Photos: Scenes from the World Dog Surfing Championships in Pacifica

Canines catching waves on the Coastside? Welcome to the quirkiest summertime event on the Peninsula.

Cherie, a French Bulldog, rides a wave during the first heat of the small dog portion of the World Dog Surfing Competition. (Photo by Adam Pardee)

Pacifica’s Linda Mar Beach went to the dogs this weekend, as a summer Coastside classic returned to the Peninsula with the World Dog Surfing Championships.

If you couldn’t make it to see a variety of canines surfing waves, it was—unsurprisingly—ridiculously cute and quintessentially Californian, as a plethora of pups caught curls at Pacifica’s Linda Mar Beach with throngs of spectators gawking from the waterline. Champions were crowned (of various breeds and sizes) in the name of charity and a whole lot of seaside summer fun persisted through the fog.

Six Fifty photog Adam Pardee was on-hand to wade into the action, take a look….

Charlie, a Labrador Retriever, rides a wave during the large dog portion of the World Dog Surfing Competition. (Photo by Adam Pardee)
From top: (left) Amy (left) and Dan Nykolayko (right), French Bulldog owners of the dog surfing competitor Cherie, pose for a family portrait alongside Cherie’s brother and “landshark”, Ace. (right) Giselle, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, glides on a wave during the medium dog portion of the World Dog Surfing Competition. Giselle won first place in the medium dog and second place in the tandem human/dog contests. (left) Owner Ryan Thor and his surfing dog Prince Dudeman pose for the crowd after competing in the small dog portion of the World Dog Surfing Competition. Prince Dudeman won second place in the small dog and second place in the tandem dog/dog contests. (right) A large crowd of people, and dogs, showed up for the World Dog Surfing Competition at Linda Del Mar beach in Pacifica. (Photos by Adam Pardee)
Prince Dudeman drifts toward the beach after a long wave during the small dog portion of the World Dog Surfing Competition. (Photo by Adam Pardee)
From top: (left) Surf dog handler of Delilah (left) and Samson (right), Jim Kirkwald, poses for a photo with the two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels between heats in the World Dog Surfing Competition. Samson won third place in the small dog contest and Samson and Delilah won third place in the tandem dog/dog contest. (right) The World Dog Surfing Competition made for great social media material for all the visitors and spectators at Linda Del Mar beach in Pacifica. (left) Hundreds of dogs scattered the beach as the World Dog Surfing Competition took place. (right) Cherie and Cherie’s owner Dan Nykolayko head towards the beach for the small dog contest of the World Dog Surfing Competition. (Photos by Adam Pardee)
Rhodesian Ridgeback Giselle holds on during a rough wave as her handler and tandem surf partner Jonah Manfood celebrates. (Photo by Adam Pardee)

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More from The Six Fifty:

Five of the best dog-friendly hikes on the Peninsula

How two filmmakers with a camcorder and a jet ski made Mavericks world famous

In the age of the rescue dog, the Bay Area’s most prestigious purebred show still matters

Feral Photography: amazing animal imagery from Silicon Valley trail cams

Adam Pardee

Adam Pardee is a freelance photographer and photojournalist currently based in Mountain View, CA. Adam operates and shoots photos in and around the San Francisco Bay Area. When Adam is not shooting news stories and bands, he enjoys taking pictures of nature, dogs, and portraits. Adam has been published by the Palo Alto Weekly, the Mountain View Voice, The Almanac, and TheSixFifty.com. Adam grew up in Newbury Park, CA and went to California State University Monterey Bay where he graduated Cum Laude with a degree is Music Technology.

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