The Surfing Blog

This past Thursday I attended a press conference for the 2009 Point Mugu Surf Contest Presented by Quiksilver. The press conference was held right outside the Ventura County Naval Base, which happens to sit right on one of the best waves in Southern California, Point Mugu. The public is not allowed to surf Point Mugu due to restricted access on the base, but on this special occasion, the base is opening up Point Mugu for this contest. The Point Mugu Surf Contest provides a way to allow the public to both surf in the event and come to witness this great wave in person. Unfortunately, if this is your first time hearing about the event you are too late to enter the contest, which takes place this weekend on August 22nd and 23rd, but the good news is that admission and parking are free, so if you live nearby don’t miss out on this opportunity.

There are 180 surfers competing in the event, who range from the general public to pro-surfers, in just about every category you can imagine. There are seven divisions, which are 1) Open Men, 2) Military Men, 3) Military Women/Open Women, 4) Longboard, 5) Quiksilver Young Guns, 6) Body Board, and 7) Quiksilver Expression Session featuring some well-known pros. The military division’s will have men and women from the Air force, Coastguard, Marines, and Navy, giving them a chance to showcase their surfing talents to the rest of the community.

This event will provide good interaction with the military families that live on the base. They will have tents set up, and will be walking around selling all kinds of souvenirs such as dog tags and unit patches. They will also be selling snacks and refreshments. This event will also allow the public to see first hand how the naval base is currently conducting projects to help the local environment. There will also be live music at the event performed by Emilbus, Shawn Jones, Rock of Ages, and Common Sense. And if you are one of the local surfers who has been ticketed or chased off the base while trying to surf Point Mugu, then listen up. The naval base guards will be taking turns in a dunk tank, giving you an opportunity to get even with them.

I had heard of the wave at Point Mugu before, but because I live 2 hours away, I’d never really known how good the place really gets. I learned that the wave is known locally as the California Pipeline because it gets really hollow and is close to the beach providing a good show just like the real Pipe does. After the press conference we were driven onto the base to go check out the wave. There was hardly any swell in the water that day, but there were still some good-sized sets coming through. To give you an idea of how good the spot can be, Tom Curren was sitting on the rocks watching his boys surf. He mentioned how Point Mugu is one of the only spots in the region that can be surfable on a day as small as Thursday was. That kept in mind, they are expecting a solid 4-5 foot swell for the contest, which could mean even bigger surf at Point Mugu.

This type of information is what I expected to hear at this press conference…what the event will be like, how the wave breaks, etc. What I didn’t expect to hear was that this event will actually be doing a lot of good for the single sailors in the Navy. The proceeds from this event benefit the Naval Base Ventura County Morale, Welfare and Recreation department’s Single Sailor/Liberty program. Quoting from the handout I was given, “The MWR Single Sailor/Liberty program helps these young men and women make social connections in an alcohol-free environment and generate fond memories of their experience while enlisted in the armed forces”. The MWR program holds many events during the year to entertain and uplift single sailors in 18-25 year-old age range, such as attending sports events, visiting theme parks, hosting barbecue’s and other exciting activities. I was very impressed by the work this organization does for our military men and women, and I think that this event will be very exciting for those that are involved from the naval base.

Lastly, there are just a few things you should know if you are interested in attending the event. Everyone should enter the base at the Las Posas gate and will be directed to parking from there. There will be lots of prizes and giveaways from the event sponsors. There is expected to be around 5000 people for the course of the two days, so be prepared for a crowd; carpool, and arrive early. You must have identification to get on the base. Only point your cameras at the water unless you want to have them confiscated. And be smart…security will be tight and there will be active military service dogs on site.

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