Steve Drotter says he’s surfed every day with his 3-and-a-half-year-old yellow lab, Rippin’ Rosie, who’s been hitting the waves since she was a puppy.
But on Saturday, the Santa Cruz surfing duo had an audience to entertain and prizes to vie for at the World Dog Surfing Championships in Pacifica.
The pair were among hundreds of humans and canines — and one aspiring YouTube-influencer feline named Kiki the Adventure Cat — who turned out for the event at Linda Mar Beach.
An annual tradition that takes place a quick drive south from San Francisco and just up the coast from Half Moon Bay’s famous humans-only Mavericks Invitational contest, the dog surfing championship raises money for charities such as the Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA.
Were it not so popular, it probably wouldn’t have happened this year.
The long-running competition was on the brink of being called off until fans crowdfunded $10,000 this past spring to cover the skyrocketing cost of permits and other fees.
As evidenced by the crowdfunding campaign, the event is a fan-favorite spectacle, featuring adorable four-legged contestants who ride the waves — with or without their human companions — in all kinds of flashy get-ups.
Dogs compete in various heats depending on size and are judged based on style, skill and literal stick-to-it-iveness, as in how long the four-legged contestants can hang on to the board.
The event brought novices and veterans alike, including surfing superstar Derby California, a blue-mohawked contestant who’s garnered enough of a following to host a meet-and-greet at the championship each year.
Some of the contestants flew not just from out of town, but out of the country to make it.
A decade of training and a 10-hour flight from Japan preceded Coda’s foray into the waves on Saturday, where the English Cocker Spaniel greeted other dogs as they finished their rounds in the contest in what looked like a show of surf-dog solidarity.
Guadalupe Albuquerque, a perennial spectator since hearing about the event a few years ago from someone at a local dog park, soaked up the scenery this weekend with her canine companions Quinze and Fuca.
“It’s always nice to see so many other types of dogs,” she said with a smile. “I’m a big fan of the rescues and you see all types of rescues here.”
The competition and majestic ocean views are a bonus.
“It’s just, like, it’s fun,” Albuquerque added. “You see a lot of people, and the dogs are really well-behaved, and it’s just another way of being connected with nature.”
Despite being “more of a cat person,” San Mateo resident Katie Natwick, whose husband’s family hails from Pacifica, brought her “special event binoculars” to watch dozens of dogs ride the waves.
“I finally put it on my calendar and made sure I was here,” she said. “It’s really worth it.”
