Thousands crowd beach in Pacifica for World Dog Surfing Championships

PACIFICA — On Saturday morning Pacifica hosted the World Dog Surfing Championships and, rather than winning medals, the contestants and spectators were in it for the fun.

“There’s a lot of people here. It’s more crowded than I thought it would be,” said Lisa Marquez, who drove in from Fairfield. A group of whales swam just off Linda Mar Beach but that’s not why the crowds were there. They came to see something even more rare: dogs on surfboards. 

“This is way better than I was expecting! It’s adorable!” said Pacifica resident Kelly Erhart. “It’s like the happiest place on earth. You have dogs, surfing, whales, people are caffeinated — it’s amazing!”

About 15 surfing canines showed up to compete for a title that no one really worried about.

“For me it’s not a competition,” said surf dog owner Jason Twedt. “For me it’s just watching all the dogs surf.”

The dogs are hauled out on their boards to the surf line and then given a push then ride a wave back in as far as they can, many of them barking happily. At Pacifica, there were four divisions: Small, medium, large and extra large, which included “Rippin’ Rosie.” Her owner, Steve Drottar from Santa Cruz, is a lifelong surfer who said Rosie lives to be out on the waves with her buddy.

“There’s very few people that get to experience this,” Drottar said. “There’s not that many people that actually get to surf with their dogs and the people that do and really do it a lot, have such an amazing bond. And it’s a gift to be able to surf with your dog.”

That bond is pretty much the same for all the dogs and their human companions. James Wall said Faith, his 13-year old pitbull terrior, made the decision to become a surfer.

“I grabbed the surfboard, she starts crying like she wants to go,” he said. “So, ever since then it’s just been like, ‘alright, you’re the surfer in the family.'”

The competition has judges and they insist there are things they actually evaluate.

“How long they ride, how long they stay on the board and if they do any tricks. Some do tricks, some have costumes on. So, it’s a wide variety,” said event volunteer Laura Kass.

“I’m not sure about the presentation. I try not to pay too much attention to that,” admitted Twedt. “It’s just nice to see all the dogs out there surfing, competing.”

The rules were rather nebulous favoring whichever pooch was the most fun to watch. That was fine with the spectators, many of whom waded out into thigh-high water to get a better look.

“Just to come out and see it. I’ve never seen it. It’s relatively close so I can check it out,” said Marquez. “Because I love dogs and to watch them do something they love.”

There’s something wonderful about watching dogs having fun and Drottar said that, to experience it with his best friend Rosie may be the real prize.

“Whether we win or not, tomorrow morning Rosie and I will be surfing at Pleasure Point together,” he said with a smile. “So, we win no matter what!”

Some tail-wagging surfers stayed standing on all fours while others chose to sit or lie down as their technique.

Derby California and his owner, Kentucky Gallahue, who wore matching blue mohawks, came from San Diego to compete. Derby is a 12-year-old Golden Doodle that started surfing at age 4.

“Derby really took to surfing the first time I took him to a dog beach,” Gallahue said. “Being able to spend time with your best friend, riding the waves and bringing smiles to people’s faces makes us happy.”

The extra-large category featured only Labrador Retrievers, a breed known for their affinity for getting soaked.

‘The Labs are literally a different breed out in the water,” said Justin Cho, a spectator from San Mateo. “They are so eager to get in and go surfing.”

Cacau, a chocolate Labrador from Brazil, took home the “top surf dog” gold medal for herself and her owner, Ivan Moreira, as determined by length of ride, technique, confidence and size or strength of the wave. Although the surf conditions were getting rough as the contest progressed, the pair made swift turns on the water to the amazement of the crowd.

Ask any owner and they’ll tell you few things in life bring more joy than having a dog. Still it seems that some dogs have way more fun than others.

Bay City News contributed to this report

John Ramos

John Ramos accidentally launched a lifelong career in journalism when he began drawing editorial cartoons and writing smart-alecky satire pieces for the Bakersfield High School newspaper.