Sunday afternoon marked the last day of the World Surf League's SLO CAL Open presented by Visit SLO CAL and hosted by Surfing For Hope. Top-ranked locals and out-of-towners competed in the qualifying series.
Malibu native Talia Swindal won her first qualifying series at Pismo Beach on Sunday and she says the waves are pretty similar to her hometown just a two-hour drive down south.
"I had a weird feeling a month ago about this event coming into it," the 18-year-old said. "I had this feeling that I was going to go far and even take a win. And so I just knew my surfing was there, just had to stay focused and do my thing.”
Swindal dedicated her win to Malibu's Lyon Herron, a 31-year-old professional surfer who passed away from his battle with Gardner Syndrome. A cancer he had been battling since the age of 17.
“This is for Lyon Herron," Swindal said. "He was an amazing surfer and Malibu guy. He passed away last month. I’ve always looked up to Lyon. He’s such an inspiration and yeah this is for him.”
Qualifying series winner Taj Lindblad is a San Clemente native but keeps his horse in Los Osos and says he considers the Central Coast his home.
“I feel like the Central Coast is just it's a lot of space and I'm always relaxed and it helps me in on just being relaxed," the cowboy said. "You don't want anxiety while you're serving the heat.”
The surfers battled rain at the beginning of the professional surf contest but enjoyed 80-degree weather as friends, family, and Pismo Beach visitors watched the qualifying series come to an end.
This is the third year Visit SLO CAL has hosted the event at Pismo Beach.
