It is always a treat to have the World Surf League Finals come into town. It was the third straight year of deciding the men and women’s world champion here in San Clemente. I woke up at 3am (before my alarm!) with excitement to bike down to the beach and get my spot on the sand. Arriving at 4:3am, the milky way was still shining bright and the surf lit up in a faint glow of bioluminescence. Somehow there was already a handful of surfers in the water!
I quickly snagged my spot (arguably the best spot on the beach) and then came the troves of others filling in as the sun creeped up toward the horizon. A hurricane swell was filling in but the surf wasn’t the most prestine.
7:30am came around and it was ON! The top five men and women battled it out. Hometown hero Griffin Colapinto had a massive backing on the beach and even boats out the back of the lineup, but he came up short against the prices rail surfing of Ethan Ewing. Carolina Marks and Filipe Toledo, both living in San Clemente, were crowned champions for 2023.
Khristian Snyder 