First responders’ brine battle

On June 18 at 8 a.m. in the surf at Mission Beach in front of San Fernando Court, the Revolt Summer Surf Series will kick off their five-part Pro/Am contest featuring some of the world’s best carvers, SUP riders, and longboarders.

The ten divisions in the series are men’s and women’s Pro/Am, junior men’s and women’s (13–17), groms boys and girls (12 and under), masters’ division (40 and over), open men’s and women’s longboard, and stand-up paddle surfing.

The summer-long competition wraps up with the Battle at BeachFest and the first responders’ surf contest, where surfing firefighters, lifeguards, and medics “call each other out” in individual or station-versus-station battles on the waves.

Revolt in Style magazine’s Brian and Leslie Terhorst founded the surf series ten years ago. Though over 100,000 spectators are expected this year, they are non-rated competitions; even so, the athletes take them seriously.

For the daily winners, a first-place cash prize is on the line, as well as trophies, surf swag from the sponsors, and bragging rights.

Each of the first four events will feature a Green Beach Festival on the sand with activities that include product demos, raffles, giveaways, and beach games. There will also be celebrity appearances, live music, and organizations such as the Surfrider Foundation, WildCoast, and city lifeguards will be on hand to raise environmental awareness and sponsor beach cleanups. These events usually run from early morning through the late afternoon.

After this Saturday’s competition, the next events in the series are July 16 at Ocean Beach, then August 13 at Pacific Beach and the points final September 17 at Ocean Beach. The Battle at BeachFest competition on October 1 will feature the men’s and women’s Pro-Am and longboard divisions.