From the longstanding East Coast Browsing Championships to the newly opened, state-of-the-art Atlantic Park Surf and the arrival of the Tremendous Woman Competition, Virginia Seaside is carving out its place as a hub for surfers.
Relating to browsing locations in america, Virginia Seaside isn’t often the primary that involves thoughts. It doesn’t have the huge barrel waves of Hawaii or California, however that’s exactly what makes it among the best locations to study, sharpen your expertise, and develop a love for the game.
Virginia Seaside’s waist-high waves create alternatives for each freshmen and seasoned surfers to benefit from the sport and join with the neighborhood round it. The surf tradition right here is inclusive and welcoming, providing everybody an opportunity to be a part of it.
World’s Longest Operating Surf Contest Celebrates 63 Years
The annual Coastal Edge East Coast Browsing Championships (ECSC) not too long ago wrapped up its 63rd yr in Virginia Seaside with a week-long pageant that includes browsing amateurs and professionals competing for titles and prizes, together with BMX demonstrations, skateboarding showcases, and dwell music.
Attendees additionally loved seashore volleyball, flag soccer, and free health courses on the sand. The boardwalk was lined with native distributors providing unique artwork, handcrafted items, and basic boardwalk bites.
Among the finest facets of ECSC is that it’s free to attend and arranged by volunteers by way of the Virginia Seaside Jaycees, a nonprofit group devoted to area people service and improvement.
It’s clear {that a} vital focus of the pageant is making a tradition of inclusivity, the place value is just not a barrier and neighborhood is the main target. ECSC and the encircling pageant actually really feel like an invite to hitch its browsing neighborhood.
Atlantic Park Surf First in U.S. with Subsequent-Gen Wave Tech
Atlantic Park Surf not too long ago opened on the Oceanfront and is the primary within the nation to characteristic top-of-the-line wave technology expertise, already present in locations like Spain, Brazil, and Australia.
Powered by Wavegarden, Atlantic Park Surf simulates waves which are customizable for all talent ranges. It’s good for freshmen seeking to study the game by way of guided classes and managed swells, and professionals seeking to take their expertise to the following stage.
Even for those who’re not able to get your toes moist, you should buy a seashore membership day go and chill out beneath the solar, lounge in a cabana, and watch the professionals grind.
Procuring, eating, a boutique lodge, and residential areas with a view are coming on-line in phases over the following a number of months, and The Dome leisure venue brings prime music and comedy expertise to the complicated.
Virginia Seaside to Host Tremendous Woman Competition in 2026
Subsequent yr, the world’s largest ladies’s sports activities, music, and way of life pageant, the Tremendous Woman Surf Competition, is ready to debut in Virginia Seaside. The three-day ladies’s motion sports activities and music pageant will happen from September fifth to seventh, 2026. Just like ECSC, the pageant is free to attend.
Rick Bratman, CEO of ASA Leisure and producer of the Tremendous Woman Competition Sequence, shared that Tremendous Woman “is designed to empower, uplift and encourage ladies and supply alternative for girls in areas the place they’re historically underrepresented.” He additionally notes, “crucial factor isn’t having cash turn out to be a barrier to any ladies who needs to be a part of the Tremendous Woman atmosphere.”
Tremendous Woman has impressively grown from 16 rivals in 2007 to now internet hosting greater than 8,000 feminine athletes, together with 160 prime professional surfers. Bratman says, “Not like 20 years in the past when Tremendous Woman started, younger ladies now need the highlight and don’t shrink back from it.” He provides, “They demand it, they usually deserve it.”
Tremendous Woman emphasizes mentorship, with packages throughout surf, skate, BMX, and 7 different sports activities, and has clearly made an affect on additional inclusion for girls in motion sports activities. The pageant completely enhances ECSC and additional helps the longstanding, inclusive browsing tradition already established in Virginia Seaside.
A Surf Fanatic’s Information to Visiting Virginia Seaside
In case you are seeking to e book your Virginia Seaside keep at a grand property with wealthy historical past, look no additional than The Historic Cavalier Lodge and Seaside Membership. The resort, initially constructed within the Twenties, affords a sublime visitor expertise, that includes a craft spirits distillery, three eating places, a luxurious spa, and entry to its non-public Cavalier Seaside Membership. Becca Restaurant and Backyard, one in every of three on-site eating choices, is a well-liked spot providing out of doors seating in a garden-like setting.
The Sheraton Virginia Seaside Oceanfront Lodge is one other wonderful possibility, having not too long ago undergone renovation. It affords stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean with easy accessibility to the seashore and boardwalk.
To spherical out your browsing journey, the Virginia Seaside Surf & Rescue Museum is a must-visit. The free museum, located subsequent to the boardwalk, supplies an in-depth exploration of the historical past of browsing and the Virginia Seaside Lifesaving Service.
Proper down the highway, the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Heart affords boat excursions and displays, together with a kaleidoscope tunnel that includes marine pictures, magical views of sting rays gliding overhead, contact tanks, and plenty of different interactive choices.
For an adults-only expertise, Sharks After Darkish occasions assist you to benefit from the aquarium with a cocktail in hand.
A 12 months-Spherical Browsing Vacation spot on the East Coast
With Virginia Seaside’s rising line-up of community-focused browsing occasions and its newly opened Atlantic Park Surf, it’s a verifiable browsing scorching spot for novices and professionals.
It’s a spot the place you may fall in love with browsing whereas changing into a part of a neighborhood that welcomes anybody with an curiosity.
Katherine Woodward Ramer is a contract digital creator and journey author with a background in strategic communications, public well being, and coverage. She spent over ten years within the authorities and nonprofit sectors, the place she specialised in making complicated matters clear and interesting.
Now, she creates content material for Wander Worthy, a journey publication targeted on curiosity, connection, and conscious exploration. Her work highlights journey as a software for private progress, cultural understanding, and balanced dwelling by way of compelling visible storytelling.