Published May 6th, 2026
BY JOHANNA MELTON
On May 30-31, the Monterey County Surfers Foundation will be hosting the 43rd annual Surfabout, a local surfing competition where wave-riders of all ages have been meeting up at Carmel Beach to compete against each other since 1980.
The event contains a wide range of age groups, allowing children as young as 4 participate with grandparents. Meeting in the middle, the Monterey Bay surfing community has raised a generation of teenage surfers who make up one of The Surfabout’s largest age groups.
The Carmel Surfabout is the one calendar event where the entire Monterey County surfing community gets together. courtesy of CALLAN TESCHER
“Teenagers are one of our most popular age groups,” says Andrew Call, the president of The Monterey County Surfers Foundation, the nonprofit that hosts the annual event. “I love watching that age group because they’re making their way into the hierarchy of things, and it’s fun to watch them care about doing well. I like that it matters to them.”
Most surfers at CHS began learning at a young age with their parents introducing them to the activity. Sophomore Nicoya Ibsen, who started surfing when she was 5, will be participating in the Surfabout for her second time this May.
“My dad surfs and so does my mom,” says Ibsen, “so I grew up surfing with friends and family.”
Similarly, sophomore Callan Tescher was introduced to surfing by his dad and has been competing in the Carmel Surfabout since age 4.
“When I was around a year old, my dad started pushing me into the waves, and I just grew from there,” says Tescher.
Sophomore Callan Tescher has been surfing since he was a 1 year old. courtesy of CALLAN TESCHER
Because the tradition reaches so many age groups, it is multigenerational in the sense that parents who might have participated when they were teens now get to shred the waves alongside their kids at the same event.
“The Surfabout has become this iconic event here for surfers,” says Call. “It’s almost like a right of passage as a local surfer.”
The Carmel Surfabout was originally established in 1980 by Sunshine Freestyle Surf Shop founders Brad Johnson and Tom Knight, with the mission of ending the rivalry between Carmel and Pacific Grove surfers, bringing the entire local surfing community together not because of possible eight-footers, but instead out of love for the sport.
When Sunshine Freestyle went out of business in 2016, The Surfabout failed to continue until Call created The Monterey County Surfers Foundation, with the goal of reviving the tradition. The Surfabout now serves as a fundraiser for the nonprofit, donating the money earned to local organizations including Big Sur Fire, Cachagua Volunteer Fire Department, Salinas Surf Club and many more.
“I’d say that to the Carmel surfing community, The Surfabout is like a reunion,” says junior Luca Foreman who has been surfing since he was 10 years old and participating in the event for three years. “It doesn’t really have a competitive energy to it. It’s more of a gathering.”
Teenagers are one of the biggest age groups in the Carmel Surfabout. courtesy of CALLAN TESCHER
Despite there being contests, prizes and winners, the main goal at the end of the weekend is to have fun.
“It’s a connection of people with similar interests coming together through one sport,” says Ibsen.
Points are accumulated through different categories of competitions during the weekend, and whoever possesses the most points at the end is awarded the title of “All Around Waterman.” Winners’ prizes are donated by local businesses such as Carmel Surf Shop and On The Beach, and a surfboard plaque showcases the names of every past victor.
Currently, the Carmel Surfabout is the one calendar event where all local beach-goers get together and, wherever in Monterey County they may live, put all tensions aside for a fun weekend in the water. Along with being a competition, it acts as a social event and allows for people of all ages to make new friends while simultaneously reconnecting with old ones.
“Everyone is welcome to come down, whether you’re a surfer or not,” says Call. “It’s for both the surfers and the local community. This can be a tradition for anybody.”
