Day one of the World Surf League's SLO CAL Open began Monday in Pismo Beach as the weather played a factor early on in both good and bad ways.
It wasn't ideal for spectators but the rain in the early part of Monday morning made for ideal conditions with minimal wind as surfers like Kei Kobayashi of the World Surf League’s Qualifying Series had little to complain about.
“It [was] pretty rad surfing today, it [was] pretty stormy out," Kobayashi said. "But for us surfers, rain makes it so there's not a lot of wind and it's offshore which keeps the waves super clean. That's actually what we want.”
The WSL's Qualifying Series 3,000-point event is a big stop for North American surfers trying to make the Challenger Series and even the World Tour.
“Every event is important, but this one is really important," Kobayashi, who is ranked No. 40 in the QS standings, explained. "Moving forward, I think everyone's here to just have fun and showcase their best surfing.”
It’s also a big deal for the region with Visit SLO CAL now in its third year as the title sponsor of the event at Pismo Beach.
“It is so important to feature the coastline here and Visit SLO CAL for these types of events," said Visit SLO CAL Director of Public Relations and Communications Lisa Belsanti. "We've got 80 miles of pristine coastline and the surfing here is incredible.”
While the waves here make for excellent surf, it’s the sport itself that people find solace in, like cancer survivor and founder of Surfing for Hope, Bob Voglin, whose organization helps support cancer patients through the sport of surfing.
“Surfing and cancer at first glance, they're kind of an unusual partnership,” Voglin said.
But they go together like a surfer catching a top-scoring wave.
“You can really promote the positive energies of the ocean to help people going through cancer. In a nutshell, that’s what we really do,” Voglin said.
For the organizations that help put it all together, an event like this is a win for everyone.
“The partnership between the World Surf League, the local community and Surfing for Hope has been a great benefit for the region,” Belsanti stated.
It’s only the beginning of the week-long competition as surfers will continue to make their way through their groupings looking to advance in the next few days as Kobayashi and the rest of the field look to take advantage of the opportunity.
“It looks like it's going to be a good week of waves, clean conditions so looks like it’s going to be a fun week,” Kobayashi said.
The SLO CAL Open goes through Sunday, Jan. 28 with local athletes Samuel Moore and Braden Jones taking part in the action.
The competition is presented by Visit SLO CAL and hosted by Surfing For Hope.
