World Dog Surfing Championships

Annual dog surfing contest in California

World Dog Surfing Championships

World Dog Surfing Championships (2016)

Status| Active
Frequency| Annual
Venue| Linda Mar Beach
Pacifica, California, US
Years active| 8
Inaugurated| September 10, 2016 (2016-09-10)
Most recent| August 3, 2024 (2024-08-03)
Attendance| est. 6,000 (2024)
Activity| Dog surfing
Organized by| TasteTV
Website| surfdogchampionships.com

The World Dog Surfing Championships, officially the Norcal Dog Surfing event & World Championships,[n 1] is an annual dog surfing contest in Northern California, founded in 2016 and organized by TasteTV.

## Competition

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The surfing contest is divided into up to four dog weight classes, plus a tandem dog and a tandem dog and human contest. There are also a fetch contest and a fashion show.[1] Dogs surf with the assistance of a human who selects the wave or waves for the dog to ride.[2] In the non-tandem portion of the contest, first, second, and third place are awarded in each weight class based on ride length, technique, and attitude as well as wave size during a ten-minute heat, and the top two dogs in each class then compete for the Top All-Around Surfing Championship Awards.[3] The event raises money for animal, surfing, and environmental charities.[4][5]

## History

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### 2016

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The first World Dog Surfing Championships, the first dog surfing event in Northern California, took place on September 10, 2016, at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica, California. Only five dogs competed, in two weight classes; Abbie Girl, an Australian Kelpie originally rescued through Humane Society Silicon Valley, won the overall competition over her friend Brandy, a Pug.[4][6][7][8]

### 2017

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The second annual championship event was held on August 5, 2017, again at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica. There were three dozen entrants; Abbie again won the overall prize,[9] with Sampson, a Spaniel, second. Humpback whales breached offshore during the surfing.[2][5][10][11][12][13] Video of Simon McCoy's unenthusiastic presentation of the story for BBC News was widely shared.[14][15]

### 2018

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At the 2018 event, held on August 4, again at Linda Mar beach in Pacifica,[16] there were 45 contestants. Gidget, a Pug, won Top Dog and Abbie Girl, whose owner competed with one foot in a cast, received the newly added Spirit of Surfing Award;[17] Shredder of the Year and All Heart awards were also introduced for the first time.[18]

### 2019

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The 2019 event took place on August 3, again at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica, with approximately 50 contestants.[19][20] Cherie, a French Bulldog from Newport Beach, won the Medium Surf Dogs and Top Dogs awards.[21][22]

### 2020

[edit]

The 2020 championships, scheduled for August 1, were postponed until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[23] A livestream hybrid event took place on September 26, using Zoom for live heats.[24]

### 2021

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The in-person championships scheduled for August 28, 2021 in Pacifica were again postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic; livestreamed championships were scheduled for October 2.[25]

### 2022

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The 2022 event was held at Linda Mar beach in Pacifica on August 6. The Top Dog award was won by Skyler, a Cattle Dog from Santa Cruz.[26][27]

### 2023

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The 2023 championships took place on August 5 at Linda Mar beach in Pacifica, in unusually choppy conditions. Faith, a Pit Bull, won the solo surfing event in the large dogs division, Cherie, a French Bulldog, in the medium dogs division, and Carson, a Terrier, and Delilah tied for first place for small dogs. Carson won Top Dog.[28][29][30]

### 2024

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After the organizers raised $12,000 through crowdfunding to address financial challenges in hosting the event,[31] the 2024 event was held at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica on August 3. In unusually rough conditions, the overall winner was Cacau, a chocolate Labrador from Brazil.[32][33] Estimated attendance was over 6,000.[34]

## Notes

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1. ^ Many dog surfing contests in Southern California also call themselves world championships; Steve Rubenstein, "Surfing dogs show up to ride the waves at Pacifica beach", San Francisco Chronicle, August 5, 2017.

