When you think of surfing, you probably think of the beaches of California and Hawaii. If you’re of a certain age, you might think of Moondoggie and the Kahuna in the “Gidget” movies. But you probably don’t think of the beaches of Oregon as a place for prime ocean surfing.

On one of my first Oregon Coast adventures driving north up the coast, I stopped as I always do, at various sites along the way like Cape Perpetua and Cape Foulweather. At Foulweather, there are viewpoints and on the west side, there is a great view of the beach below. I was taken aback to discover surfers heading out in the water. 

I couldn’t have been more surprised. I had no idea that anyone surfed in the Pacific Northwest. The water temperature never gets above 55 degrees! But, these hardy surfers wear body suits that help to combat the cold Pacific Ocean Waters. Needless to say, I’ve never seen any silver-haired surfers. They are pretty much all young males. There are probably a few females among them but I have never seen any.

I wondered if they were courageous or just stupid. But, most anytime you see decent surf, there will be surfers. Sometimes they surf close to the jetties and that seems a bit frightening to me as they could easily be smashed into them. Now, surfers are a ‘normal’ site along the coast.

As I mentioned, most wear body suits but occasionally you will see one in just swimsuits. Ah, youth! For me it is akin to the Polar Bear Swim on New Year’s Day at Sunset Bay, but that is another story. Brrrrrrrrrr

In that tradition, this coming weekend holds a special surfing event at Agate Beach in Newport, Oregon. The Agate Beach Surf Classic runs from September 7 through September 9. Newport Parks and Rec, along with a few businesses and volunteers, sponsor this annual event at Agate Beach.

Volunteers are needed so if you’d like to volunteer, contact them through their website. Each volunteer will receive a T-shirt.

The online preregistration deadline is Wednesday, Sept 5, at a cost of $40.00 with cost of registration the day before events of $50.00. All proceeds go toward the Youth Scholarship Fund at Parks & Rec and benefit disadvantaged youth in Lincoln County so they can participate in a variety of programs. Packet Pickup is from 5 pm – 7 pm on Friday at Ossies Surf Shop.

Events on Saturday run from 8 am – 4 pm at Agate Beach and on Sunday from 8 am – 4 pm including the contest finals and awards ceremony all at Agate Beach.

There are a variety of events for all ages so be sure to check the website for that information: http://newportsurfclassic.com Space is limited, so get your bid in asap.

Umpqua River Haven is about 88 miles from Newport along the beautiful Oregon Coast. Stay with us and return home to your cozy RV at night. Or at least stop in and say hello on your way www.umpquahaven.com

The music on this video is California but the surf is pure Oregon Coast in winter!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21wWdyOTfnU