contest, placed second, rode back home, then came back to Venice again later that evening for the awards party where he preformed with his band, STD's.

It's been a labor of love for contest's founder Ger-I Lewis, who also helped make the famous Venice Beach Skatepark a reality. "I Founded the Venice Surf-A-Thon in 1993 after returning home from military service. I wished to do something for the children, young adults and the community in general that is fun and has a positive influence on everyone" says Ger-I. "For sure back in the day the contest was edgy, as so was I! Instead of handing out trophies at the beach like most contests, I incorporated the awards party to give everyone a chance to shine. Inviting local talent as well." In addition to the awards after party held at a venue off the beach, the early years of the Surf-A-Thon also hosted a bikini contest. "The bikini contest was also a strategy to enhance and create a Venice culture showcase. Well times have changed and folks have mellowed, the bikini contest is no longer a part of the event as many of the original contestants are grandparents now!" And as in previous years, proceeds from the contest went to the MLD Elementary School in the Philippines. This year $800 was raised.

As for the contest results, "Unfortunately, as Peck and I where cleaning up the awards party location after all the revelry, I forgot the contest results on the clipboard and they got tossed in the trash!" So here are the results from Ger-I's memory:
Girls
1.Oshi Massy
2.Vegas Massy
3.Jennifer D
Boys
1.Beck Adler
2 & 3. The rippers from Huntington Beach
Longboard
1. Norm Antonio
2. Brock
3. C S
Mens
1. Jack from Santa Cruz
2. Slo from the STD's
3. Sam
Masters
1. Jimmy Papik
2. Tex from Dana Point
3. DJ Jaques

A ton shots in the full Photo Gallery (299 photos total):
Venice Surf-A-Thon Photo Gallery
Need a cool late Christmas gift, how about a print of one of these, or any other surf or skate photos. From 4x6" to big 24x36" and larger, you can even choose the photo to be printed on canvas or metal. There's also coffee mugs, magnets, and other items the photos can be printed on. Check the link below for more photos :