Surf news: Olympics power struggles. Surfing the puddles in Long Beach. The All Things Surf Directory arrives.

🏅 olympic surf qualification shake-up brewing

A possible power struggle is unfolding between the International Surfing Association (ISA) and the World Surf League (WSL) over how surfers qualify for the LA 2028 Olympics.

Reports suggest the Championship Tour may matter much less than before. Instead of most Olympic spots coming from a full CT season, only a few places would come from the first four events of the Olympic year — with just one surfer per country qualifying that way.

Most remaining spots would instead be earned through ISA events like the World Surfing Games and continental competitions.

Nothing is finalized yet, but the proposal has been submitted to the IOC. If approved, it would shift Olympic importance away from the WSL tour and toward ISA competitions — and could seriously change who makes the Games.

🌧️🏄‍♂️ long beach goes street surfing during winter storm 

A powerful winter storm swept through Southern California on Monday, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, snow in higher elevations—and flooded streets across Los Angeles County.

While most people were dealing with traffic chaos and overwhelmed storm drains in places like Long Beach, Burbank, Hollywood, and North Hollywood, one Long Beach local saw opportunity.

Hayden de León decided that if the ocean wasn’t coming to him, the streets would do just fine.

Video shared with KTLA shows de León surfing through flooded residential streets in the 90815 area, towed behind a truck. “We’re going to surf!” he yelled before hopping on his board.

According to NBCLA, he told his brother, “Dude, put that truck in first gear, let’s go,” before grabbing a rope and taking off. The truck cruised slowly through the neighborhood as de León carved his way through murky runoff.

De León said it was his first time street surfing in a few years, but not his first ever. He used to do it as a kid. “It was a blast,” he said. “I grew up wakeboarding, surfing, snowboarding… so this just fit right into the abundance of fun you can have out here in Southern California.”

He added that he wore a helmet during some of the “sketchier parts of the surf,” but overall reported that the waves—well, puddles—were good.

🚀 the wipeout weekly launches all things surf directory

Author: The Wipeout Weekly team