Wrightsville Beach is basking in the glow of recent media attention from a variety of publications, including Frommers.com. The official website for Frommer's travel guides, included Wrightsville Beach in its 2006 BEST BEACH roundup. In the May 2006 issue of Outside magazine recently listed Wrightsville Beach among the BEST NORTH AMERICAN BEGINNER SURF SPOTS. According to Outside, "Wrightsville's soft, sandy beaches are the perfect venue for beginners and perfectly warm in the summer."
Beginning surfers can learn to surf by signing up for lessons and camps offered by eco-friendly surfing schools located in Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach. Wrightsville Beach Surf Camp, Crystal South Surfing Camp, and Carolina Surf Adventures are among the Cape Fear Coast's surf schools that offer programs for children, adults, families, and/or corporate retreats. Advanced surfers also find Cape Fear Coast waves enticing. Wrightsville Beach claims three East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame recipients, Will Allison, Bill Curry, and Ben Bourgeois.
Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, and Kure Beach waves play host to several surfing contests each year, including the East Coast Wahine Championships, which is the East Coast's largest women's surfing competition. Visitors are in for an exciting weekend at Wrightsville Beach on August 19 and 20 when this unique all-women's surf competition takes to the waves. All eyes will be on the surf action at the Crystal Pier (behind the Oceanic Restaurant) during the 10th Annual Billabong East Coast Wahine Championships. The action begins at 7:30 AM and lasts until 5:00 PM on Saturday and from 7:30 AM until 2:00 PM on Sunday.
In 1997, the East Coast Wahine Championships (ECWC) was the first all-female surfing contest on the East Coast. Now in its tenth year, the event is returning to its roots as an all-amateur competition. Recent contests have drawn approximately 200 women (each year) who ride the waves during surf competitions in Shortboard, Longboard, Bodyboard, and Novice divisions. There's also a Guppy division for girls under age 10 (parental assistance is allowed in this category). This year, a new competition is being introduced: the Global Surf Industries One Design Challenge, an all-ages division where everyone rides the exact same size/shape surfboard. Competitors may choose to ride the Funboard (a 7-foot, 6-inch Blue Surfboard) or a Fish (a 6-foot Seven Surfboard). Also new is a surf clinic conducted by Surf Diva, a West Coast-based all-girls surf school.
The ECWC's goal is to promote, support, and encourage women's surfing and the confidence, strength, and bonds of friendship it brings. Each year, the Wahines travel from over a dozen states to reunite with other wave-riders in this friendly competition. This year's event is expected to attract record attendance as the Wahines return to celebrate the competition's tenth anniversary.
Entry forms for the East Coast Wahine Championship can be accessed online via www.eastcoastwahines.com For more details about the competition email erin@eastcoastwahines.com. For a free Visitors Guide for Historic Wilmington and North Carolina's Cape Fear Coast, please call 1-866-266-9690. For information on accommodations and package deals, please visit website www.gocapefearcoast.com. For a complete Calendar of Events, click on the Events icon at the bottom of the home page.
