This past weekend I attended the Point Mugu Surf Contest presented by Quiksilver on the Ventura County Naval Base. I’m not going to go into huge details describing the wave at Point Mugu or how significant this event is to the local community because I wrote all about that in my last post describing the press conference held for the event last week. What I will say is that everything they told me at the press conference came true. It was an amazing event for the local community; it really unified the public with the military members on base, and provided a great show.
The waves were not very good while I was there for the press conference, but luckily they arrived in time for the contest. The wave really does break close to shore, making for a great contest wave for the audience on the beach. Throughout the day there was non-stop cheering as competitors in all categories launched airs and made it out of barrels. One of the most exciting moments was the expression session featuring pro surfers like Sean Hayes, Dane Reynolds, Kalani Robb, and Christian Fletcher. Unfortunately the waves seemed to take a break during the expression session, but surfers of this caliber are still able to put on a show and it was a really exciting heat to watch.
Immediately after the expression session a huge set came through, and from then on out the waves were consistent to the end of the event. It’s amazing to watch how often the wave changes. Every 15 minutes it was breaking in a new place as the tide changed. No matter where it was breaking, the left was hollow, fast, and went all the way into shore. The crowd was captivated throughout the day, keeping the beach packed right through to the last heat. I haven’t seen spitting tubes in California since the big swell we had nearly a month ago. Being at the contest on Sunday made me very jealous of all the surfers who live nearby and have a way to get on the base.
During the event there was a lot to keep people interested besides the surfing. There were booths and tents set up everywhere for people to buy merchandise at discount prices from a variety of companies, including all kinds of free samples of different products like wax, sunscreen, and energy drinks. There were several raffles and giveaways of free surfboards and skateboards. And while I was there I had the privilege of listening to live music by Shawn Jones. He played some of his own music, but also lots of covers from classic rock legends like Jimi Hendrix. It was really cool to watch the surfing while having a live band right behind you.
Overall, the event lived up to the expectations I had after attending the press conference. Exciting waves, awesome entertainment, good food, and over 5000 friendly people all having a good time interacting with the local military families. Captain Jim McHugh, one who has a large say in whether this contest happens again, says he can assure us there will be a third Point Mugu Surf Contest. I was also told you can catch some coverage of the event on Fuel TV on both the “Daily Habit” and the “Weekly Update” sometime in the next two weeks. Did I mention that the massive bullet trophies were sweet? This is definitely an event I will plan on attending next year.