## References

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1. ^ Registration, World Dog Surfing Championships, retrieved August 7, 2017.
2. ^ a b Steve Rubenstein, "Surfing dogs show up to ride the waves at Pacifica beach", San Francisco Chronicle, August 5, 2017.
3. ^ Rules, World Dog Surfing Championships, retrieved August 7, 2017.
4. ^ a b Patrick May, "Surf's up for dogs in Pacifica", San Jose Mercury News, September 10, 2016.
5. ^ a b "Canines Hang Ten At World Dog Surfing Championship In Pacifica", KPIX, August 5, 2017.
6. ^ Rachael Myrow, "Surfing Dogs Crush It at NorCal Championships in Pacifica", KQED, September 11, 2016.
7. ^ Rebecca Greenway, "'World Surf Dog Champion' Title Goes to Silicon Valley Native", KNTV, September 12, 2016.
8. ^ "Norcal Dog Surfing Award Winners: Surf Dogs!", World Dog Surfing Championships, September 11, 2016, retrieved August 7, 2017.
9. ^ Laura Klivans, KQED, "Hang 20: Abbie Girl Takes Top Pooch In World Dog Surfing Championship", All Things Considered, NPR, August 7, 2017.
10. ^ Embry Roberts, "The World Dog Surfing Championships were a doggone good time", Today, August 6, 2017.
11. ^ Nina Golgowski, "Salty Dogs Hang Ten In Gnarly Annual Surfing Championship", Huffington Post, August 6, 2017.
12. ^ Cody Melissa Godwin, "Surf dogs compete at World Championships in US" (video), BBC News, August 7, 2017.
13. ^ Associated Press, SNTV, ABC, "Pawsome, dude! World Dog Surfing Championships held in California" (video), The Guardian, August 7, 2017.
14. ^ Alyssa Pereira, "BBC presenter delivers extremely unenthusiastic report about Pacifica's dog surfing competition", San Francisco Chronicle, August 8, 2017.
15. ^ Kate Samuelson, "This BBC Newsreader Can't Hide His Disdain for a Surfing Dog Story", Time, August 8, 2017.
16. ^ David Caraccio,"See the pups that took on California's World Dog Surfing Championships", Sacramento Bee, August 6, 2018.
17. ^ Mary Papenfuss, "Cowabunga! Surf Dogs Hit The Waves For World Championships", Huffington Post, August 6, 2018.
18. ^ "Surf Gidget The Pug wins the 2018 World Dog Surfing Championships", Surfer Today, August 7, 2018.
19. ^ Steve Rubenstein, "Surfing pups hang 20 in competition for top dog of the waves", San Francisco Chronicle, August 5, 2019.
20. ^ Drew Costley, "Cute French bulldog wins at World Dog Surfing Championships", San Francisco Chronicle, August 5, 2019.
21. ^ "Results from the 4th Annual World Dog Surfing Championships", World Dog Surfing Championships, August 5, 2019.
22. ^ Hillary Davis, "Newport Beach bulldog is canine queen of the waves", Los Angeles Times, August 29, 2019.
23. ^ "5th Annual's New Date: July 31, 2021", World Dog Surfing Championships, July 1, 2020.
24. ^ "World Dog Surfing Championships 2020 Livestream Hybrid Event Makes Sports History", World Dog Surfing Championships, September 28, 2020.
25. ^ "August 28th 2021 Live In-Person Event in Pacifica Postponed to 2022", World Dog Surfing Championships, August 8, 2021.
26. ^ Stephanie Lin, "The 2022 World Dog Surfing Champion is from the Bay Area" (video), KRON-TV, August 7, 2022.
27. ^ Debra Worley, "Pups ride tandem during the 2022 World Dog Surfing Championships", Alaska's News Source, August 8, 2022.
28. ^ Danielle Echeverria, "Surfing dogs ride waves to fame at world championships in Pacifica", San Francisco Chronicle, August 5, 2023, updated August 6, 2023.
29. ^ "Cool Canines Compete At World Dog Surfing Championships", The Weekly Journal (Cover Media, with video slideshow), August 9, 2023.
30. ^ "World Dog Surfing Championships: Pooches Hang 10 ... Cowa-bark-a!!!", TMZ, August 7, 2023.
31. ^ Alec Regimbal, "Donations will keep Bay Area surfing competition in Pacifica", SFGate, April 30, 2024.
32. ^ Danielle Echeverria, "Surfing dogs catch waves at Pacifica championship as amped audience laps it up", San Francisco Chronicle, August 3, 2024.
33. ^ John Ramos, "Thousands crowd beach in Pacifica for World Dog Surfing Championships", CBS News Bay Area, August 3, 2024.
34. ^ Alise Maripuu, Bay City News, "Thousands watch canines catch waves at World Dog Surfing Championships in Pacifica", ABC 7 San Francisco, August 3, 2024.

## External links

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* Media related to World Dog Surfing Championships at Wikimedia Commons
* Official website

*[est.]: estimation