My First Rincon Classic as an 805 Local

I finally ripped off my Rincon Classic attendee virginity tag. No folks, I did not surf in the event. And writing that here now, I’m pretty disappointed in myself! I think one day I’ll for sure have to get out there with the lady legends to do some long-boarding, or better yet, retrieve my dusty short board out of my garage rafters. I was on my high school surf team, so all the nostalgia of competition days flooded my mind the second I saw the tents. 

The Rincon Classic is an 805 locals-only event. In the surf world, it is a cherished event. My best friend's Encinitas-based husband always joked that he would buy a house anywhere in 805 one day— all so that he could surf in the Rincon Classic! Back then, when I was new to SB and cluelessly living under a rock in the university library writing my dissertation, I laughed at him. “The waves can’t be that good,” I thought to myself. Plus every time I drove down the 101 South and peeked down at the water it looked flatty-flat-flat! But in all seriousness, the 15-minute heats of unobstructed waves with no crowds at Rincon could all that a die-hard surfer needs to move from coastal SD to obtain an 805 zip code. The Rincon Classic is broadcast internationally, and when I went home from the event (booooo I had so many papers to grade and get caught up on after being sick that week), I live-streamed the footage on my computer all day while grading. Did the live stream footage in the corner of my laptop screen make me a nicer and happier English teacher? I would say so! 

I begged my partner to get up at the crack of dawn with me to head down to Rincon Beach. I was so excited to catch some of the women’s heats. The ladies were surfing at 6:45am on Sunday morning (the men had Saturday morning heats). There are heats all day for various age levels of surfers, but I didn’t want to brave the crowded beaches to see the mid-day wahinies or lady legends at 1pm and face the risk of no parking at the packed Rincon Beach parking lots. I promised my guy that we could go pick up food at his favorite coffee shop The Daily Grind which opens at 5:30am. Driving down the Ventura highway with coffee and bagels in our hands into the blackness, little strips of pink and orange flurries started rising above the mountains. We got to the Rincon parking lot way too damn early, and walked down the dirt path with our chairs and coffees. 

A nice girl said hello to us both. She was stoked and wide awake just like me. I could tell she was there early getting ready for her first heat, so she wasn’t rushed. She was pumped up, and her vibrant energy stayed with me the rest of the day! When we headed out of the event, I saw her again picking up her contestant goody bag. It was a perfect winter morning, warm and sunny. We even snagged some free zinc sunblock from a local dermatologist who was advertising at one of the many tents on the beach. Around 3pm, I heard the announcers say that Rincon Brewery discounted their burritos to $4 each. They suggested getting 12 of them for a small family to eat for the rest of the week. But I think that 12 burritos is probably enough to feed 2 hungry surfers for a day or two! 🤣

Enough about sunscreen and Rincon burritos. The highlight of the morning were the ripping ladies short boarding during dawn patrol. As the sun rose up over the mountains, a small pod of dolphins cruised by in the line-up. The surfers and dolphins were both dancing with delight down the never-ending perfectly 3-4 ft rights. 

When else are you going to get to paddle out at Rincon with a solid swell and only 6 other surfers out in the water? Surfing in the Rincon Classic is a local surfer's dream, but it’s only for the locals making it a dream far out of reach for many. Perhaps that fact alone is one of the many reasons that the housing costs in little tiny La Conchita and Ventura have steadily risen. They are still a far cry from Santa Barbara and Goleta’s housing rates, but Ventura and Oak Park are still some of the last semi-affordable areas close to the SB and Ventura coast.

California surfers love Rincon. It is a prime time, point break, regular stance surfer’s paradise. The Sunday morning women’s heats had steady surf, mostly 3-4 footers, and some overhead waves rolling in. Most of the girls were young, in their early 20’s, and jamming down the line-up giving it their all. Everyone surfing has their own story, their own goals. Some just do it for fun and the thrill of being in a competition. I know when I surfed competitively in high school, once that horn blew the adrenaline kicked in. Having to squeeze in as many rides as you can, select the best wave, and avoid making errors all within a 15 or 20-minute heat is exhilarating! By the time you get out of the water, all you want to do is take a nap before your next heat. If you are moving on, you need to strip off your wetsuit, warm up, eat, and get some rest until your semi-finals or finals heat comes up, which is typically at least a couple of hours later. 

Joining the event is quite a commitment, but there is a 5K prize at the end. I was humbled to hear the news that the men’s champion Parker Coffin donated his money to a friend battling cancer. 

If you haven’t been down to watch the Rincon Classic, I highly recommend making a day trip out of it! When the weather is good in February, you might find yourself enjoying the beach in your swimsuit on one of those perfect winter California days with 75-degree sunshine. Even if you don’t surf, you will find yourself being welcomed by the local community and inspired by the natural beauty that Rincon Beach has to offer.