Dogs and their human pals arrive at the big surfing competition.
I’d never seen a dog surf in my entire life. Not until today.
Now I’ve seen a whole pack of dogs surfing.
Yes, I have to admit it. I couldn’t resist heading down to the big Surfdog event at Imperial Beach today. This year it was sponsored by Unleashed by Petco. In the past it was called Loews Coronado Bay Surf Dog Competition.
What? Some of you have never seen a dog athlete mount a surfboard and skillfully ride mighty ocean breakers?
Seeing is believing…
It’s the epic Surfdog summer event everyone has waited for!Finishing touches are put on a sand sculpture at Imperial Beach.This dog can hardly wait to watch the intense animal action!Information boards outline the various heats in the big surf contest.Announcer readies for some incredible pooch performances.The VIP section fills and so does the beach and pier.Dogs and non-dogs at water’s edge have a great place to watch.These guys want a great spot on the pier to view the action.Everyone is ready for the first exciting freestyle heat!This little fellow doesn’t seem to know what’s going on.Surfing contestants mount their surfboards waiting for the starting horn.The crowd favorite, a genuine superstar, poses for my camera.The horn blows and the first fifteen minute heat begins!The crowd converges on the ocean in disbelief.One four-legged athlete is already out near the breakers.Here come two canine athletes showing great form!Steady as she goes!Hot dogging it and hanging twenty!Wow, those incredible, amazing surfers are absolutely inhuman!Thousands enjoy Unleashed by Petco’s surf dog event!
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Archway of Crystal Pier Hotel and Cottages at end of Garnet Avenue.
Many years ago (decades actually), I used to occasionally go fishing from Crystal Pier. It’s located in Pacific Beach, at the west end of Garnet Avenue, which I strolled along in my last blog post.
While it isn’t a very long pier, it’s definitely one hundred percent cool. One reason is because fishing from Crystal Pier is both free and amazingly productive. While I never seemed to catch anything but mackerel, I remember seeing nice catches of bonito, rock fish, sea bass, barracuda, guitar fish, sharks and even halibut! (One nice thing about pier fishing in San Diego is you legally don’t need a fishing license.)
Why else is this pier super cool? Because there are small cottages built right on it! The historic Crystal Pier Hotel and Cottages was built in 1930. Once known as Pickering’s Pleasure Pier, for a short time the privately owned pier featured a Crystal Ballroom and carnival midway out at its end!
If I were a tourist visiting San Diego, I’d absolutely want to stay here. At night the pier is closed to the public, and you can lie in bed listening to the ocean waves below. During the day you have easy access to the famous Pacific Beach boardwalk, which I’ll show you in my next blog post!
One of the small, quaint cottages actually on the pier!Looking along the short pier past fishermen and visitors.Turning back eastward toward the cottages.Surfers below Crystal Pier floating and waiting on their surfboards.This surfer caught a good ride on a nice wave.This pic shows fishing, surfing and the beach.Leaving Crystal Pier, to walk down the Pacific Beach boardwalk.
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A boring old utility box in Hillcrest was transformed by an inspired artist into a colorful canvas. This fun example of urban art depicts a meditating monkey sitting by the surf, with white clouds and a volcano in the background. He’s being served a beverage by a crab!
