Got Sports' Huntington Beach Enjoys Its Sports All Year Long

Huntington Beach is the Southern California bastion for mild Mediterranean weather, perfect for visitors to enjoy their favorite sports all year long. With less than 14 inches of annual rainfall and temperatures seldom above 90 or below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, Huntington Beach, California provides the ideal setting as the outdoor sports playground.

Got surfing' Huntington Beach, California USA - Surf City attracts thousands of board members who ride the miles waves at the west-facing beaches. Perfect conditions for everyone from groms, the up and coming youngsters of the surf world to amateur and pro athletes, to surfing seniors who once carved career paths on the waves, make this the ideal spot to start surfing or ply your trade.

Surfer Duke Kahanamoku came to the mainland from Hawaii and spent time in Huntington Beach helping to popularize the sport on the West coast more than 90 years ago. Because of Duke and other surfing pioneers, you'll find surfer dudes and dudettes (guys and girls) clad in wetsuits, sitting in the Pacific Ocean waters waiting for the next great wave.

There are over 50 surfing competitions throughout the year in Huntington Beach. They take place in a variety of formats, but generally range in size from 40 to 100 participants with surfers ranging in age from 10 years old to senior citizens. Competitions take place at three surfing hot spots; just south of the Huntington Beach Pier, at Golden West Street, and at 9th Street.

Lessons at Zack's Beach Resort will have you up on the surfboard riding a wave in no time flat. Students of the sport can check out the history of surfing at the International Surfing Museum located downtown. They can also walk over to the corner of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway to see the Surfing Walk of Fame in front of Jack's Surfboards or the Surfing Hall of Fame in front of Huntington Surf & Sport.

Huntington Beach is home to the legends of professional surfing. Corky Carroll, Bob The Greek Bolen, Robert August, Tim Turner, Jeff Deffenbaugh, Rockin Fig and many others cut their teeth on the HB wave scene. Great weather and favorable conditions make it the ideal place to train and compete. Professional surfers from around the world converge on the city in late July for the US Open of Surfing and Beach Games. It is one of the most prestigious surf competitions in the world, attracting around 250,000 spectators.

X Marks the Spot!  The Annual X-Games sponsored by ESPN were held in Huntington Beach in 2003 and 2004.  This event pits two eight-surfer teams in a play off of the time-honored rivalry between the East (Florida) and West (California) Coast surfers.

As an offshoot of its surfing fame, Huntington Beach has worked hard to become a home for extreme sports. Skateboarding, BMX bike riding, and rollerblading continue to grow in popularity through showcase events like The Core Tour Sports and Music Festival that takes place in September. Extreme sports event are also held as part of the US Open of Surfing and Beach Games.

Huntington Beach is Los Angeles' hottest spot for competitive beach volleyball. Played on the sand, this brand of volleyball is highly athletic. The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tournament is held in during the summer on the wide open sands of Huntington Beach. This event features the world's top beach volleyball athletes and includes youth clinics and music. Players also square off in 10 tournaments held throughout the summer for spikers of every age and skill level. Pick-up games start early on the weekends and go until sunset, with players of all levels competing for bragging rights as the best on the beach.

The best games take place at the base of the Huntington Beach Pier where approximately 20 permanent nets attract scores of players each day. If you're not a volleyball player, stroll out on the pier to watch others hone their skills and improve their techniques.

Exercise for many vacation travelers includes a relaxing stroll outside your hotel or resort door to 8.5 miles of flat and sandy beachfront areas where you can run, bike or rollerblade for a couple of hours and still make it back in time for brunch or a morning swim in the ocean.

Bicycling, blading and even jogging are paramount in HB, where the mouth of the Santa Ana River and the Pacific Ocean meet. Inland trails through Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties include 32 feeder trails and climbs from sea level to more than 8,600 feet, ending in the San Bernardino National Forest.

Pacific Shoreline Marathon that typically on Super Bowl Sunday is the finest beachfront marathon in existence. It attracts participants from throughout the USA and dozens of countries throughout the world. The route takes runners along the Pacific Ocean, passing through state parks, city beaches and adjacent to the Bolsa Chica Wetlands before finishing on Pacific Coast Highway at Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa. The event also features a half marathon, 5K run/walk and a Surf Kids Mile Run.

Runners can also participate in a Surf City 5K run in July, a 10-mile Distance Derby run in August or the 5K/10K Amigos de Bolsa Chica Run for the Birds in October.

Fun Roll is a group of skaters meeting around 10:30 a.m. at Pier Plaza for a skate and bike excursion on the paved beach path to Newport Beach and back every Saturday morning. The 16-mile round trip moves at a nice and easy pace and all ages are welcome to join. Afterwards, the group gathers for lunch at downtown Huntington Beach restaurants and outdoor cafes for al fresco dining or a cup of Starbucks hot chocolate or latte. If you don't have your own equipment, you can find affordable rentals at several beach concessions that rent everything from umbrellas and chairs to all the equipment you'll need to bike, skate, surf and skim the waves at Zack's Beach Resort.

Huntington Beach Central Park Equestrian Center for horse lovers is located on 25 acres overlooking Huntington Central Park. Surrounded by 185 acres of public trails, the facility is home to 420 privately owned horses and offers public rentals through Horse Play Rentals. Take a one-hour guided trail ride on horses trained to offer you the ride beginners enjoy.