A Classic TO REMEMBER

The Rincon Classic is less about crowning champions and more about being crowned by the Queen of the Coast. It is an annual gathering rooted deep in surfing tradition, legacy, and lore. From under-10 groms to 80-year-old Super Legends, friends, family, and spectators come together to talk story, watch the region’s best surfers, and take part in a tradition that gathers our tribe for one storied weekend each year. Everyone hopes to see Rincon Point lining up from the Indicator to the freeway in all her glory, and to experience the magic of an empty lineup.

The 2026 Channel Islands Surfboards Rincon Classic presented by Merrick Lager will be remembered for two reasons. First, the unprecedented reversal of the original call for the weekend of January 31 to February 1. Second, the iconic waves that arrived when the event ultimately ran on Saturday and Sunday, February 7 and 8. The day before the contest, unpredicted south winds tore the incoming swell apart. The day after, the south winds returned. During the event window, everything aligned.

By dawn on Saturday, February 7, it was clear the conditions were special. Stories that will be told for decades. The perfect interval, size, and extreme westerly direction delivered flawless overhead to double-overhead surf. Pulses of energy rolled through nonstop from sunup to sundown. Many believe it was the single best day of waves ever seen in the cove, and unquestionably the best in Rincon Classic history. Days like that are rare.

The initial call to run the event the prior weekend was made at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, January 28. It was based on a swell peaking Friday, fun surf Saturday, and a large building swell from Sunday into Monday. Typically, three days out, storm tracks are in motion and forecasts are locked. This year, the system slowed. The reinforcing swell shifted from Sunday to Monday. That shift would have meant running the contest during King tides and between swells, creating average to poor conditions for several hours each day.

That is why contest director Chris Keet, with the support of Channel Islands Surfboards lead shaper and primary owner Britt Merrick, made the rare decision to turn an average call into a truly Classic one. California State Parks, the Rincon Homeowners Association, the Rincon Classic team, sponsors, and the community supported the unprecedented move.

The Queen did not disappoint.

Daily beach cleanups with Heal The Ocean left Rincon more beautiful than we found her and official Rincon Classic gear was sold raising over $5,000 for the Surf Happens Foundation.