Revolt Summer Surf Series — #NoSharksinOB

This year’s Revolt Summer Surf Series kicks off Saturday, June 17 at Ocean Beach Pier with the tag #NoSharksinOB for a reason: great white sharks have been spotted along the Southern California coast this spring, but none yet in Ocean Beach. I have yet to know an avid surfer who avoided the water due to a shark sighting or rain runoff pollution, or any reason other than bad surf. Even though most surfers know about 65 percent of shark attack victims are surfers.

There was the recent attack at Lower Trestles and an Orange County Sheriff's helicopter warning a lone SUP rider of fifteen great whites in his immediate vicinity. But at the closing of San Clemente beaches last month due to great whites, one question on surfing social media kept coming up: “Can’t they have water patrol like surf competitions to keep people safe?”

But patrols don’t cancel the risk; in July, 2015 Australian surfer Mick Fanning was attacked at Jeffrey’s Bay on South Africa’s East Cape. National Geographic ran a story titled: ”Surfer Attacked by Shark ‘Did Everything Right’ “, wherein shark scientist Greg Skomal with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries stated: “It looked like he put the board between him and the shark, he avoided the mouth, he struck the shark, and then (he) moved away.” In spite of his correct actions, the outcome, were there no Jetski patrols close, might have been very bad.

The Revolt Summer Surf Series this year is a four-part competition continuing July 15 at Pacific Beach, September 9 back at Ocean Beach Pier and concludes on October 7 at the ‘Battle at Beachfest’ Prime event. Surfers will compete to win individual events as well as accumulate points towards the overall championship in each division.