About this event
Surf Academy’s Ohana Nalu Surf Contest Series opens its 2026–27 season with Give Thanks for Waves at Tower 24 on Santa Monica State Beach. This is a youth/student surf-team contest for middle- and high-school athletes from Santa Monica and surrounding areas—not a professional open. Heats begin at 8:00 AM Sunday, November 8; Surf Academy’s standard contest-day guidance has competitors warm up and pre-check in at 7:30 AM, uses 15-minute heats, and targets awards around noon, with operations typically ending about 12:20 PM. Divisions are purchased and entered separately through Surf Academy’s Mindbody portal and can include shortboard, longboard and bodyboard categories. Competitors should check in with their team coach one hour before their heat and with the beach marshal 15 minutes before it. Bring your board, wetsuit, towels, wax, a ding-repair kit and a waterproof watch. Heat sheets are normally emailed Friday or Saturday and onsite timing can shift with surf and contest operations. The current public pages do not disclose entry price, capacity, refund terms, a contest-specific waiver, or a spectator program; contact Surf Academy before purchase if any of those details affect attendance.
At a glance
For middle- and high-school student athletes on participating school surf teams in Santa Monica or surrounding areas. The public pages do not describe this as an unrestricted public open.
open
Tower 24, Santa Monica State Beach
In person
Event links
Official Ohana Nalu contest schedule
Surf Academy Mindbody contest registration
Official registration instructions
Official contest-day guide
Surf Academy on Instagram
Official Santa Monica beach parking map
Santa Monica accessibility resources
LA County beach water-quality status
Tower 24 map
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