World Bodysurfing Championships 2026 — Oceanside

Going? You can check in after it ends.

No board. No leash. No wetsuit required. Just a body, a wave, and the audacity to believe that is enough — which it was, for everyone who rode one before somebody thought to stand on something.

Around four hundred bodysurfers come to the Oceanside Pier for this, from every age division and from around the world, and the judging tells you what the sport actually values: wave selection, the quality of the takeoff, style, and how long you can hold the thing. Prelims run all day Saturday. Sunday narrows to semifinals, finals, and the crowning of the grand champions by afternoon. Heats start before sunrise, which means the serious spectators are the ones on the sand with coffee and a blanket before the lifeguards have clocked in.

Free to watch, both days, at the pier. Bring somebody who has never seen a person take a wave face-first at speed, and watch their expression change.