The annual World Dog Surfing Championships took place on August 2 at Pacifica State Beach in California, USA. This event attracted approximately twenty dogs to compete, with thousands of spectators cheering them on.
According to the report by the Associated Press, the participating dogs varied in sizes and breeds, competing with others of similar sizes. There were also competitions where multiple dogs surfed together or dogs surfed with their owners.
The owners of these dogs brought them to higher waves, assisted them in getting onto colorful surfboards, and then let them stand on the boards on their own as they rode the waves back to shore amidst the cheers of the audience.
Judges carefully evaluated the time the dogs spent on the surfboard, their ability to maintain balance, and whether they performed various tricks such as turning while surfing.
Iza, a 5-year-old French Bulldog, won the championship in the medium-sized dog solo surfing competition for the first time this year. Her owner, David Fasoli, mentioned that he started training Iza’s surfing skills during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fasoli shared that he brought a surfboard back from his job at Costco and taught Iza to balance in their own swimming pool, which brought him “pure joy”. Soon after, they started learning to ride the waves at the beach, often leaving beach visitors amazed. Their participation in the competition aims to exceed people’s expectations.
Charlie, a 10-year-old yellow Labrador, has participated in multiple surfing competitions. He loves surfing so much that he even has his own Instagram page to share photos. Sometimes, if his owner wants to chat with friends on the beach, he has to hide his surfboard to prevent Charlie from rushing into the sea with it in his mouth.
In this competition, Charlie competed in the extra-large dog solo surfing category. He also surfed with two other dogs, referred to as “The Dream Team” by their owners.
Charlie’s owner, Jeff Nieboer, prepares to surf with him. When he spots a good wave, he turns the surfboard around and tells Charlie to “get ready”.
As Nieboer pushes the surfboard forward, Charlie crouches down to make the board move as far as possible forward and even leans his body to control the board towards the shore.
Nieboer mentioned that Charlie doesn’t need any rewards: “Once we hit the water, Charlie does what he wants to do.”
Don Horn, a recurring competitor, brought his 11-month-old dog Sammy JR to compete for the first time this year. Horn stated, “At only 11 months old, Sammy JR’s performance was amazing. Today, I am the oldest owner, and he is the youngest dog.”
For owners like Horn, the greatest joy of surfing with their dogs is building a strong bond with them.
He expressed, “When the dogs come home, they all think they’ve had a great day.”
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