About this event
WindanSea Surf Club’s 34th edition of The Menehune is a one-day junior surf contest at La Jolla Shores for boys and girls age 16 and younger, with shortboard and longboard divisions plus a Super Menehune group for surfers age 7 and under. The club first staged the youth contest at the Shores in 1965, making this a long-running Southern California pathway event rather than the similarly named WSA Menehune Surf Fest held in Huntington Beach in July. The current 2026 entry form says check-in for the first two heats starts at 6:30 AM and heats begin at 7:00 AM on Saturday, October 3. An $80 first-division entry includes the contest, event T-shirt, goodie bag, lunch, prizes, awards and a pre-contest pizza party at 5:00 PM Friday, October 2; a second division for the same surfer is $40. Registration is open, limited and first-come, first-served through 8:00 PM PDT September 25. Late and beach entries cost $90 only if space remains and are not guaranteed a shirt or goodie bag. Every entry requires the current 2026 form and hold-harmless agreement signed by both the participant and a parent or guardian. The active online storefront currently separates entries into U7 Super Menehune and age-banded boys’ and girls’ longboard and shortboard products. Heat times and final age groupings will be posted on the club website and at the Friday pizza party no later than the evening before competition. The official rules page allows an adult to assist any entrant into waves but ranks assisted surfers behind competitors surfing unassisted; the current entry page uses slightly different wording, so families should confirm scoring treatment with the organizer. La Jolla Shores is roughly 115 miles south of downtown Los Angeles and is included as a major regional youth surf contest that draws beyond the core LA counties and depends on an established ocean contest venue.
At a glance
Open to boys and girls who are age 16 or younger on October 3, 2026. The official poster says open to all surfers age 16 and under; the waiver requires entrants or their guardians to determine that the competitor is experienced, trained and physically capable for the ocean conditions at the time of the heat.
open
La Jolla Shores Beach
In person
Event links
Official 2026 Menehune contest page
Current 2026 registration instructions
Live division entry storefront
2026 entry form and hold-harmless agreement
Official parent-assist policy
Official history of The Menehune
Organizer’s 34th-edition announcement
Organizer’s 2026 art announcement
Official registration post on Instagram
City of San Diego — La Jolla Shores
City of San Diego — Kellogg Park access and parking
La Jolla Ledger registration report
La Jolla Shores map
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