The Vic skimboarding contest returning to Aliso Beach at end of August

A Laguna Beach tradition closing in on nearly half a century of fun in the sun is set to return to South Laguna the last weekend of this month.

The Vic, an annual skimboarding competition, will be contested for the 46th time when the competitors wade out into the water at Aliso Beach on Aug. 26 and 27.

Put on by Laguna Canyon business Victoria Skimboards, the contest draws a decorated field of international entries.

“We’ve got a lot of history at this contest as we go into our 46th year,” Tex Haines, owner of Victoria Skimboards, said in a statement. “The pro prize purse is crowd-funded from local donors and sponsors and is currently over $7,000. Last year, it got up to $12,000, and we expect to have a similar or larger purse this year. We’re very proud of that.”

The men’s professional division will count as the fifth event of the season on the United Skim Tour, which will also stop in Newport Beach for the Exile Oktoberfest from Sept. 16 and 17.

Points accrued across the top four placings for a men’s professional skimboarder count toward their ranking on tour.

Laguna Beach native Dane Cameron, 19, ranked third on the tour, will be among the hometown favorites. He said a win in the local event would make him “most excited.”

Cameron has been skimboarding for 11 years, the last three as a professional on the tour. A win in the 8-and-under division of the Vic in his youth led to him taking the plunge and committing to the sport.

“Usually at the Vic, you’re looking for a barrel ride, but less tricks because the Vic usually has the biggest waves for the UST,” Cameron said of the ideal scoring maneuver. “They’re looking for you to ride the biggest wave and do the biggest turn most of the time and get a big barrel ride.”

The competitors are keeping an eye on the path of Tropical Storm Hilary, which reportedly intensified to a Category 2 hurricane on Thursday.

“The thing is the forecasts have been changing up a lot, whether it’s going to directly hit us,” Cameron, a Laguna Beach High graduate, said. “If it is super bad, that could make the waves pretty bad for the contest, but it also has a chance to make it really good. Nobody really knows until it gets close enough to forecast it a little better. There’s a ton of different possibilities.”

Brazil’s Lucas Fink (Rio de Janeiro), the defending champion of the United Skim Tour, and Mexico’s Gerardo Valencia (Barra de Navidad), who topped the tour in 2021, are also expected to compete.

Yahir Valencia, the brother of Gerardo, currently leads the United Skim Tour standings, followed by Fink.

Amber Torrealba of Palm Bay (Fla.), a three-time winner of the Vic, including back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019, highlights the entries in the women’s professional division.