COASTAL OBSERVER

Everyone else heard “state of emergency,” but it was a state of ecstasy for surfers competing in the 2025 South End Surf Off over the weekend.

More than 100 surfers showed up at the Pawleys Pier for the annual Eastern Surf Association’s northern district in South Carolina competition.

Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency last week and canceled it on Monday. The Georgetown County Emergency Management has been monitoring Hurricanes  Humberto and Imelda since last week. 

There won’t be direct impacts to the area but the storms will cause rough surf conditions and rip currents as they maneuver away from the state’s coast, according to Brandon Ellis, the county’s Emergency Management director.

“Don’t let your guard down yet,” he said. “We had a close call with Imelda. Thankfully, it worked in our benefit. But another storm could pop up next week, and we could be in a very different situation.”

Erik Powalie, one of the surf contest judges, said he wasn’t worried about any threat to the competition.

“The waves are fun, clean and ridable. It’s kind of something we deal with all the time,” Powalie said. “I’m glad to see such a good crowd here.”

Ellis said he also has to “battle” the situation when storms create prime conditions for the surfing community. His priority is to keep members of the public safe but also his first responders.

“We can’t keep them out of the ocean. All we can do is encourage safety and provide guidance,” he said. “Sometimes we need to weigh that risk. When is the risk too much?”

Blaze Beecher, 9, started surfing last summer, and he was far from worried. “There’s gonna be some waves, then. That’s exciting.”

His older brothers, Ocean and Uriah, who also competed over the weekend, taught him how to surf after he tried playing soccer. He said it would be fun to become a professional surfer one day.

“It’s the perfect sport. You get to be at the beach,” said Blaze’s father, Ryan. “You’re not sitting on the bleachers all day in the hot sun.”

“And you never get benched,” Blaze added.

Dylan Lake, a junior at Waccamaw High, said she just wanted to have fun in the water.

“Winning doesn’t mean much, I mean, as long as you think you did good,” she said.

Lake said she has been surfing since she was a toddler when she took surf lessons at Surf The Earth, the sponsor of the weekend competition. Since reaching high school, she’s been teaching the camps.

Lake is also a member of Waccamaw High’s club surf team, which she said drew over 20 surfers.

Apple Skipper, a sophomore at St. James High who competed in the same heats as Lake, said she would like to see a surf club at her school.

“We’re mostly focusing on trying to find a teacher or someone that works there to approve it,” she said.

Skipper said surfing is one of the most difficult sports because of unpredictable wave conditions. She said the waves were flat during her first heat where she placed fourth. But focusing on herself is what makes it her favorite sport since her father put her on the board when she was 2 years old.

“It’s all about Mother Nature. If she wants us to have bad waves, we just have to deal with that,” she said.

Reggae tunes, tents, wax blocks and neon-colored jerseys were staples of the competition.

Teasing and poking fun at the athletes was an unwritten part of the judges’ job, too, adding to the surf culture. 

“That’s exactly what we want. We want it playful and fun,” said Thomas Chandler, the co-director of the ESA’s northern district. “It’s like a big family of surfers.”

He provided honest commentary throughout the day with a microphone in hand: “Strong turn,” “we got a wave, let’s see who gets it,” and “who’d you say has an ugly face? No wonder you think you’re mean.”

At one point during the competition, Powalie gave one performance a double thumbs down.

“We’re all down here just trying to have fun, keep everybody having a good time,” he said, “and at the same time, trying to be professional.”

There were over 20 divisions the surfers competed in, but Chandler said the four opens are the pinnacle of the contest for all ages: women’s longboard and shortboard, and men’s longboard and shortboard.

Chandler’s 8-year-old daughter, Birdy Chandler, won first place for girls 11 and under and in the women’s open shortboard. His son, Trip Chandler, won the men’s open longboard division. Kennedy Wilkes took first place for the women’s open longboard. Powalie’s son, August Powalie, won the men’s open shortboard.