Ocean Racing Returns to Santa Cruz Paddlefest
Photo courtesy: Santa Cruz Paddlefest
Santa Cruz, California — The Santa Cruz Paddlefest is officially bringing back one of its most anticipated elements: the ocean race. As the festival heads into its 35th installment, organizers are restoring a cornerstone of the event’s legacy and expanding the experience for paddlers of all disciplines.
After a five-year hiatus, the surf event made a triumphant return in 2025, reconnecting paddlers with the event’s rich history and vibrant community. To complete the revival and welcome even more of the ocean paddling community, the ocean race returns in 2026.
The Santa Cruz Paddlefest Race will include SUP, prone, surfski, and OC1 divisions, offering ocean racers an exciting new course designed to push skill, endurance, and grit in the challenging waters of Monterey Bay.
“While this event started with kayak surfing over 40 years ago, it has grown over the decades to encompass all ocean paddlecraft,” said Bryon Dorr, Santa Cruz Paddle Festival Event Director. “And while surfing has been the core of the event, ocean racing was also a major part of it for a very long time. Reviving the ocean race in 2026 feels like bringing the event back to its full potential.”
Photo courtesy: Santa Cruz Paddlefest
Longtime volunteer and paddler Julie Mitravich echoed the significance of the race’s return and what it means to the community. “Santa Cruz Paddlefest has always been about building and growing the paddling community. Bringing the race back this year continues that vision, and the success of the event is a beautiful reminder of the strength of our community,” said Mitravich.
She added that the momentum from last year made the decision clear. “For five years, the paddle surf community had been waiting for the return of Santa Cruz Paddlefest. Last year, SCPF returned with overwhelming success. The next obvious step was to bring the race back, since that became a strong part of our event in the latter years.”
Candice Appleby joins the Santa Cruz Paddlefest organizing team as Race Director for 2026. Appleby is a multiple-time Stand Up Paddle World Champion, full-time coach with Ocean Academy, a recent race director for the Green Buoy Battle, and a former competitor and multi-time champion at the Santa Cruz Paddlefest in both SUP racing and surfing.
“I’m really excited to be heading back to Santa Cruz,” said Appleby. “I’ve always felt at home there, having spent many of the early years of my stand-up paddle career competing in both the Santa Cruz Paddlefest and the Jay Race. I have great memories of racing in challenging conditions and surfing the epic waves of Steamer Lane as well.”
Photo courtesy: Santa Cruz Paddlefest
She emphasized the significance of returning to the event in a leadership role. “This event has always been a really fun trip up north for myself and many other Southern California paddlers. Coming back now as race director, while my current sponsor, Infinity SUP, is heading up the SUP surfing event at the Lane, really brings things full circle. I know there will be a strong contingent of Infinity racers, and other SoCal paddlers making the trip to Santa Cruz, including many of the athletes I coach through Ocean Academy, and I’m excited to see that energy carried across both the surf and race sides of the festival.”
Appleby added that the role represents a deeper personal and historical connection. “Coming in as race director truly feels like a full-circle moment for me. I’m also incredibly excited to have Duke Brouwer on board. Duke is a Santa Cruz local and was the original race director of the very first SUP race ever held as part of the Santa Cruz Paddlefest. Having him join me as assistant race director and beach marshal feels especially meaningful. Duke and I go way back — he was my team manager during my early years with Surftech — and his support played an important role in my development as an athlete. To now be working together again at an event he helped launch, and one that has been such a big part of my own career, really feels meaningful.”
“I’m beyond excited for the return of the iconic Santa Cruz Paddlefest paddleboard race,” said Duke Brouwer. “There’s nothing like a race that throws a little of everything at you — especially when catching waves is part of the game.”
Registration for the 2026 Santa Cruz Paddlefest Race will go live on Thursday, February 5th, on PaddleGuru.com. The race will be limited to only 100 competitors, and spots are expected to fill quickly.
Additional information about the event and its history can be found at SantaCruzPaddlefest.com.
