For surf contests, it’s all about the timing – and things are looking swell for the upcoming Lexus US Open of Surfing, which starts competition Saturday, Aug. 3 in Huntington Beach.
Had the US Open of Surfing run this week – the event typically gets underway the last week of July – surfers would have had to compete in meager 2- to 3-foot surf all week, with a likely lackluster finish for the mega competition.
But organizers pushed the event’s start because of the 2024 Olympic schedule and the world’s attention on Tahiti this week – with the hope that some of the Olympic surfers might jet back to also compete in the US Open.
Based on an early look at the forecast, that later start for the Huntington Beach surf event was a good call. A solid swell is lining for the finals weekend, fueling hopes for an exciting showdown for the US Open of Surfing title. Timing surf contests is tricky, with planning happening a year in advance, so it’s anyone’s guess how waves will be for the contest.
There have been some big waves that have shown up for the Huntington Beach event in the past.
Who can forget in 2009 when 11-time world champion Kelly Slater competed as a hurricane swell roared into the region. The champ found a rare barrel to ride, earning a 10-point score for his backside tube ride.
That same year, Santa Ana surfer Courtney Conlogue dominated in the massive surf, which required a jet ski assist to help surfers get back out into the lineup.
While this year won’t be nearly as big, early forecasts are showing conditions toward the end of the event could make for some exciting battles.
This weekend’s 2- to 3-foot surf conditions are ideal for the Huntington Beach Longboard Classic, which kicks off the nine-day US Open of Surfing festival. The Classic has a contest window from Aug. 3 to Aug. 6 and marks the second stop for the WSL Longboard Tour, showcasing a more traditional style of surfing on larger boards.
On Sunday and into Monday, waves are expected to pick up to 3- to 4-foot range, according to Huntington Beach-based forecasting company Surfline.com.
For now, organizers said they plan to run the longboard action in the first few days of the event, though that can change based on conditions and waves.
The first planned day for the Challenger Series competition – the main draw of the festival – will see waves drop into the 2- to 3-foot range mid-week before the ocean starts to wake up with a beefy, solid 4- to 6 foot forecast Friday as the field of competitors starts to whittle down.
The sizable surf is forecast to continue on Aug. 10, and the finals day, Aug. 11, should see some solid 4- to 5-foot surf, based on early forecasts from Surfline.
Of course, it’s Mother Nature, so we never know just what will show, but chances are looking good for an action-packed finals weekend.
