2015 Vissla Cosmic Creek Recap

When looking back at the 2015 Vissla Cosmic Creek you’re not only looking back at a surfing event that took place at Salt Creek this past weekend, but your also looking back at an era of experimentation the 1970’s was known for. Paying homage to an earlier free spirited/festival vibe, the beach was buzzing with excitement as competitors were greeted with just that. The structures were built of wood and adorn the prints found on Vissla’s coconut board shorts, not your typical EZ-Up tent city… A pack of 30 boards for competitors to choose from, Reverberation Radio spinning classic vinyl records all day, Grain Surfboards teaching kids how to build their own hand planes on site, great food from local vendor Schwack, and some rocket fuel for coffee provided by Translation Agencies UK Coffee. Beach goers even enjoyed placing their items inside one of the tee pee’s or geometric cubes that could be found on the beach. Glassy conditions and 3-4 foot surf peeled their way down the Point all day long.

After the first day of competition, the crowd shuffled their way to the natural amphitheater of Bluff Park for a concert presented by D’Blanc. With the sun setting in the distance the Cosmic crowd of young and old were entertained by Tropical Popsicle and Froth to wrap up the day.

Day 2 was action packed straight out of the gates with the finals for all age groups, the Professional division, and a new addition to the event which featured local surf board shapers riding a board they create themselves that was inspired from the 70’s time period. Dubbed the Creators and Innovators division, this division featured legends like Tim Stamps, Jason Bennett, Britt Merrick, Donald Brink, Barry Vandemuller, and eventual winner Josh Sleigh. Notable mentions to the legendary Wayne Deane and Chemistry’s Jason Bennett who pulled off more backside turns than his heat combined.

The Pros put on a special performance for the crowd showing how well these difficult to ride boards could be ridden. Collin Moran topped the field with the weekends only Perfect 10 point ride! He was joined in the final with Dane Gudauskas, Nate Yeomans, Kalani Robb, Noah Schweizer, and local boy Sam Orozco. There were some standout performances worth mentioning from Nate Yeomans who put on a clinic in his qualifying heat, Cam Richards who made the final but had to hop on a plane right after his heat, Derrick Disney who was coined the Cosmic of Cosmic, Andrew Jacboson who surfed his brains out and got robbed last minute, Noa Deane who turned down the airs and stuck to his single fin cheater fives and finally the legenda Christian Fletcher who ollied over Andrew’s board at the end of his heat.

All said and done if you missed this weekends festivities you better mark your calendar for next year because this surfing event is one for the books.

16 & under

1. Bryce Mattox

2. Danny Kenduck

3. Fisher Quigley

4. Noah Albrecity

5. Kai Diamond

6. Sam Neiger

17-24

1. Kolton Sullivan

2. Corey Colapinto

3. Conner MacCleod

4. Michael Carpenter

5. David Klaus

6. Garret Brown

25-34

1. Clayton Snyder

2. Corban Campbell

3. Eric Mehlberg

4. Dane Ward

5. Erik Fawcett

6. Brandon Draguesku

35-44

1. Scott Finn

2. Rob McCarty

3. Mo Van de Wall

4. G.Ivan Connelly

5. Rob Ripley

6. Ted Detwiler

45+

1. Daniel Benjoya

2. Paul Naude

3. Eric Diamond

4. Lawrence Quigley

5. Rick Toohey

6. Brant Slowinski

Creators and Innovators

1. Josh Sleigh (Dana Point)

2. Jason Bennett (Oceanside)

3. Tim Stamps (Seal Beach)

4. Britt Merrick (Santa Barbara)

5. Barry Van Durmulen (Huntington Beach)

PROS

1. Colin Moran

2. Kalani Robb

3. Dane Gudauskas

4. Sam Orozco

5. Noah Schweiter

6. Nate Yeomans