By Marisa Ferriera
Staff Writer
Dive N’ Surf held a “Break the Beach” contest on Jan. 8 for surfers from the South Bay.
The contest, which spanned nine hours and was put on by South Bay Board Riders, consisted of two heats that happened simultaneously. Each heat, or small group of competitors, had its own judging panel.
“I am so stoked to be here,” said professional surfer Ben Gravy. “Today has been a fun day, and it has been great getting to surf here in the South Bay.”
The contest featured three professional surfers: Gravy, Alex Gray, and Hunter Jones, as well as some experienced, long-time local surfers. Several attractions for spectators were set up, and Dive N’ Surf hosted a booth to distribute free t-shirts, surf wax, donuts, and coffee.
“I got to feel like a pro surfer for a day because I got to get paid to surf, and working the Dive N’ Surf tent was so much fun,” said Dive N’ Surf employee Logan Kauffman. “I got to meet so many people and hang out with them for a whole day.”
The competitors in the open men’s final were Hunter Jones, Michael Marino, Ford Timberlake, Kade Kauffman, John Traux, and Brendan Griffin. Through the beginning of the final heat, Micheal Marino and Kade Kauffman were in the lead until Hunter Jones maneuvered three turns on a wave to earn a 5.07. Jones, a pro surfer sponsored by Body Glove, won first place in the open men’s final.
“If you do get a decent wave on a small day, it feels amazing because it’s more difficult to rip apart a tiny wave than a big wave due to the smaller margin of error in little waves,” said Yuch.
The competitors in the juniors final were Max Kaplan, Ryan Roberts, Tafton Thompson, Ethan Foley, Yuch and Christopher Gregg. Costa seniors Ryan Roberts and Yuch were leading in the beginning of the heat until Thompson threw a huge turn going frontside, which earned him third place in the division. Kaplan won first place and Roberts won second.
“I was proud of myself for grinding out some heat wins and eventually reaching the finals,” said Yuch. “Meanwhile, I watched many of my friends and fellow competitors fall victim to the lack of sufficient waves on which to perform. I guess you could say that doing well in a small wave contest requires two parts skill and one part luck!”
The first heat started at 7:30 a.m. and began with the open men’s division, which competed for four rounds. After the first round of open men’s division was complete, juniors, or competitors under 18 years old, were up next, with eight heats in their first round, which consisted of 46 competitors.
“It was a great experience,” said competitor Macayne Montecinos. “I am not one for competing because I personally think it takes the fun out of surfing, but this contest was very lively. I was honored to be asked by Dive N’ Surf to compete on their team.”
The legends and masters (advanced surfers) competed on the southside section after the Juniors division. Alongside them in the northside heat were the groms and micro grom assists (surfers from 5 to10 years old). The legends had a starting count of 14 surfers in their division, and the masters had a starting count of nine surfers. The northside groms were comprised of 26 surfers, and the micro groms competed in one round consisting of one heat with six surfers.
“I love seeing the little groms learning how to surf and being able to meet all of them,” said Gravy.
The waves during the day were very small and constantly changing, making it difficult for the competitors to perform well, according to Sean Yuch, Costa senior and competitor in the men’s and junior division. The official wave check described the waves as 1-2 feet in height, with low winds throughout the day. There was a two-foot tide swing (change), so the tides didn’t affect surfers’ performance as much as the wave size did, according to Yuch.
“Having a contest in primarily small and mushy waves is often very frustrating,” said Yuch. “Generating speed, which is a necessary ingredient in excellent surfing, is a challenge when the waves are below the height of your waist. I actually like to surf in conditions like that, though, because you have to be very dialed in with your board, fitness, and have technique to excel.”
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