Red Bull Foam Wreckers — San Diego 2026

About this event

Red Bull Foam Wreckers brings its deliberately loose “anti-surf-contest surf contest” to Pacific Beach in San Diego on Saturday, November 7, 2026. The exact current Red Bull event page remains active, places the event at the official map pin 32.7956101, -117.2576912 on Pacific Beach and publishes a 9:30 AM PST competitor check-in. Surf heats run 10:00 AM–3:30 PM, finals and awards are scheduled for 3:30–4:00 PM, and an afterparty begins at 4:30 PM at Pacific Beach Shore Club, 4343 Ocean Boulevard. The afterparty end time, entry terms and age policy are not published. Spectating on the beach is free and open to the public; no spectator ticket is required. Participant registration has reached its published capacity and the current organizer flow now exposes only “Waiting List Registration.” Joining the waitlist requires an email-verified Red Bull registration profile and personal, birth-date, phone and emergency-contact details. The $15.00 fee is due only if a slot becomes available. The formal 2026 rules set a maximum of 128 competitors, first-come online registration, U.S.-resident eligibility and a minimum age of 16. Competitors under 18 must have a parent or legal guardian on-site and provide the required guardian-signed waiver. No walk-up, same-day entry, waitlist priority, release time or guaranteed conversion process is published. Red Bull and Catch Surf provide the required soft-top boards. Before each heat, surfers spin the Wheel of Shred to determine which board model they will ride. The current San Diego FAQ describes 6–10 surfers sharing a 15-minute heat and says the judges announce their personal preferences before the heat; the generic 2026 rules instead describe groups of up to eight and 20-minute first-round heats. Because those official sources conflict, riders should treat the exact local briefing and on-site instructions as controlling. The formal judging criteria are creativity, board utilization, technical performance and overall effectiveness/fun. The rules say the top two in each heat advance, a tie is broken by the highest single-wave score, and the top three eligible finalists each receive a custom Catch Surf soft board with an approximate retail value of $500. Professional surfers may be placed in an exhibition-only heat and are not prize-eligible. Event format can change with waves and local conditions, and the sponsor may modify, postpone or cancel for safety, weather, public-health, operational or force-majeure reasons. No objective surf threshold, rain call time, alternate site or public cancellation alert channel is published, so check the exact event page and registration email before traveling. Pacific Beach is permanently lifeguarded and the City lists surfing, restrooms, showers, parking, beach wheelchairs, disabled access and public transportation; it also prohibits alcohol, glass, smoking, dogs, camping, disturbing noise and litter. Event-reserved parking is not announced, and this is a busy beach district, so allow extra time and verify posted restrictions. MTS Route 27 serves Bayard Street and Garnet Avenue, while the system route list also connects Pacific Beach with Old Town and Balboa Avenue Transit Center. The event is roughly 125 miles south of central Los Angeles, making it regional rather than core, but it is a major first-party Southern California surf event with open spectator access and a waitlist path for riders.

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