The Race
Out and back from the San Clemente Pier, ~15 miles of open ocean.
The course
Follow the coastline
Tap any point for detail. The gold ring is the turnaround off San Onofre, round it and head back to the Pier.
Start
San Clemente Pier
7:30 AM beach start at the San Clemente Pier (check-in opens 7:00 AM). Beach start and beach finish at the same spot, regardless of conditions — an out-and-back down the coast and back.
Race-morning conditions
A small, manageable south swell, a low tide at the start filling all morning, and light cross-shore wind.
Surf
Small · 2-3 ft+
Thigh-to-stomach and manageable at the 7:30 AM start, a mid-period S swell (~11 sec) with a touch of long-period SSW groundswell early. Building slightly through late morning as a short-period W windswell fills in.
Wind
Light · 8-9 mph
Light cross-shore out of the SSE early (~8 mph), swinging S and up to ~9 mph by late morning. Cleanest right at the start; eases to 4-6 mph by evening.
Tide
Low start, rising all morning
Bottoms out at −0.2 ft just before the 7:30 start, then fills fast: ~0.2 ft at 8 AM, ~3.3 ft by 11 AM, up to a 4.8 ft high in the early afternoon.
Placeholder forecast, sampled mid-course along the San Clemente coast; conditions vary point to point. Always check current conditions before you paddle.
Divisions
Where you line up
- 12' StockStock 12' prone paddleboard. Women's + Men's.
- 14'14' prone paddleboard. Women's + Men's.
- UnlimitedUnlimited prone. Women's + Men's.
- SUPStand-up paddle. Women's + Men's.
Four board classes, 12' Stock, 14', Unlimited, and SUP. Each has a Women's and a Men's division, with the women seeded at the top of their class.
Entry
$79
Same for every division. One event tee included.
- Every finish timed, full results on PaddleGuru
- A real open-ocean distance result to build your season
- Awards + a surfboard raffle (competitor-only) at the finish
Race morning
How the day runs
Add to calendar
- 7:00 AM
Pre-race check-in & beach entries begin
Receive your race number.
- 7:15 AM
Pre-race meeting
Safety discussion and course description.
- 7:30 AM
Paddle San Clemente begins
Beach start and beach finish only, regardless of conditions.
- ~10:00 AM
First finishers can start landing
The front of the field. Everyone else still has time.
- 11:30 AM
Race is officially over
Every racer has the full window. You are not late.
- 11:31 AM
Awards + the surfboard raffle
At the finish line. One award this year, drawn live.
This is the planned race-day schedule, check-in at 7:00 AM, race starts at 7:30 AM sharp. The fastest paddlers can be in by about 10:00 AM, but the race doesn't close until 11:30 AM. Every racer has that whole window, so there's no rush to be first in.
Getting there
Parking, the return, and the finish
Start & parking
Park around the San Clemente Pier, in the pier-bowl lots and the streets off Avenida Del Mar. It fills early on summer weekends, so get there early or carpool. Check-in opens at 7:00 AM.
Out-and-back | start = finish
You finish exactly where you started, at the San Clemente Pier, so there's no shuttle, second car, or ride back to sort. Park once and you're set.
Finish & spectators
The finish is back at the San Clemente Pier, a great, easy spot for family to watch the whole race from the sand or the pier itself. The race is officially over at 11:30 AM, with awards at the finish line at 11:31 AM.
On-water safety
Two jet skis on the course.
Two jet skis run the course all morning, one leading the field, one sweeping the rear, and they mark the turnaround off San Onofre so every paddler knows where to round and head back. Blake works the start and finish, checking in racers and clocking finish times.
On the skis: Mitch Lundquist and Ian Ferrell. On-water video: Cooper Christensen. Start + finish: Blake Lundquist.
- Lead jet ski up front with the leaders
- Sweep jet ski on the back of the field
- On-water video from the course
- Check-in and finish timing at the Pier
Gear & safety
Come prepared for open water
Required
- Enough water / hydration for 2.5-3.5 hours on the water.
- Registered and checked in at the start.
Strongly recommended
- A leash, not required, but smart for the beach start and finish at the Pier. A 6' leash is best so your board can't nose-dive into the sand.
- Plenty of water and glucose / energy food for 2.5-3.5 hours on the water.
- A bright cap or rashguard so support paddlers and the jet skis can spot you.
- A whistle and a phone in a waterproof pouch.
- Sunscreen, and a sense of the day's forecast, swell, and tides.
- A support / safety paddler if you want one, coordinate at sign-in.
Heads up: Headphones are welcome, plenty of paddlers ride to music. Just keep an ear out for boats, other paddlers, and the jet skis.
- Open-ocean, out-and-back race, you're responsible for your own safety and fitness.
