Rincon Classic cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. -- The Rincon Classic 2021 surf competition is cancelled according to an announcement on Tuesday morning.

The annual surfing competition will be changed to a virtual event in 2021 due to COVID-19.

Chris Keet, the Contest Director and the Surf Happens staff, says they made the difficult decision with the community in mind.

The event has been happening consecutively for the past 20 years.

Keet says the in-person contest will resume in 2022.

They say the permit application is in place for 2022 and registration will open on December 1 to 31, 2021 with the official eight week waiting period running from January 15 or 16 to March 5 or 6, 2022.

The Rincon Classic is more than a surf contest, it is a celebration of the surfing legacy and heritage within our local communities. The level of surfing and people from here are second to none and truly world class. We look forward to many more years to come sharing the stoke of surfing and the Queen of the coast with all of you and we will see you in 2022.

Chris Keet, Rincon Classic Contest Director

The 2021 surf event will be a virtual video contest, called RC 21 Classic Ride, Wave Of The Season.

Submission dates are open December 1, 2020 to March 1, 2021 and will be categorized based on the divisions generally offered at the Classic.

They say submissions will be voted on based on quality of wave, level of surfing, variety, style, flow, and commitment, "everything classifying a truly Classic Ride".

Submissions are to be saved as a ".mov format" for streaming online and dropboxed to info@surfhappens.com.

For more information on the virtual contest in 2021, click here.