First ever Boogie Down at Obyan surf contest set

Local surfer Joey Tudela catches a wave during a surf session at Obyan Beach. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Beachlovers and surfers are in for a treat as the Boogie Down at Obyan 2022 would be held at Obyan Beach on Dec. 10 and 11, 2022.

The bodyboarding/boogie boarding surf contest is only open to surfers 21 years old and over due to safety reasons and as it is the first ever contest. However, the beach is open to the public as the event will also feature local food vendors, local musical talent, and outreach from different organizations.

At the event itself, there will be clinics on both days for individuals who are interested in learning the sport. The clinics will be led by boat captain Frank Ramon with decades of experience in surfing and fishing who has a passion for the ocean and responsible use of the waters, and Linus Mizutani, a firefighter who also has a passion for the ocean and has been bodyboarding for two decades and also has a passion for teaching and sharing the importance of protecting the ocean. 

David Cabrera, owner of the local shop Local Bones, told Saipan Tribune that “there is a big surf community on the island, we just have never had the opportunity to celebrate it in this form. Back in the ’90s, there was even a thriving support in the economy for here in the shops to support water activities like surfing. We used to be able to buy quality body boards and quality surfboards on some of the surf shops here in the island and that started to decline to the point where you have to source it elsewhere.”

The 40-year-old local bodyboarder added that, “there’s a big enough community to support that sort of structure here in the economy and that’s what we want to celebrate, we want to also bring exposure to it. When I was a kid, there were kids out there with me surfing, or bodyboarding out at Obyan. And now people my age—I’m still out there [surfing] and the people coming out with me are in their 30s and 40s.”

As a conservationist with a passion for protecting the ocean, he said that “not only is this going to be a surf contest, we want to turn it into sort of a beach bash where we invite community organizations like [Mariana Islands Nature Alliance, Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, Department of Safety Boating Safety, The Talaya Club, Friends of the Mariana Trench] to give them an opportunity to engage with community members about their programs.” He said “not only do we want to promote the sport, but we want to promote responsible use of the ocean, water safety, and ocean conservation and stewardship.”

He then invites the community “to come out and witness and celebrate with us the really exciting sport of bodyboarding boogie boarding. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the local surf community and to grow the local surf community and it’s also an opportunity for us to engage with the community about responsible use of the ocean and ocean stewardship. So come out, it’s going to be a good time… Just another excuse to have a good time at the beach.

Along with Cabrera, the organizing committee of Boogie Down at Obyan includes Joe Villacrusis, co-owner of Salty Skin Pacific, who is a local community leader on the front lines of protecting the ocean and promoting a healthy lifestyle, and Edward Manibusan, who is the owner of Saipan Surf Company. He is a local bodysurfer and shares a passion for the ocean and promoting the sport of surfing in the CNMI.

To register for the competition, visit https://boogiedownobyan.com. On the website, you must click on the sign-up button and fill out the waiver/registration form and attend a mandatory orientation for all competitors on Nov. 15 at 10am at Obyan Beach.

Contact them on Instagram @boogiedownobyan, email them at obyanboogie@gmail.com, or call or text (670) 783-0754 for more information.