Hobuck Hoedown Paddle Surf Comp Revival in 2024
The Hobuck Hoedown Paddle Surf Festival |
October 5th & 6th
Jaime Sharp (pink) and Chris Bensch (black) during the 2019 Sea Kayak Surf Competition Finals
The Hoedown is looking for a passionate group of folks to help during the weekend.
If you’re interested in making yourself part of the team, please email info@hobuckhoedown.com
Hobuck Hoedown |
Jim Grossman competing in the 2017 Sea Kayak division paddling a prototype Current Designs Karla.
Mark your calendars folks because Hobuck Hoedown is making a come back this year! After Covid paused the event for several years, the sea kayaking community is keen to take to the waves in competition again.
The Hobuck Hoedown is something special. This festival holds one of, if not the only judged sea kayak surf competition in North America. It’s become a destination and pilgrimage for many and draws in paddlers from both West and East coasts and Great Lakes region.
This offers enthusiasts a beachfront view of some of the best sea paddlers in North America during Finals. These top paddlers show out in the latest and most cutting edge designs, pushing themselves and kayaks to the limit.
Registration is not open yet but we’ll follow up with an announcement.
What to Expect |
Chris Bensch and myself give a quick five while exchanging heats.
For 2024 the Hoedown will be more focused on the Festival side than in years past. This year will be about fostering the community after a long break and introducing competition to new paddlers.
The festival side has a vision of offering clinics, like for example, surf zone strategy for competition, judging processes for these events, and many other really interesting and unique topics involving seasoned Hoedown competitors. All while still having a smaller less time consuming competition. The amount of categories, heats, and time spent is still being figured out.
In past Hobuck Hoedowns each day was full of 20 minute heats back to back and quite formal. That will not be the situation at this year’s event. There will be competition, just in a more laid back fashion that I think the community will really enjoy.
There are still plans for a Saturday dinner that folks can sign up for as well as a speaker from the Makah Tribe to join the group that evening.
More details about the competition will be released soon on their website and social media.
atmosphere |
Lee Richardson shouldering his custom Current Designs Sisu through the maze of small craft in 2018. Jaime Sharp’s iconic white and orange striped Sterling Reflection in the foreground.
The festival feels more like a community picnic on the beach than a surf comp.
Full of paddling various surfing craft, fun competitions, cheering on friends, and meeting a whole bunch of others who’re just stoked to be out surfing together.
Hobuck is a leash-free dog beach and is a pup-lovers paradise.
Past competitions |
This is a smooth running, proper paddle surf competition with a panel of surfing judges poised high on the beach in their covered stand. The whole shebang has been run using a digital timing system complete with a horn and flag. So when you’re out in the waves you can both hear and see what’s going on, how much time is left, that sort of thing.
The volunteers of this event are incredibly passionate and worked very hard so that participants could enjoy a proper sanctioned surf competition in an organized, safe, and fun way.
Up on the beach near the judges stand are tables with jerseys and boards under a tent. Poster boards are placed with all the heat times and competitors respective jersey color. It can become bustling at times around this tent and it’s such a blast. It feels like a sea kayak “aquadrome” with paddlers all kitted up in their gear, launching and landing in the surf, trading colored jerseys and stories around a popup tent. It’s energizing to be amongst it all.
There are many competition class categories that range from surf kayaks, whitewater, sit on tops, sea kayaks, and a mix of all the above called “battle of the wave”.
There’s been a sea kayak race through the surf, around the rocks and back. And you can’t forget the SUPquatch competition where two teams go head-to-head in the surf on giant-multi person-SUP boards.
Signing up for one or two class categories offer plenty of down time to enjoy watching the competition, lounging on the beach, taking photos, or even just surfing out of the competition bounds.
Multiple classe categories can be a busy day, with a tight schedule between heats, making sure you’re wearing the correct jersey color, spray deck, and your kayak is ready to go.
Award Ceremonies |
These take place right at the very end before leaving the resort. Awards are given to various competitors such as the “Hoedown Beatdown Award” once in the form of a broken wood Greenland paddle found on the beach for that year!
Podium competitors are awarded with metals and bragging rights!
2019 Sea Kayak Class Podium
R-L: Chris Bensch 2nd, Jaime Sharp 1st, Mike Gill 3rd.
2019 Battle of the Wave Podium
R-L: Ben Fontenot 2nd, Zach Boyd 1st, Chris Bensch 3rd.
Festival Location |
Hobuck Beach Resort. Neah Bay, Washington. About a 4 hour drive from SeaTac.
This is a nice large camp resort with facilities that include cabins, grass fields for tent/car camping, and hook ups for RVs. The cabins are extremely popular and have a range of amenities, so book early if you want to stay in comfort! No matter where you stay at this resort, the beach is just a short walk away with many access points, making this a perfect location for the festival.
The organizers recommend this webpage for logistic information
“The Makah Tribe is proud to host the site of the Hobuck Hoedown at the Hobuck Beach Resort in Neah Bay, WA. The Resort is located on the west end of the Makah Reservation at the end of Highway 112 at the northwestern tip of Washington State.”
Photos |
From the Hobuck Hoedown Website |
"The Hobuck Hoedown Paddle Surf Festival is back after 20 years of history and a brief pause due to Covid. Whether you are a past participant or volunteer, or a newcomer to the sport, we invite you to join us in celebrating this exciting event. Come and enjoy the waves, reconnect with old friends, and help us revive and shape the future of the festival. We are working hard to finalize the details, so keep an eye out for more updates. We can't wait to see you there! Follow us on social media for future updates!”
I’m pumped to see this news knowing that I’ll be hanging out with friends and paddling in the sweet waves of Hobuck Beach this October.
Registration is not open yet but we’ll follow up with an announcement! In the past it’s around August.
About the author |
Ben Fontenot: Editor in Chief
A passionate sea paddler with over a decades worth of paddling experiences that range across the East and West Coast as well as The Great Lakes.