How pick for LA28 surfing contest could impact tourism, exposure for nearby San Clemente

Lower Trestles may soon become a household name among Olympics fans, with the LA28 Games turning its spotlight on the surf break. 

And with the huge exposure that comes with the Summer Games, the quaint surf town next door is poised to reap the benefits.

Already, as word spread Tuesday, April 15, about the location pick over Huntington Beach, news headlines — and even some elected officials — proclaimed that San Clemente in Orange County was picked as the Olympic surfing location.

In fact, Lower Trestles is in San Onofre State Park, military land leased by the state, and is in San Diego County. If you want to get really technical, it’s actually in the Pacific Ocean.

It’s an easy error to make, with San Clemente a short jaunt or e-bike ride away from the famed surf break and Camp Pendleton between the beach and the closest San Diego city.

San Clemente Mayor Steve Knoblock said i2028 will be a big deal for the beach town, the upcoming Olympics timing perfectly with the city’s 100th anniversary, and officials are “excited and eager” to have the surf competition next door.

“San Clemente is the real surf city,” he said, “and this is going to mean a lot for us, for our community, our surfers. A lot of the champions come from San Clemente, we’ll have a lot of surfers involved. We couldn’t be more pleased.”

While the picturesque beach town doesn’t have the mega hotels that many other coastal cities tout, there are currently plans for four new hotels that will add hundreds of hotel rooms, Knoblock noted. Transportation, with the local trolly and OCTA buses, is already in place and Dana Wharf Sportsfishing has offered any water taxi help, he said.

“We’re going to do everything we can to make the visitors welcome and enjoy the amenities in the beach town,” he said. “We’re a small charming beach town. I think the visitors of the world, when they come here, will appreciate what small town coastal living is about.”

While the break is widely known in the surf world, wave riders can be particular about having too much exposure at their beloved beaches. They’ll have to accept that their beach break may be off limits for a few weeks, maybe longer, when the Olympics comes to town.

“The local surfers will need to understand it’s a once-per-generation event,” said Catalyst surf shop and Lost brand owner Matt Biolos, who shapes boards for several Olympians, including gold medalist and world champion Caroline Marks.

The wave itself makes the most sense for the competition, he noted, “the safest bet for quality surf that will crown a true Olympic champion.”

In recent years, the city has worked to partner with the World Surf League on its big surf contests, especially the past four years when the world championships were held each September at Lower Trestles.

Press conferences with professional athletes were hosted on the wooden pier, surf sessions with local kids were held on the city’s beaches and, last year, an autograph signing with the athletes had hours-long waits with fans eager to get up close with the pro surfers.

Dave Cinquini, a longtime surfer and owner of the newly opened West Coast Surf and Stay hotel, said having the event nearby at Lowers, as it is often called, is a good thing for San Clemente, already a well-known, go-to spot in the surf world.

“I think it’s already established in the surfing world. If you surf, you know San Clemente. If you don’t surf, you may have never heard of it,” he said. “So I think this is a good thing if you’re interested in exposing this beautiful place we live in to the world.”

It could benefit the local economy, he noted.

“I want to see everyone be successful, this is an amazing thing,” he said. “This is one of the best things that can happen. And I don’t think San Clemente is in danger of losing its charm.”

He doesn’t think the exposure will start bringing people in droves to town, he said. “But I think it will put enough eyes on San Clemente for the people who live here and do business here to benefit for many years to come, and I think that’s a good thing.”

Surf journalist and San Clemente resident Jim Kempton said he and others have concerns about the sensitive habitats of the state park that could be affected. The area around the beach is filled with thick brush and teeming with wildlife, a natural escape from the urban sprawl.

“The worry I think everyone in San Clemente has, is the environmental damage,” he said. “There’s a lot of people in San Clemente concerned about that, understandably.”

Biolos echoed those concerns.

“The footprint needs to be controlled and they need to be hyper-sensitive to the fragile environment, which, to be fair, the WSL has done a pretty good job of over the years,”  he said.

The plan is to keep the crowd low, similar to the World Surf League events that have been hosted at Lower Trestles for years, according to State Parks officials.

Kempton also wonders where people will stay. San Clemente, by design, doesn’t have mega hotels like a lot of other beach towns.

Some visitors may trickle down to Oceanside, with that beach town only about 20 minutes away on the other side of Camp Pendleton, he noted.

Nearby San Diego could also benefit and host gatherings during the event. Kempton is president of the California Surf Museum in Oceanside, which already has plans for an Olympic exhibit this upcoming summer.