Surf Cat

Cole Houshmand saw the bumps in the distance and knew, despite the clock running out of time, he had a chance.

The San Clemente surfer had started his round 2 heat strong during the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach, leading the field. But after a flurry of action by the other competitors, he slipped into last spot, needing a big score if he was going to advance.

“I took off with like one second left on the clock,” said Houshmand, an 18-year-old surfer entering the main men’s event for the first time. “It was one of the closest heats I’ve had… I was just trying to get to my feet as fast as I could. The buzzer rang, I knew I had to capitalize on it.”

Houshmand threw a big turn, followed by another — the judges awarding him a 7.07 to add to his 6.17, for a total score of 13.24 to take the heat win and move to the next round.

Final-minute, buzzer-beater scores helped several surfers on Sunday, July 28, as they scrapped their way to stay in the prestigious event, a contest that can make careers for up-and-coming surfers and big names who show up to compete in front of massive crowds in Huntington Beach.

There was plenty of action throughout the day, with a swell still lingering and producing 3-to 4-foot surf for athletes who traveled from around the world to compete on the south side of the pier, where fans lined up to cheer on their favorite athletes.

Seth Moniz, a Hawaiian surfer who won a National Scholastic Surfing Association championship title here in Huntington in 2015, knows how a good result at the US Open of Surfing can be career changing.

Last year, Moniz  made it to the final day before being knocked out in the quarterfinals – a big result in points that helped him secure a spot on the World Tour to compete against the world’s best, this year his rookie year on tour. At the end of each year, the top QS points leaders earn coveted spots on the World Tour to compete against the world’s top 34 surfers.

Moniz was in danger on Sunday of being eliminated in the early round, with the clock ticking down and him sitting in the fourth spot.

Just before the buzzer sounded, Moniz took to the air, flying above the lip for an aerial rotation and landing perfectly, a move that earned him enough points — a total of 11.10 — to sit in second spot and move on to the next round.

“It didn’t go as planned, for sure. You never want to have a heat and bring it down to the last minute,” he said. “I’m just lucky I got that wave at the end.”

For Qualifying Series surfers on the minor-leagues circuit, a strong result here also means they can enter bigger events on the second half of the year – the chance to earn more points with the hopes of making the World Tour cut.

“I’m taking it heat by heat, but I’m super stoked,” said Houshman, who made it into round 3. “This is definitely one of the most important events I’ve done so far.”

Fellow San Clemente surfer Kei Kobayashi waited on the sand with his family following his heat, waiting to hear if an opponent’s last-second score would bump him out of the event.

When the score came in short, Kobayashi slapped his surfboard in celebration.

“I was nervous, it came down to the wire. I kept falling on my waves at the end,” he said. “I was just hoping, come on, go flat. The ocean, you never know when (a wave) is going to come. I’ve been having a rough year this year. I’m really stoked to make a heat. This event is very important.”

Locals were joined by international surfers who also want a chance at the US Open of Surfing title.

Dylan Lightfoot traveled from South Africa for the event. He’s competed in the junior event a few times through the years, but this was his first chance getting into the QS10,000.

He won his heat, with a score of 12.80, with San Clemente surfer Jett Schilling coming in second spot with a close 11.50 to also move to the next round.

“It was a dream of mine to just get in the event,” Lightfoot said.

At the end of the day, San Clemente’s Patrick Gudauskas earned a 13.23 score to take the heat win and advance to round 3.

The contest also saw some early-round upsets, with a few big names faltering and getting eliminated. Former world tour surfers Sebastian Zietz, of Hawaii, and Michael February, of South Africa, were knocked out in round 2 of the event.

The contest continues Monday at 7 a.m. with a women’s trial event, followed by the continuation of the men’s round 2 at 7:30 a.m., with San Clemente’s Kolohe Andino in heat 12, followed by two-time winner and Huntington Beach surfer Kanoa Igarashi in heat 13.