The Dempsey Pro was named after a pioneer surfer of the Tijuana Sloughs and a legend in Imperial Beach, named Dempsey Holder. Wildcoast put on a pro division for their 10th annual surf event down in Imperial Beach. I remember IB had Pro surf events back in the 80’s and 90’s with the Bud Tour, so I have always wanted to surf a pro event down in the historical town. My long time friend Zach Plopper was running the event and picked a good window to run the event at the end of September when Cali gets our combo swells from the south and north, the water is still warm and the Santa Ana’s start to blow. Zack was creative with the format that had everything from no-losers round, to four man heats and man-on-man. I had just arrived fresh from Australia the night before with a magic Simon Anderson surfboard and straight into shoulder hi punchy peaks. I built my rhythm up through the day and had some competitive heats all the way to the final where I finished up on top. It felt great to have a win in my surf native San Diego area and be part of the history of the pro surf events in Imperial Beach. I love the competitiveness of trying to win but what I really like with surf comps is the great time hanging all day with some good friends at the beach.
Photos by Paul Gallegos and Alfredo Ramirez
, Brandon Roberts(2nd) from South Africa now living in Ocean Beach, Jeff Lukasic (3rd) from San Clemente
AWARE Surf Coaching 
Congrats again on the win. Guess there’s plenty of life left in the old dog, hey? lol