SURF’S UP: Orange County will be the...
SURF’S UP: Orange County will be the world’s surfing capital for the next two weeks, starting with the 13th Op Pro championships Tuesday through Sunday at the Huntington Beach Pier. The event has launched many toward stardom--former world champion Kelly Slater of Cocoa Beach, Fla., capped his amateur career by winning there in 1989. . . . Slater has since won as a pro all over the world, but something’s missing. “I’ve always wanted to win a major contest here in Huntington,” said Slater, a former resident. “I’ve won some contests here, but never a big one.”
U.S. OPEN: The inaugural U.S. Open of Surfing Aug. 2-7 at Huntington Beach--the first Assn. of Surfing Professionals’ world tour event on the U.S. mainland since 1991--will bring together the sport’s top men and women. But the format makes it possible for an unknown to surprise. The main competition will be one-on-one and single-elimination, giving everyone a chance to be a hero. . . . “In 20 minutes, you never know what could happen,” said champion U.S. longboarder Joey Hawkins. “It’s reduced to a battle for the waves.”
TWICE AS NICE: Tandem surfing is an almost-forgotten art that combines gymnastics with wave-riding. Steve and Bari Boehne of Dana Point have been surfing together since the ‘60s and still teach others. . . . One early maneuver was “shooting the pier.” Steve lifted Bari over his head, turned her parallel to the board while surfing through the pier’s pilings, then they rode out the wave. “Two hundred people would watch from the pier, screaming and hollering as we came to it,” Bari said. “Then they’d all run to the other side to see if we made it out.”
WEARING WELL: Southern California is a center of the surf wear industry. Surfers Vinnie de la Pena and Shaine Lavoie started San Juan Capistrano-based Ezekiel two years ago with $50,000. They’ve since added outerwear companies and have projected sales of $1.5 million this year. “In specialty retail accounts, international is based off the Southern California image,” de la Pena said. “If you make it here, you have a really good chance of becoming successful internationally.”