It’s ECSC time and that means surfing

The 62nd annual East Coast Surfing Championships hit the waters of the Atlantic today – marking the start of the oldest, continuous-running surfing contest in the world.

The ECSC continues through Sunday’s finale and this year will feature a special event at noon Saturday – a ceremonial paddle out to honor the life of Paul West.

West was the surfing director at the ECSC for decades and was pretty much known all over the surfing world. To many, West WAS the ECSC.

His ceremony starts with a few speeches on the beach at the First Street Jetty, followed by the paddle out featuring surfers young, old and all points in-between. Flowers will be set free in the water, a place revered by surfers all over the world.

While surfing for amateurs and professionals nearly 900 strong is the centerpiece to the ECSC, the event is owned by the Virginia Beach Jaycees, with Coastal Edge serving again as the main sponsor.

Up the sand all the way to 10th Street, the ECSC also will feature live music, food and beer vendors, and a wide array of beach-related activities to give everybody something to appreciate.

The ECSC at first was known as the Virginia Beach Surfing Carnival after a group of surfers headed up the coast to witness one of the country’s largest and entertaining contests.

They brought the idea home and ever since the ECSC has evolved into an event that eventually brought in the pros while maintaining the foundation of the amateurs.

Adding new contests and demonstrations in a wide array of other beach-life sports, the ECSC has been known to pack the lower 10 streets of the Boardwalk with the curious and the fanatic.

The big question every year is “will there be surf?”

Well, the ECSC has been somewhat blessed over the years with decent swells after weeks of mirror-like flatness.

The passing of Hurricane-Tropical Storm Ernesto created plenty of talk that some of the ground swell could be pushed to the contest. But while that swell did develop, it now is waning and leaving organizers anxiously watching weather developments that could produce some memorable rides.

The National Weather Service marine forecast for Virginia Beach coastal waters is calling for short swells and surf from one to two feet. Conditions can improve briefly during shifts in tide.

But prayer to the Surfing God has always seemed to produce and – based on the past – there is no reason to think otherwise.

Stay tuned, ‘cause things really warm up as the weekend approaches …