- Carry water and a bright cap/rashguard so the jet skis and support paddlers can spot you. A leash isn't required, but a 6' leash is smart for the beach start and finish at the Pier so your board can't nose-dive.
- Conditions can get bumpy with reverb off the points, paddle within your limits.
- Support/safety paddlers welcome; coordinate at sign-in with Sara.
Rules
- 1.All competitors must be registered before race day (better counts, communication, and safety).
- 2.Round the turnaround off San Onofre where the lead jet ski marks it, then head back north to the Pier. Miss the turnaround and it doesn't count.
- 3.Start and finish are the same spot, the San Clemente Pier — it's an out-and-back, so there's no shuttle to sort.
- 4.Bring water and safety gear; know your limits in open ocean conditions.
Build your race résumé
A distance result for the big crossings.
The marquee open-ocean crossings all want to see recent distance-race results before they'll take you. At ~15 miles of open ocean, Paddle San Clemente is exactly the kind of distance result these events want to see on your application, finish here, and you've got a real one on your résumé.
Catalina Classic →
32 miles, Catalina Isthmus → Manhattan Beach Pier, the oldest race in the sport. Open entrants submit paddle-race results, judged on course distance and competition.
Molokai 2 Oahu (M2O) →
32-mile channel crossing, Molokai → Oahu, the paddleboard world championships. First-time applicants submit their recent open-ocean race results for review.
Ben Did Go, “the Ben” →
30 miles, Avalon → Newport Beach Pier, honoring lifeguard Ben Carlson. Invite-only, with paddle qualifications required.
The story
Year one
Paddle San Clemente is a new race for 2027, an ~15-mile out-and-back from the San Clemente Pier, south past Trestles toward San Onofre and back to the sand you started on. One loop of open coast, one of the best stretches of ocean in Southern California.
It's grassroots by design. Blake sets it up, Sara runs sign-in. The scenic distance race that fills the gap between LA and San Diego, built for the SoCal prone community from day one.
The turnaround
South past Trestles. From the Pier you head down the coast past San Clemente State Beach and the Trestles cobble, world-class surf on your inside, on the way to the turnaround.
San Onofre turnaround. The lead jet ski marks the turnaround off San Onofre. Round it and point it back north for the Pier. Miss the turnaround and it doesn't count. Start and finish are the same beach, so you land right where the morning began.
Ready to line up on August 21, 2027?
Start line in
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
When and where is Paddle San Clemente?
Saturday, August 21, 2027, with a 7:30 AM start at San Clemente Pier in San Clemente, CA, finishing back at San Clemente Pier. It's an ~15-mile out-and-back down the San Clemente coast, south past Trestles toward San Onofre and back.
How do I register, and what does it cost?
Registration runs on PaddleGuru. Entry is $79, the same for every division, and includes one event tee. Registration opens soon — check back for the sign-up link.
Is it a good first ocean race? Can I do it on a SUP?
Yes on both. There's a SUP division alongside the prone classes, and first-timers are welcome. It is a real ~15-mile open-ocean effort, though. Come fit, know the forecast, and consider lining up a support paddler at sign-in.
How does the out-and-back work? Where do I finish?
You start and finish at the same spot, the San Clemente Pier. Head south past Trestles toward San Onofre, round the turnaround the lead jet ski marks, and paddle back to the Pier. Because it's an out-and-back, there's no shuttle, second car, or ride back to sort. Park once.
What's your refund / transfer policy?
Entry is non-refundable. Tees are print-on-demand, each one is made to order in the exact color and size you pick when you redeem, so there are no size swaps or exchanges. Pick carefully. For transfer questions, email blake@lundquistsurfboards.com and we'll help where we can.
Where do results post, and can family watch?
Results post on PaddleGuru and here on the Results page. The San Clemente Pier is an easy, family-friendly finish to watch, right in town, from the sand or the pier itself. The front of the field can start landing as early as 10:00 AM, but every racer has until 11:30 AM, when the race officially closes. If you're coming to watch someone finish, plan for anywhere in that window. Awards are at the finish line right after, at 11:31 AM.
Can I use this toward the Catalina Classic, Molokai, or the Ben?
Yes, the big open-ocean crossings (the Catalina Classic, Molokai 2 Oahu, and the Ben Did Go) all ask for recent distance-race results before they'll take you. An ~15-mile Paddle San Clemente finish is exactly the kind of result to put on that application. Lots of paddlers use it to build their race résumé.
What can I win?
One award this year, and it's a raffle: a $750 credit toward a custom Lundquist surfboard, a shortboard or twin fin, shaped in your dimensions. Want a bigger board or a nicer finish? You just pay the difference. Every racer is entered automatically, one ticket each, and your race number is your ticket. Tickets are not for sale. You can't buy in and you can't buy more, so the fastest paddler and the last paddler have identical odds. Details at paddlesanclemente.com/raffle.