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Light Rain Fog/Mist Surf Week returns to the beach
Fourth annual event features surfing, skateboarding
Surf Week, presented by NYSEA Productions, will return to Long Beach for the fourth year in a row July 17-21, bringing with it an array of contests, charity events, parties and concerts as well as an art show.
The week’s main event, the open surfing contest on National Boulevard beach, will run on a waiting period from Wednesday, July 17, through Saturday, July 20, and will feature both professional surfers and locals vying for a $3,000 purse. Some of New York’s most talented surfers, including Balaram Stack, T.J. Gumiela, Leif Engstrom and Richie Bogart, will be among the 48 competitors, according to event founder Will Skudin.
“It’s a good event, so it’s open to anyone,” Skudin said. “There’s always a local underdog that ends up doing well.”
A surfing session for visually impaired and blind children, presented by nonprofit group Surf for All and Camp Abilities, will kick off the week. “We always start the first day off as the not-for-profit day,” Skudin said. “We just try to get out of the gates with a good feeling.”
Surf Week honors the memory of Skudin’s friend the late George “Geeza” Geiser, whom Skudin described as a “legend” in the New York surfing community. “It evolved into this whole event,” said Skudin. “Every year it slowly grew into a pretty big show.”
Though the event has grown over the past three years, Skudin said that many questioned whether it could be staged this year, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and as the city rebuilds its iconic boardwalk.
“We were like, ‘Hey let’s bring it back,’” Skudin said. “We knew it was going to be a tough year on the beaches regardless, so we just plan on doing the year similar to last year. We’re going to have a beach bash and we’re going to move it all onto the beach. We’re going to make it a really great beach event.”
Skudin said that the event’s main sponsor, Vita Coco Coconut water, helped local relief efforts after the storm by sending trucks filled with tools and supplies to Long Beach. As a result, Skudin said that the company holds a special place in the heart of Long Beach.
