Thousands head to Pacifica to watch World Dog Surfing Championships
PACIFICA, Calif. - Thousands of fans and dog lovers came from all over the world to watch dogs catch some waves at Linda Mar Beach.
The dogs took on the waves in heat, from small dogs, to medium, large, and extra large. Then some competed on paddle boards and even rode in tandem with other dogs or their humans.
"They’re judged on the wave selection, confidence on the board, the length of the ride, and any kind of maneuver they do, be it backwards, spin around, maybe ‘bark bark bark bark’. Those are the things that get them more points," said Jill Nakano, who came from Long Beach so her dog Carson could compete.
She said Carson, a small terrier, has been surfing for eight years. He won the top dog title at this competition last year.
Nakano is also a dog surfing instructor and hopes this competition can help promote the sport.
"There are some people who really want to see if their dog can do it, and it’s so fun. You get to be with your dog and your dog is bonded with you, so it’s a really happy thing," she said.
Rippin' Rosie of Santa Cruz was another top contender. The yellow Labrador Retriever with a lot of energy competed in almost every portion of the competition, including surfing along with her owner Steve Drottar and riding alongside Carson and another dog, Charlie.
Rippin' Rosie has 200,000 followers on Instagram. Some of them even traveled to Pacifica just to watch her compete.
"We just post videos of us surfing and hanging out, and it makes people smile and makes them happy. So if we can share some joy, some positive energy, it’s a good thing," said Drottar.
The dog surfing community is a tight-knit group. Two of the dogs even got married on the beach the night before the competition.
"My dog Koa actually just got married last night to Charlie, one of the other Labradors. She’ll actually be competing against him so we have a really cool group of people," said Kristina Welsh of San Diego.
Even the wedding party was full of dog surfers.
