California has a vibrant surf culture, thanks to its Mediterranean climate and miles of great public beaches. Indeed, two cities, Santa Cruz and Huntington Beach, both claim the coveted title “Surf City.” 

When someone mentions “surfing,” you probably think of surfboarding, the sport joyfully celebrated by The Beach Boys back in the 60’s. Outliers in the early days, surfers are mainstream today.

Bodysurfing, too, is alive and well in Surf City, at whichever beach you visit. Unlike surfboarding competitions, though, bodysurfing gatherings are laid back, more more like an extended family get-together. 

With fine, sunny October weather in the forecast, I decided to head to Santa Cruz to watch the 35th Annual California Bodysurfing Championship October 12, 2019. It’s a cold water event, during which, according to the contest website: “over the years, snow has fallen on the contest, naked men have won heats, a white shark has barged the line-up, and a wave with a roughly 20-foot face was caught … during the epic 1997 El Nino contest.” 

Sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it ?

Nothing quite as extraordinary as those previous events occurred this year, and the waves were not particularly big. A heavy fog did blow in for a while towards the end, chilling things down considerably, and with it came a large school of fish followed by a flock of pelicans just beyond the surf break. Folks had a good time, though. A local TV crew showed up. Children played in the dunes. Competitors shook hands before entering the water, and performed some pretty fancy moves.