Daytripper: Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon in Del Mar Beach

I never knew how seriously Californians regarded dogs and the sport of surfing until I went to a dog surfing competition near San Diego. 

On Sept. 13, my wife and I took a small road trip down to San Diego. We left early in the morning and took our 2-year-old Jack Russell terrier mix with us. The drive took a little more than five hours to get there.  

There’s a lot to do in San Diego: Mission Beach, Stone Brewing’s Liberty Station, and Sunset Cliffs—although we didn’t stick around to watch a sunset.

Of course, we only went to places where pets were allowed because we love our terrier. Occasionally we wonder if our pets feel as if they’re nothing more than accessories. We can’t tell for sure. She’s a dog.  

We headed back in the afternoon and heard an advertisement about the Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon happening in Del Mar Beach in north San Diego County. Naturally, we had to check it out. 

The phenomenon of dogs on surfboards is nothing new. Californians and Hawaiians have been doing it for years. You see it and hear about it from popular media, but it’s hard to understand how absurdly funny it is to see dogs catching waves. 

The afternoon temperature was hot and the sun was bright. The waves were mild for human standards, and nothing a pooch couldn’t handle. It was a full-blown competition with sponsorship, prizes, a photo booth, porta-potties, and a mass of vendor tents on the sand handing out loads of dog food samples, toys, and treats. Veterinarians and representatives from high-end dog-sitting services handed out business cards to any passersby with a pet. 

Dogs pitter-pattered about the beach wearing rubber booties to protect their paws from the scorching hot sand. 

It was a dog’s—and a dog lover’s—paradise. It was the best dog park we’ve ever been to. Breeds and mutts alike, along with their owners, crowded the beach. By the time we got to the surf-a-thon, they were already in the finals and we caught the remaining competition. 

More than 80 dogs competed across four divisions this year. Their owners—who are presumably experienced surfers—would swim out to the surf with dog on board, and assist in paddling as the wave crested. A man narrated the moves for each dog with a loudspeaker.

It was like a real surfing competition, except with dogs. 

Some dogs had what looked to be an expression of fright on their faces, but then again it could have been extreme concentration. Somehow, the owners trained their dogs to keep perfectly still and balanced. How did they get their pets to do that? Who knows? 

Our dog never got in on the action, but then again we would have had to register our pup and put her through a little training. She did get to hang with other dogs, get covered in sand, and sniff a few butts, which is all that dogs want to do anyway. That and be loved by us.

Staff writer David Minsky suggests that everyone take their dog surfing once. He can be contacted at dminsky@santamariasun.com.

This article appears in Oct 22-29, 2015.